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From our friends at the American Outlaws, Des Moines:
American Outlaws wants to buy you a beer at the US vs Argentina Watch Party Sat March 26th
American Outlaws Des Moines, the local chapter of the national supporters group for US Soccer, has partnered with the Free Beer Movement and Victor’s Sports Club to introduce soccer to people who have never watched soccer with a supporters group. “It’s much more fun to watch soccer at a bar with other knowledgeable fans” said AO DSM Chapter President Tanya Keith. “The Free Beer Movement is a grassroots effort of American soccer fans to share their passion for soccer with the not-yet-converted in exchange for a beer (or two). It’s a time honored sports tradition to create new and future fans of soccer through the power of free beer.”
“Anyone who watched the 2010 World Cup at Victor’s Sports Club knows there is no better place in Des Moines to get caught up in the excitement of soccer.” said Corey Dickey, Membership Chair for AO DSM. “We thought the US vs Argentina game was a great chance for people to get familiar with soccer and our local bar, at the beginning of the Major League Soccer and before the Gold Cup in June. Come on out, let us buy you a beer, show you how much fun soccer can be with a good group of supporters.”
Event details: US Soccer (USMNT) vs Argentina
Victor’s Sports Club
7500 Douglas Ave.
Urbandale, IA 50322
Saturday, March 26th, 2011 Kickoff at 6:00 PM
For more information, contact Tanya Keith 515-778-9411 or TanyaHKeith@Gmail.com or find more information at http://www.desmoines.theamericanoutlaws.com
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Myself and two of my soccer travel buddies, Prairie Clayton and Kaela Porter, are three passionate ”ultra” fans of US Soccer. Over our years traveling together, we have talked about the experience of being a female soccer fan, and while preparing for and traveling to the 2010 World Cup, we decided to develop a project to tell the stories of the women traveling to games alongside us. The only qualification for inclusion in the project is that you’re a girl or woman who supports US Soccer as a fan. We appreciate your support of our project, and we look forward to telling your stories. Please forward this to any female supporter of US Soccer.
You do not have to answer all the questions, but please be as thorough as possible. If you have received a paper copy of this questionnaire, please feel free to use additional pages.
RETURNING THE QUESTIONAIRE
The best way to deliver your answers is by emailing TanyaHKeith (at) Gmail(dot)com, but you may also snail mail your answers to Tanya Keith, 4556 50th Street, Des Moines IA 50310.
PERMISSION FOR USE
By answering this questionnaire, you are giving permission for us to publish your story and/or image (we will use only first names and will use fake name if you prefer). We reserve the right to edit stories submitted. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Please write or type your initials here to acknowledge your permission to publish your story in whole or part: ________
Name:
Address:
Email:
Phone (Home/Cell):
1. Which US Soccer Teams do you follow (Men, Women, Youth, etc)?
2. Are you more passionate about one US team over another?
3. When did you first become interested in US Soccer?
4. When did you become a diehard fan?
5. What is your life outside of soccer like? (i.e. what do you do for a living, what are your other interests, do you have a spouse/partner/children? )
6. Do you play soccer or another sport? If so for what team(s)? What position do you play?
7. Do you support a club team or teams?
8. Do you follow any teams overseas?
9. Where’s your favorite non-stadium spot to watch a US game (bar, pub, etc.)?
10. How far have you traveled to see the US play?
11. How many caps do you have (how many US games have you been to)?
12. What World Cups and/or tournaments have you traveled to?
13. Tell us about your game day routine. What do you wear to games? How do you prepare?
14. How does being a female fan affect your experience of the game and other fans? Do you think it makes a difference that you’re a female supporter, and if so, how?
15. How do you respond to the perception that women don’t really follow sports, they’re just there because the players are hot?
16. What’s the best game(s) you ever saw and why is it your favorite?
17. What’s the best adventure(s) you’ve ever had because of US Soccer?
18. How has being a US Soccer fan impacted your everyday life?
19. If you have a significant other, how do they feel about your passion for soccer?
20. If you have children, how old are they and how do they feel about your passion for soccer? Did they grow up going to US Soccer games and or events? Have they attended games with you?
21. What else would you like to tell us about your experiences with US Soccer?
Thank you again for taking the time to complete this survey. If your story is selected for publication, we will need 1-5 high quality photos of you at US Soccer events (where you watch games, dressed up for the stadium, tailgating, etc) that you would be willing and able to release for publication. We will also accept studio photos of how you dress for games.
We are looking for stories from many different female fans. If you know of other women who follow US Soccer, please forward this questionnaire to them, or even better, forward their contact information to TanyaHKeith (at) gmail(dot)com and she will contact them. Updated information about this project may be available at our Women of US Soccer page on Facebook or on Tanya’s blog http://www.SoccerFamilyStyle.Wordpress.com.
