[Editor’s Note: The MLS season kicks off in under 8 weeks and moves have been made by every team.  As my knowledge of the Crew is severely lacking, I sought out someone who lives and breathes Crew soccer to give an update on all that has been happening with the team.  Michael Thompson is the player/coach of my adult co-ed soccer team and is a season ticket holder with the Crew.  And while this is his first season as a season ticket holder, I know he went to almost every home game last year, and he even flew out to Los Angeles to catch a game against the Galaxy!  That’s dedication.  The Crew should give him a medal or something.  So here it is, Michael Thompson’s 2012 Crew Preview.]

2011 REVIEW

At or around this time last year, the Columbus Crew had parted ways with what many fans considered to be the core of their team; Argentine legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto, his fellow countryman Gino Padula, fan favorite Kiwi Duncan Oughton, and former US National Team defender and Columbus captain Frankie Hejduk.

While the moves did clean house to make way for younger, more athletic players, it put a hurt on ticket sales for the club.  Less familiar faces, and some nasty weather early on in the season plummeted the Black & Gold to the second lowest average attendance in all of Major League Soccer for the 2011 season.  The only club that brought in less  spectators on average was the San Jose Earthquakes, with 11,858 (their home stadium has a capacity of 10,300).

The Crew went into the late summer 2011 on top of the Eastern Conference, but ended up on a slippery slope, losing 5 out of 6 matches in the span of one month, and backing into a wild card playoff position.  While it was  a franchise tying fourth consecutive playoff appearance for The Crew, they were eliminated by the Colorado Rapids for the second year in a row.  It was a less than dramatic end to what was many saw as a middle-of-the-road season.  Forward Jeff Cunningham did break the MLS career goal scoring record wearing a Columbus jersey,  but lack of offensive production hampered the club’s success.  They were the only outfit that made it into the playoffs with a negative goal differential at the season’s end.

2012 OFFSEASON MOVES

2012 has brought more changes.  With respect to the exit, the front office parted ways with designated player Andres Mendoza, who despite being the teams leading goal scorer in 2011, was seen as a heel to many fans due to his perceived lack of work ethic, and indifferent attitude towards club  supporters.  “El Condor” has moved on to Atlante FC of the Mexican First Division.  Also departing ways is US National team midfielder Robbie Rogers, who lead the club in assists last season with 7,  but was seen as largely ineffective for a player of his supposed caliber.  He has joined Leeds United, of Britain’s Football League Championship.  Left back and MLS journeyman Josh Gardner was taken by expansion side Montreal Impact, and internationals Dejan Rusmir and Santiago Prim had their contract options declined, along with afore mentioned scoring legend Jeff Cunningham.  Cunningham has since joined the ranks of Guatemalan side Communicaciones.   Nigerian midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo has also declined a new contract with The Crew, and while no official word has been given of his current status, it seems he has moved on to Europe as well.

This winter Columbus’ front office has acted quickly to fulfill the team‘s needs.  Most notably is Milovan Mirosevic, an attacking midfielder and former captain of Chilean powerhouse Universidad Catolica. At 31 years of age, Mirosevic is an  experienced player who can bring an added scoring threat to the final third of the pitch.  Also on the offensive side is the acquisition of Costa Rican forward Olman Vargas, who tallied 19 goals in 53 appearances with CS Herediano.  Acquired in the MLS re-entry draft this past December is former New York Red Bulls center back Carlos Mendes.  Like Mirosevic, he is also 31 years of age & brings a more experienced option that could possibly be paired with team captain Chad Marshall in the middle of the defense.   Several picks were also acquired in the MLS Superdraft and Supplemental Draft.   Most notably is their first pick; Ethan Finlay of Creighton, who scored 43 career goals, and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy (the Heisman of college soccer).  Listed as a forward, Finlay is also reportedly stellar as a wing player.  Other Superdraft picks include Aubrey Perry (RCB, South Florida), and Kevan George (MF, Central Florida).  Supplement draft picks included Kirk Urso (MF, North Carolina), Jamie Finch (D, Washington), Darren Amoo (FW, Liberty), who is the career leading goal scorer for Liberty, and Andrew Bulls (MF/FW Maryland-Baltimore County).

