Dear Jen Striker, Cite Your Sources!
By: Melissa | August 19th, 2008Now, just to be clear, I’ve got nothing but mad love for the tiny handful of people who write about women’s soccer out there on the blogoshpere. But when this rather huge bit of info jumps out on my Google Reader like it did today…
According to reports from China, WPS St. Louis franchise has reportedly signed Brazil coach Jorge Barcellos after agreeing personal terms.
From Jen Striker’s Women’s Soccer USA blog – which never adds links to sources and keeps all comments closed. Yes, I’m complaining. I did a Google search to see if there were any news reports on this and so far, all Barcellos news is about the Olympics finals and that’s it. Normally, I would dismiss this St. Louis claim, but Jen’s blog has been correct many times in the past. The whole situation is much like fish oil. When you unscrew the top and take a whiff, it’s nasty. But good lord that stuff is delicious as a cooking additive.
Another thing that’s been on my mind is this absolutely silly article from the Guardian (ok – full disclosure – we here at The Offside actually have nothing but love and respect for the Guardian) which says “American predators” (i.e. the WPS) are pursuing female players in the English league. In fact, there’s a quote from Arsenal manager Vic Akers that particularly annoys me:
Akers believes four of his players – Kelly Smith, Karen Carney, Katie Chapman and Alex Scott – are being targeted. “If these girls and other England players go to America,” said Akers, “it could set the game here back 10 years.”
Seriously? If four people leave your team, the entire state of English women’s football is ruined? You simply won’t be able to find enough players, in a country obsessed with football, to fill the gap? And I do believe last time I checked, a few Arsenal players that helped win last year’s championship were former W-league and WUSA players. And the assistant coach, who is now the head coach of the Red Stars, was a former W-League coach. But I think chairman Peter Hough gets it as he’s quoted in the article: “we are hoping to create full-time opportunities for girls in English clubs and we will do all we can to retain the players.” Competition. And it’s not just from the Americans. Australia will debut it’s own women’s league as well. This is nothing but good for the state of women’s soccer in the world.
Category: WPS News
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First of all, thank you for criticizing Jen Striker for writing a blog that doesn’t allow comments and often leaves out critical sources. Of note… Back in July, I emailed Jen Striker to say hello and introduce myself as a fellow blogger. She never wrote back and in fact the next day she posted my hiring at the Red Stars as “nepotistic” in her blog. WHAT?! Sorry Jen Striker but I’m not related to anybody in WPS. Needless to say, I have removed that page from my blogroll.
Second, I posted a response to the Guardian.co.uk article at my blog here. Here’s a look at how I echo your sentiments.
In Leighton’s article, Vic Akers names four players and claims that “if these girls and other England players go to America, it could set the game here back 10 years.” How strong is your existing league if the departure of four players is that threatening? That’s quite a statement to make about the FA, especially from the manager who’s won ten Premier League Championships, nine FA Women’s Cups, nine FA Women’s Premier League Cups, five FA Women’s Community Shields, seven London County FA Women’s Cups and the UEFA Women’s Cup during the past 20 years.
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I actually argued this point with Zach when this article came out. Btw, he said to stop stealing his thoughts. Anyways, the jist I have of the English women’s league isn’t that it’s a strong league. Yes, Arsenal is a power but are there really that many other top flight teams in that league. Not only that but the league seems to be full of home grown talent. As everyone likes to remind the men of, England isn’t the world power it likes to think itself to be. If major English players jump ship that doesn’t leave them with much of a league. I can see where that guy is coming from I guess. Then again, I don’t know much about women’s soccer so I could be totally wrong. Heh.
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You know, history has shown that the FA is perfectly capable of limiting the development of English women’s football all by itself! The more the rest of us do to give talented English women the chance to play, w/o having to earn their “keep” by working in other jobs for the club (as do the arsenal players) the more we do for the women’s game overall. I’ve written periodically about the unbelievably backwards attitudes about women and sports in the UK, and that Guardian story – which wasn’t real journalism on the issue – was totally typical for english coverage of the women’s game. (The Guardian never publishes real stories about the women’s game, never really investigates anything – they just write an annual celebration of Arsenal’s dominance, and do us the favor via the observor of the occasional op-ed piece by David James – who has said more in his columns about the sexism which hobbles the women’s game in the UK that anyone else on their payroll.)
Anyway, I’ve heard some interesting suggestions from a reader in sao paolo about barcellos. would love to talk off the record w/ you about them.
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