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I woke up this morning to a Chicago Fire message on my FB wall that the MLS iPhone app was released this morning. As a Droid user, I was initially grumbling, until I read down to the bottom of the message and it said Android was coming in 24-48 hours, which, as late as I slept, it was already in the Market!!
My favorite thing so far: you select your club, and it fires up an audio recording of supporters chanting! LOVE IT!! Way to recognize the supporters MLS App! It’s tough for me, out here in MLS wasteland because now this app is forcing me to choose, is my phone for Sporting KC, Fire, or perhaps my favorite supporters, but least convenient, Portland Timbers? Only my Droid knows for sure!! (You can switch teams pretty easily, and the list is alphabetical, so if you’re for Vancouver, flip in reverse order!)
According to the Fire’s release, you can expect:
Go check it out. It is fast becoming my favorite app, and it’s not even in season yet!
My reasons for going to the AO Rally had nothing to do with parenting. I love taking my kids to games, but the Rally was something I wanted to do for me. I remember June 5, 2002, being in the stadium for the moment (or 90 some moments) that the US beat Portugal after coming off our last place finish in the 1998 World Cup. Doug and I were up late talking in our room that night about how cool it was to be there in such a pivotal moment for US Soccer. When I heard about what American Outlaws were planning for this Rally, I thought that the event had the possibility to be another epic moment in US Soccer history, and I figured it was time for me to get serious about AO DSM chapter leadership, and on both counts, it did not disappoint.
But even though my intentions were self/chapter serving, we did have two very interesting discussions at lunch with the Soccer Family Style Family (ages 8 and 3-1/2). The first was about facebook photos. I was flipping through the photos on my phone and commented that a few of them were not facebook worthy as they contained some things that should stay in Vegas. When people question how close I keep my kids to the supporters section, I have to think, isn’t it better for your kids to learn lessons on what not to curse, post to facebook, etc from OTHER people? I think so.
Then we talked about Grant Wahl’s Campaign for FIFA President. We talked about political corruption, and the things that FIFA has done to lose some of our respect. We talked about the need to stand up to injustice, and how even if he doesn’t win (he admits it’s a long shot), it’s important to push the discussion forward to the best of each person’s ability. OK, I admit, it’s over the 3 year old’s head, but you could see my daughter’s wheels turning. She gets it, and that’s a cool thing to see as a parent.
And did I mention that I got to meet Mama Donahoo? That’s right, Mom of two of the American Outlaws founders Korey and Chris Donahoo. She didn’t believe me when I told her she was my hero, but really? When you’re trying to raise good soccer supporters in the US….who would you rather meet? It was epic for me, Mama Donahoo.
We’re working on our statement on Grant’s candidacy…you’ll have to stay tuned for that one. Until then, remember….American Outlaws….not just for kids. It’s for parents too.
I’m on my way home from the first American Outlaws Rally, and want to share my experience of the AORally, but honestly, I’m overwhelmed. I’m still processing how great this experience was for me.
As a long time US Soccer junkie, and I’m a big fan ot what American Outlaws have accomplished is such a short time.I felt I had to be a part of this rally to see what they have planned for the future and to bring my experience to help build the organization.
I got so much more out of this rally than I expected. I got a ride to and from LA from my AO brothers in the LA chapter. I’m riding with a great group of guys, and I am getting and extra 10 hours of talking AO (and a side trip to the Hoover Dam!)
I learned about Little Feet’s new programs, Free Beer Movement, and more. I got to talk to Alexi Lalas, who delivered a love letter to the fans that was about his perpective of the growing soccer culture in the US for all the years I’ve been a supporter. I saw previews of One Goal’s video, and got to talk to Grant Wahl about his work and FIFA President campaign.
But most of all, I feel this trip rekindled my passion for growing the fan culture in this country, in particular through the American Outlaws. It was so exciting, as an entrepreneur, to recognize the huge opportunity that sits in front of AO right now. The fan swell that my family have tried to develop since 1993 is finally happening, and it is quite incredible to be a part of it.
And I’ll tell you more about that, but after I’ve slept a few hours. Until then, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, American Outlaws. We love you, we love you, we love you….
Filed under: International Soccer, US Soccer, Womens Soccer | Tags: US Soccer, USMNT, USWNT, Women's Soccer, Women's World Cup, WPS
Twitter: the fastest way to get me from sleeping to blogging at 2 AM. @FromaLeftWing responded to Sport’s Illustrated writer Grant Wahl‘s tweet about @NoahEDavis‘ article “Can Women’s Soccer Survive in America?” (which by the way, was published by @Awl). Davis writes a decent article comparing the 1999 Chastain sports bra flash moment and this year’s Donovan miracle last minute goal and the impact those moments had on US Soccer for the men’s and women’s games. He talks about how the 1999 women’s team was a standout team, and that while the men’s game has improved over the years in between those moments, the women’s game hasn’t, and that’s why the women’s game is faltering in the US.