[Editor's Edit: The Crew hosted this video to get to know Ethan Finlay.  You can also follow him on Twitter: @EthanFinlay16]

Two players who have grown up in the ranks of Columbus’ youth development academy were also extended contracts.  Ben Speas (FW, North Carolina), originally from Stow, Ohio, was MVP of the 2011 College Cup, and was also part of three youth national championships with Columbus; Matt Lampson (GK, Ohio State) was signed to a multi-year contract, after ranking second on the all-time shut out list at Ohio State.  Lampson is a native of Hilliard, Ohio.

With preseason training already underway, and the arrivals of Mirosevic and Vargas reported to be in the coming days, the final & largest piece of the puzzle it yet to be affixed in lineup of the Black & Gold.  There is still no report of a designated player (the designated player rule allows MLS teams to count only a portion of a player’s income against the team’s salary cap, and is usually reserved for ‘star‘ players). It has been reported by team GM Mark McCullers that there is a fifty percent chance they will have to begin the 2012 season without a designated player.   No names have been dropped, but rumors have indicated that a “well known” player could be secured for an attacking central midfield or forward role.

2012 TV RIGHTS AND FIRST GAME

Another change for the 2012 season is how fans will be watching on TV.  NBC announced in 2011 that they will be televising 3 regular season MLS matches, while the NBC Sports Network will televise 38, and the ESPN family of networks are also scheduled to air 31 matches.  Regionally, The Crew have partnered with Fox Sports Ohio to carry non-nationally televised games, leaving behind ONN, The Crew’s previous regional broadcaster, and carrier of the weekly information & interview feature, “Crew Xtra“.

Columbus kicks off the 2012 season on Saturday, March 10, at 6:00pm EST, on the road, against the club that ended their last two seasons: the Colorado Rapids.  After a two week break, the home opener will feature The Crew hosting MLS newcomers, the Montreal Impact on Saturday, March 24^th, 4:00pm EST at Crew Stadium, in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

-Michael Thompson

Carlos Mendes, Columbus Crew, Ethan Finlay, Mark McCullers, Matt Lampson, Michael Thompson, Milovan Mirosevic, Olman Vargas Hide

As you may have noticed—whether you check this blog regularly, once a month, or if this is your first time—there has been a dearth of updates.  It has made no difference whether I’ve been busy (during finals) or not (during break between semesters).  Merely, I have not had the motivation to write.

The reason: I haven’t felt compelled by anything.

Sure, of course, there have been minor developments within the scope of what I normally write about.  And I do my best to pass those on via Twitter or Facebook.  “Random sports person vocalizes his support of the gay community!” or “Random sports person does something homophobic!” or “Random athlete playing random sport at a random level of competition just came out!”

Not to minimize the importance of those events—because each incremental step is newsworthy—but I have nothing to add to those stories that I haven’t said already.  In fact, I even have categories for each of those topics: Allies in Sport, Athletes Coming Out, and Homophobia in Sport.  While the individual details may vary from story to story, generally, my commentary will be the same.  And it gets repetitive.  I’ve always wanted to be offer more than, “Here is Story X, plus repetitive, obvious commentary.”

Anyway, enough of the reasons why I haven’t written; clearly, I’m writing, so I must have a good reason!

And that reason: I could not believe the comments made by my classmates when discussing whether women could coach men.

First, some context.

The course is “Sports Law” and the previous week we had discussed the scope of authority for the commissioners of leagues to act for “what is in the best interest of the sport.”  (Aside: I wish every law school course was like this!)  This week, in wrapping up that subject and with those commissioner powers and responsibilities in mind, we were asked to think about and to discuss the following questions under the heading of “Sports and Social Ethics”:

• Do you ban the athlete who is HIV or AIDS positive?

• Does the American with Disabilities Act come into play?

• Is there discrimination in sports not only against HIV positive people but also gay and lesbian athletes, minorities, or women in general?

• What do you think of the Rooney Rule? And should there be percentages of a certain minority of players and coaches and should it tie to the overall population?

• Should Affirmative Action be applied in sports?

• Should athletes have a right of free speech even if they say something distasteful, or can their team govern what they say based on the potential embarrassment?

• Should athletes be allowed to make protests or demonstrations while they are part of a team?  This includes considerations of free speech, freedom of religion and assembly in a public building. [And now, Social Media.]

