Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: The United States of Soccer
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Austin
STATE: TX
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/11/14/united-states-soccer-book-chronicles-rise-mls-fandom * http://www.burgundywave.com/2017/1/2/14135882/interview-with-phil-west-author-of-united-states-of-soccer
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2017005602
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2017005602
HEADING: West, Phil
000 00635nz a2200181n 450
001 10353053
005 20170117073551.0
008 170116n| azannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2017005602
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10681163
040 __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF
100 1_ |a West, Phil
370 __ |e Austin (Tex.) |2 naf
372 __ |a Journalism |a Soccer |2 lcsh
374 __ |a Journalists |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Men |2 lcsh
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a West, Phil. The United States of soccer, 2016: |b t.p. (Phil West) dust jacket (Austin, Texas, based writer and soccer advocate; graduate of the University of Texas at Austin’s Michener Center for Writers)
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:University of Washington, B.A., 1990; University of Texas at Austin, M.F.A., 2000.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. MLSSoccer.com, Howler, and SBNation, journalist. University of Texas at San Antonio, lecturer.
WRITINGS
Contributor to numerous periodicals, including Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, San Antonio Express-News, and Austin Chronicle.
SIDELIGHTS
Phil West is a writer and journalist. He has done sports reporting for websites including MLSSoccer.com, Howler, and SBNation and has contributed articles to numerous periodicals, including Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, and San Antonio Express-News. In addition to writing and reporting, West lectures at the University of Texas at San Antonio. West received his B.A. in communications from the University of Washington and his M.F.A. in writing from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Austin, Texas.
In The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom, West examines the history of soccer in America, focusing on Major League Soccer (MLS) and the individuals that have influenced its development. MLS emerged in the U.S. following the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Though it is not widely considered to be a top contender in global sports, West explains that the league has progressively, although slowly, been gaining a larger fan base and the team has been advancing in skill. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews wrote: West “tells the intertwined story of the rise of MLS and its fan base in this reasonably crisp narrative.” The book highlights the relationship between the sport and its fans, suggesting that each has influenced the other, leading to growth and popularity.
West discusses the of elements that allowed for MLS to emerge and gain popularity. When the league was started, there was no guarantee that it would last. He points to the combined efforts of U.S. soccer fans and soccer power brokers in their ability to work together to raise MLS up. West includes many factors in his description of the circumstances that have influenced MLS, including political and economic components as well as the importance of fan culture. The book includes more than seventy interviews with team officials, players, and leaders of team supporter groups.
In The United States of Soccer, West does not explicitly advocate for the advancement of MLS. Rather, he suggests that the league has grown and is deserving of respect. MLS is still not considered to be a leader in international soccer, and it is not uncommon for again European athletes to join the league as their value in the international market declines. West does suggest that in recent years the U.S. Men’s National Team has shown improvement and that the fan base in continually growing.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2016, review of The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom.
Publishers Weekly, September 26, 2016, review of The United States of Soccer, p. 80.*
About Phil West: Phil West is a journalist based in Austin, currently covering soccer for MLSSoccer.com, Howler, and SBNation. He has also written for the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, San Antonio Express-News, and Austin Chronicle.
Interview with Phil West, author of United States of Soccer
2
The soccer literature genre is growing, and Phil West has added an important volume dealing with MLS and American Soccer Fandom.
by From The South Stands@RapidsSouthStds Jan 2, 2017, 9:00am MST
TWEET
SHARE
PIN
REC
Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
Phil West's book, "The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom," was a particular joy for me to read. Over the last year, I've acquainted myself with what many deem the best of the growing literature of the soccer genre (Fever Pitch, Inverting the Pyramid, Thirty-One Nil, etc.). Thanks to our incredible and astute Rapids fanbase, I know have many more added to my Amazon wishlist into which to delve!
West's book was the first book I've read about American soccer and its fandom. Reading up on the history of MLS and the American brand of fandom that fuels the entire experience was of endless fascination, and you could tell he was writing about American soccer fandom as an American soccer fan. As you read this book, you could see that he brought a wonderful historian's bent along with a labor of love to this project. He graciously allowed the Burgundy Wave to interview him.
===
Burgundy Wave: Thank you so much for taking time to talk soccer, especially American soccer, with us today. What made you tackle this particular subject of MLS?
Phil West: The book came out of another soccer-related project I was proposing to publishers through my agent. Overlook wanted an MLS history at a point where I was beginning to embrace MLS, so I gladly took it on. I knew, from the outset, that I wanted to talk about the role that supporters' groups had in creating the league's identity, as well as the role that league officials and front offices. What I didn't want to do is have it be a mere recounting of which players did what in which year. The story of how the league grew, survived being at the brink, and then grew some more was the real story to me.
BW: What was one (or two, if you're feeling froggy) takeaways in putting this project together? Any surprises?
PW: There were a lot of little surprises along the way—the revelation that it was a well-timed awards speech by Tim Howard that inspired Phil Anschutz to want to save the league, for example, or that Dave Checketts with Real Salt Lake has an unheralded but important role in getting MLS from the austerity measures years to the Beckham arrival. Because MLS doesn't yet have the staggering revenues of an NFL, it's been in a more tenuous position financially, but there are a lot of people committed to making MLS work, and ultimately, it's out of a genuine love of soccer that they're doing so.
BW: Your acknowledgment of the role club supporters’ groups played in giving MLS some traction, something I had never considered—I, sad to say, took them for granted. What are some non-negotiables supporters’ groups should have in best serving club and fan? Any examples?