Whew.  What a list.

Honestly, the class could have (and I would have enjoyed) spending an hour-plus on any one of those questions.  But with limited time, we were only able to discuss a few, and in far more brevity than the subjects could warrant.

The discussion began with the first question listed, “Do you ban the athlete who is HIV or AIDS positive?”  The professor added some context: other players in the league (even up to all but the single athlete in question) are refusing to play.  If you’re commissioner, do you ban the athlete?  Or, if you’re a plaintiff’s attorney, do you take the case?

Of course, I had something to say.  I mentioned that the risks of transmitting HIV or AIDS in that fashion are significantly low, and that there are far more risky elements of any sport that are not acted upon; therefore, to act on this would be discriminatory.  Others fairly retorted that in the interest of the entire game, rather than the interest of a single player, if 99% of the league refused to play with that athlete, prohibiting the HIV/AIDS athlete may be your only course of action.

While I could go on and on about that subject, what I consider to be the absurd comments sparking my interest to write came next.  So, yes, after over 700 words of ramble, I’m finally getting to the substance of what I wanted to write about.  (Sorry for stringing you along this far.)

We moved on to discussing the Rooney-Rule of the NFL.  If you’re not familiar with it, basically, any NFL team that is hiring a new head coach must have three “finalists” and one of those three finalists must be a “minority candidate.”  We discussed the merits of it, whether it has been successful or not, whether it is still needed, etc.

And then the professor posed the question: Should a rule like the Rooney-Rule be imposed for women coaches in NCAA men’s sports, because, for example, there are no women head or assistant coaches in men’s Division I basketball ? (The professor was not, nor am I, familiar with any women coaches at that level).

The response simultaneously astounded and bothered me.

And it came from both men and women.

Ignoring the merits of a rule like the Rooney-Rule and whether there would even be women interested in coaching men as general matters (which both were discussed), those that spoke suggested that a woman would not even have the capacity to do so.

Wait…  What?!

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

The arguments seemed to suggest that a woman would be lacking in what I’ve grouped together as two ways: (1) competence and (2) leadership.

(1) Competence

The argument:

All/most/many coaches of men’s basketball played at that level at some point and even if a woman played at some point, the game is different (size of the ball, speed, size, physicality, etc.); so therefore, a woman would not even be able to coach men satisfactorily.

My response:

I’m sorry.  What?!?

Okay, sure, most of the coaches at that level did play at that level.  And yes, it certainly could be beneficial, both from understanding the game and in getting a little credibility from the male players on the team.  But a requirement?!  Not even close.

Plenty can be learned through observation.  Fundamentals can be learned and taught by anyone.  (In fact, the woman’s game has been known for having better fundamentals.)  Xs and Os can be drawn up by anyone.  Boxing out, free throws, pick and rolls, court spacing: None of it is so profound that it cannot be learned, even without having played at the exact same level of competition.

Oddly enough, I’ve written about this before, after a woman was selected to coach a men’s football team in D.C. in 2010 (of which Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers tweeted his criticisms of the move).

At that time, ESPN columnist Jemele Hill tweeted, “If ur against women coaching fb, fine. but dont make it an athletic argument. plenty of bad/mediocre male athletes are coaches.”

Indeed, there are plenty of coaches who were horrible at their sport, or never played at all.  In 2007, ESPN columnist Andy Katz wrote the piece, “Coaches prove you didn’t have to play to win,” specifically highlighting successful men’s college basketball coaches who never played at that level.

And there are examples in every sport and at every level.

Furthermore, as I mentioned in the class discussion, Nancy Lieberman coaches men of the Texas Legends in the NBA’s development league, a level of play (speed, skill, etc.) above college.  She played at the highest level of women’s basketball, both professionally and in the Olympics.  She also coached in the WNBA.  She has proven to be able to coach women and men competently. Where one has done it, there are more.

(2)  Leadership

The argument:

Male collegiate athletes would not respect (listen to, accept direction from, etc.) a woman coach, and therefore, the woman coach could not lead the team.

My response:

Again, what?!  This is the same argument that has discriminatorily prevented women from advancing in the corporate world.  This is the same argument that was made in opposing African-American coaching white players.  It is pathetic.

Really, I think it comes down to distinguishing between whether the male athletes would not respect a woman coach or could not.

Clearly, they could.  They possess the capacity to do so.  Throughout their lives, undoubtedly, they’ve had the opportunity to be in a position where a woman was in charge: either their mother or another family figure, a school teacher, a police officer, or work supervisor.  The capacity is there.  They know how to do it.  They know how to respect someone with authority over them.  Thus, they could respect a woman coach.

Then, the question is, would they?

I’m sorry, but if your answer is still, “no, the woman coach would not be respected,” then I have to say that the problem is the male athletes and not the woman coach.

(3) Would there be enough interest to warrant a Rooney-Rule?

I know I said I’d ignore this issue, but since students in the class brought up how there probably is not enough women interested in coaching men’s basketball to warrant a Rooney-Rule, I have to at least say something.

The sentiment is probably true, but it only has merit if the rule operated in the exact same fashion as the Rooney-Rule, requiring that a woman be interviewed for all vacant positions.

But, that view fails to consider that the rule could be modified to balance the level of interest in coaching with the interest of breaking down this gender barrier.

Here’s my quick solution:

Any woman interested in coaching a men’s sport submits their name for consideration to the NCAA, specifying what she thinks she is qualified to coach and where should would like to coach (examples: specific geographic regions, in a specific conference, specifically-named teams, teams based on success, etc.).  The NCAA can then pre-screen the applicant to assure that at the bare-minimum, she would be worth consideration for the positions she has expressed interest.  Then, if a team is looking to hire, they must consult the list, and if a woman candidate matches the school, she must be interviewed.

The system would prevent a team from being handcuffed by the obligation when no candidates are interested while simultaneously provide an avenue for qualified woman to enter into the league.

Simple enough.

Sure, there may not be many women interested, but I would much rather that interest be the only roadblock than antiquated views about competence and leadership.

Andy Katz, ESPN, Jemele Hill, Moritz College of Law, Nancy Lieberman, Texas Legends, Vernon Davis Hide

If you’re familiar with my approach to this blog, you know I avoid the “oh my, look at hot jock X” and “holy cow, look whose penis pictures leaked on the internet” type of content.

But because the content of this post is (1) a fundraiser and (2) for my softball team, I’m going to break my rule of avoiding gratuitous appreciations of the male figure.

With that, I’d like to present to you the Coors Light Trafik Grizzlies 2012 Calendar.

(You can see the twelve months of models—including me—in the black and white photos below.  Each month has the big color photo as the main pic and then the black and white photo as a supplement.)

The calendars will cost you $21 through the Wooftease website (I believe that includes shipping) or $20 in person, if you track down anyone on the team or come to some of one of our holiday/launch events in the next two months [details forthcoming].

Proceeds from the sales of the calendar will go to support the team with season and tournament fees, uniforms, and costs to travel to tournaments.

Additionally, 10% of profits will go to benefit Project Zero, a Columbus project aiming to raise money and awareness for HIV/AIDS resources.

Many, many, many thanks to Ray LaVoie (here is his professional photography website) for the outstanding job he did with the photography and design of the calendar, at no charge, no less!

Additional thanks must go out to Wooftease for running the e-commerce and distribution of the calendar outside of Columbus and to Coors Light and Trafik Bar & Nightclub for their continued support of the team.

If you want to follow the Grizzlies throughout this next season and beyond, be sure to ‘like’ the team on Facebook.

Coors Light, Project Zero, Ray LaVoie, Ray LaVoie Photography, Trafik Bar & Nightclub, Trafik Grizzlies, Wooftease Hide

The New York Daily News is reporting that ‘sexual orientation’ protection will be added to the discrimination clause of the new collective bargaining agreement, agreed to this week by Major League Baseball and the MLB Player’s Association.

The NY Daily News notes that this follows the NFL which also did so earlier this year (and if my breaking the NFL story had any part in pressuring the MLB to do the same, my job here has been successful), but that the provision was readily agreed upon by both the MLBPA and MLB negotiators.

Tico Almeida, President of Freedom to Work, has been keeping me abreast of this development in the MLB (thankfully, because my school schedule gets more and more demanding by the day).