PW: There's a paragraph I wrote in the intro I'm particularly proud of:
"Supporters' groups, when they’re their best selves, foster camaraderie and enable a sense of humor that is vital to following a soccer team. Even in high-scoring games, goals are events, and most fans’ reactions to the majority of game action are exasperated responses to a series of moments of almost. Soccer’s a sport that demands community, and supporters' groups are the most dramatic expression of that."
For the earliest groups, and even with relatively newer groups like Timbers Army, ECS, Sons of Ben, and your C38, I see supporters' groups as catalysts for energy in the rest of the stadium, and something that contributes to the atmosphere in the stadium. It allows soccer to be an organic live experience that you just won't get in, say, an NBA game, where there's such a clear orchestration of the fan experience directed from the front office.
BW: The single-entity model that our Commissioner (Don Garber) champions did help MLS navigate through the difficult years in the early 2000s. Do you see this model changing, with any openness of the MLS higher-ups supporting promotion-relegation? Do you feel that would be good for American soccer, or detrimental.
PW: There is most decidedly NO support for pro-rel right now among MLS execs—as I relayed in the book, from my interview with Commissioner Garber, pro-rel doesn't work given the SUM agreement and the financial commitment of owners. You can't tell an incoming ownership group paying nine figures, in part to get David Villa or Sebastian Giovinco to come to their home stadium, "You know, if you have one bad season, you'll be fighting your way out of NASL or USL to win back that right." I feel like if NASL folds, you could have a two-tiered USL with promotion and relegation between those, but I also know that's a scenario that won't satisfy the prorelerati.
While I see the appeal, I just don't buy the argument that pro-rel suddenly makes every team more competitive and better. I see a definite danger of what you have in England, where there's a distinct hierarchy between the top six teams and everyone else. '15-'16 Leicester is a Halley's Comet; it was remarkable, but I contend it will remain a literal once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. And, personally, I like that MLS marches to its own American drummer, with the ethos of a team that's bad one year to improve itself the next, get into the playoffs, and play its way to glory in a bracket rather than a table.
==
My favorite takeaway from this interview is the role the supporters’ groups play. I would like to tip my hat to C38 for all they do in providing the energy needed for our Rapids and for us as fans. Hopefully the rest of us who fill the stands can support you better as you support the team. Keep the tifos, the drums, the flags, and the energy coming!
And thank you for keeping the p*** chant to a minimum until it's eradicated all together (but that's the article for next week).
Phil, thank you! Let's do this again. If you're ever in Colorado to see our Rapids play, stop by and see us!
What questions would you have asked Phil? What were your favorite takeaways? Feel free to sound off in the comments section or send him a tweet @philwest.
Phil West: THE UNITED STATES OF SOCCER
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 1, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Phil West THE UNITED STATES OF SOCCER Overlook (Adult Nonfiction) 27.95 ISBN: 978-1-4683-1241-6
A perfectly fine book about an adequate soccer league.Compared to other leagues in Europe, Central and South America, and other regions of the
globe, Major League Soccer, which emerged after the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, is fairly mediocre, certainly not one of the
top 10 leagues in the world. Yet it has also improved on a steady trajectory, has become a port of last call for elite players from European and
other leagues looking for a soft cushion into retirement, and has been partially responsible for a demonstrable rise in both the consistent quality of
the U.S. Mens National Team and in American fan support for the sport. Veteran soccer journalist West tells the intertwined story of the rise of
MLS and its fan base in this reasonably crisp narrative. The author really knows the history and landscape of American soccer, and he conveys it
well. Though his goal is not to advocate for MLS, he believes it warrants increasing respect, even if it does not match the level of play of the
worlds elite leagues. West seeks to place MLS within a larger context of the development of soccer as a legitimate element of the American
sporting landscape. The author is especially strong at addressing the politics, economics, and fan culture that have emerged as MLS has gone
from its tentative inaugural steps to a solid second-tier presence in American sports. But it is perhaps telling that some of the least compelling
parts of the book involve the game on the pitch, and the assertion that West makes in the last words of the bookthat MLS seems positioned to
remain intact and supportedis underwhelming. Fans of MLS will appreciate Wests perspective, and those who are not yet fans may be convinced
by this brief, worthwhile history.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Phil West: THE UNITED STATES OF SOCCER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2016. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA465181982&it=r&asid=4aa21326c8ade71b38fe8dc9022a62d3. Accessed 22 June
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A465181982
---
6/22/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1498189017180 2/2
The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American
Soccer Fandom
Publishers Weekly.
263.39 (Sept. 26, 2016): p80.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom
Phil West. Overlook, $27.95 (272p) ISBN 978-1-4683-1241-6
Veteran soccer journalist West employs a fan's-eye view to explore the travails and innovations of Major League Soccer, which had no guarantee
to last when it was founded in 1993- Soccer power brokers and a passionate fan base gradually discovered that by working together, they could
help the sport thrive in a nation rife with anti-soccer sentiment. No topic is too arcane to escape West's interest: he discusses team names, logos,
rule changes, and rivalries among fan groups. His narrative serves as a series of engaging case studies on the business and marketing of sport.
West is at his most effective when he draws on more than 70 exclusive interviews with league executives, team officials, players, and, most
notably, the leaders of team supporter groups, who create in-stadium and social media fan experiences distinct from those of the other four major
North American sports. West asserts that American soccer, still the underdog, succeeds by respectfully and continually drawing inspiration from
fan cultures from the rest of the soccer-obsessed world. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom." Publishers Weekly, 26 Sept. 2016, p. 80+. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA465558254&it=r&asid=75a780889531c171e871028c46e26863. Accessed 22 June
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A465558254