Almeida pointed out to me the importance of having these protections at the league level because so many teams (13 of the 30, to be exact) are in states that do not protect employees from anti-gay harassment, firing, or other forms of discrimination.

This is the note Almeida sent me:

“In a majority of states in our country, it is still perfectly legal to fire someone just for being gay, and 13 of the 30 Major League teams are located in those states that allow anti-gay firings,” said Tico Almeida, President of the LGBT organization Freedom to Work.  “No player should have to fear harassment or workplace retaliation if he were to publicly come out as gay.”

American League teams in states that allow anti-gay firings, harassment, and other forms of discrimination:

1)    Cleveland Indians (Ohio)

2)    Detroit Tigers (Michigan)

3)    Kansas City Royals (Missouri)

4)    Tampa Bay Rays (Florida)

5)    Texas Rangers (Texas)

National League teams in states that allow anti-gay firings, harassment, and other forms of discrimination:

6)    Arizona Diamondbacks (Arizona)

7)    Atlanta Braves (Georgia)

8)    Cincinnati Reds (Ohio)

9)    Florida/Miami Marlins (Florida)

10)    Houston Astros (Texas)

11)    Philadelphia Phillies (Pennsylvania)

12)    Pittsburgh Pirates (Pennsylvania)

13)    St. Louis Cardinals (Missouri)

Thus, with the addition of the language in the CBA, players on those teams would now have at least some protection (and I assume some remedy defined in the CBA) that otherwise would not have existed.

Another step forward!

By my count, now the NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS will all have this provision.  And I would assume, if the NBA lockout ever ends, a similar provision will be added to that league’s CBA as well.

[EDIT:] Another person who must be thanked in this process is Rafael McDonnell of the Resource Center Dallas.  On October 31, 2011, McDonnell and RCD sent this letter to Major League Baseball encouraging them to follow the NFL in making this change to the CBA.

The McDonnell/RCD letter was well-received by the MLB offices as shown by the responses from:

(1) MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, which stated, “Your letter is very constructive and I appreciate your taking the time to write me.” and from

(2) Robert Manfred, Executive VP of Labor and Human Resources of MLB, who wrote, “While it is my policy not to comment on matters currently on the table, I think it is safe to say the issue you have raised will be addressed in a positive way.”

Bud Selig, Freedom to Work, Major League Baseball, MLB, New York Daily News, NFL, Resource Center Dallas Hide

In an interview this morning on CBC Radio, Georges Laraque, an NHL player from 1996 to 2010, and known to be quite an enforcer on the ice (he was named “Best Fighter” by The Hockey News in 2003 and the “Number One Enforcer” by Sports Illustrated in 2008) said he played with a player he knew was bisexual and that the NHL needs a gay player to come out.

At 14:50 into this interview, the interviewer shifted the discussion from the issues of fighting in the sport (the main reason for the interview) and asking: “How big of a problem do you think racism and homophobia are in the hockey world?”

On the issue of homophobia, Laraque responded:

“Well, I’ve been working really on hard to defend those rights: I do every parade I can, and I talk about that all the time.

“But what would be awesome is to have a player to come out and to admit that he’s gay.

“And I have played once with a player that was actually bisexual—and I can’t mention his name—but we need a guy in the NHL [to come out as gay].  If you look at the stats, we know that there has to be some guys in the NHL that are, but in a team sport, I could understand why they wouldn’t want because everything is shared—showers, road trip, hotels, and everything.

“There’s still a long way to go.  You’re right, the slur of calling someone gay or fag and all those words, well, something you often associate with someone that doesn’t want to engage, doesn’t want to fight.  So, you’re right, it should change.”

It’s a shame that calling someone gay or a fag is the go-to slur directed at someone doesn’t want to fight.  This is the reason why I support those campaigns to end the use of homophobic slurs and phrases like “that’s so gay.”

Too often, those slurs are defended with the stance: “oh, it’s not homophobic… I have nothing against gay people.”  But the message is perpetuates is that calling someone gay is the quickest way you can tear them down and challenge their strength.  To call them gay is to call them weak.

This needs to stop, and I commend Laraque for being so vocal on this issue (and many others, if you continue to listen through the end of the interview).

Hat tip to twitter follower (@idhToronto) for pointing this news out!

CBC Radio, Georges Laraque, NHL Hide