The tweet spree that went back and forth about Wahl’s and mass media’s reporting of women’s soccer and WPS viability was just getting interesting when I realized I had more to say on the subject than 140 characters at a time. I was in the stadium, tackling the guy next to me, at both moments, and I as the representative old school US Soccer fan, here’s my response, Twitterverse, if you have the attention span for paragraphs.
Davis talks about the popularity of the 1999 USWNT, and calls out Mia Hamm as the Greatest Player of All Time, and quotes Scott French saying “There was a perception in 1999 and 2000 that women’s soccer was more popular than men’s soccer, but it was never true” when actually, it was true, for a moment in time. American sports fans like to win. And anyone who was with us in France in 1998 knows, it wasn’t the USMNT that was making it happen. Americans were fascinated by the USWNT that summer because they were winning, and they made it really exciting to watch. It was captivating, and you could see ordinary Americans really enjoying coming to soccer games. It wasn’t just the ultra fans, it was the soccer moms and their minivans. For that one summer, Women’s Soccer was more popular because the games were fun, we were winning, and it was better marketed.
Yes, marketed. And Davis proves it. Because Hamm may have had better marketing, but wasn’t the best player ever, Kristine Lilly was, is, and will always be (at least until my 8 year old daughter turns pro). Lilly has more goals, more caps, but not as successful marketing. But I’ll tell you this: I am a passionate soccer fan. My cat was named Mia, but my daughter’s middle name in Lilly. Marketing can’t buy that.
Davis is correct, the USMNT has shown dramatic, if not linear, improvement over the past decade, while the international women’s game has caught the US women. We knew this would happen, because you couldn’t help but sit in the stadiums in 1999 and watch USWNT dominate and think, in 10 years, the rest of the world will catch up with us and then we’ll see what women’s soccer is made of in the country. And here we are, competitive to a fault. Now Americans assume that USWNT will qualify for the World Cup, and we’re shocked when they don’t with ease.
I think the lack of this team’s popularity has more to do with a lack of marketing and a misdirection in the management of the WPS league. Hopefully the marketing will pick up with next summer’s Women’s World Cup (Nike? Wheaties? Who wants to be a hero?) but the WPS needs to take a serious look at where they’re putting their teams, because if they were thinking, they’d skip Dallas and LA and stick one right here in Des Moines.
Have you finished laughing yet? Ready to hear my point? Go get a drink of water….I’ll wait.
Here’s why: the East Coast and West Coast are full. They have NFL, NBA, MLS, NHL, and a million other things to do. Where’s the best attendance in the PDL? What’s that? Omigosh! It’s Des Moines?! I had no idea! Iowa also has a proud history of supporting women’s athletics, and (at least until a few years ago) it has the highest percentage of per capita youth soccer participation in the US. But most importantly, you’re not competing for sporting dollars against every other sports team in the country. Build WPS where it has the best chance to grow; and putting it on the coasts is like trying to grow your full sun flower garden under a rain forest canopy. Give these women a little sunlight and breathing room.
Finally, I’d like to respond to Davis’ snarky parting shot, where he ends with the sad little send off, reflecting, if there was another Brandi Chastain moment, “who would be watching?” The American Outlaws Des Moines chapter sent more members to watch the USWNT do or die qualifier in Chicago than we did to the USMNT game a few months prior, and the only female there was my daughter. American soccer ultra fans are ready to support the women’s team, probably not at the level of USMNT yet, but I think we should be prepared for an outpouring of support from those of us young fans who are now raising daughters. But do not mistake us for the mass media favorite “soccer mom.”
Do not DARE call me a soccer mom, because while I do parent a soccer player, I am a mother who is obsessed with soccer. I do not drive a minivan, and my daughter missed her last game of the season because we were in South Africa watching the World Cup. Do not expect to be successful marketing to the soccer moms, who lovingly support their children but could not explain the offside rule. Market to us, the families who love soccer, and want our daughters growing up with the same athletic dreams as their brothers. Market to the women who can tell you where they were when Chastain whipped off her jersey, and Donovan scored. I can tell you what it feels like to have you five month pregnant belly flip a full 360 when hit with the wall of sound created by a stadium full of Koreans chanting in unison, and what it feels like to have morning sickness at the PDL Referee fitness test, and I await the day when people mean me when they say “soccer mom.” I am not alone. There are women (and men) in this country that are watching US Women’s Soccer, as long as there’s someone savvy enough there to sell it to them.
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Life often offers up some interesting juxtapositions. I’ve spent the last 36 hours thinking why people in the soccer world were worried about me traveling to Qatar as a Jewish soccer fan. Obviously, I’m not quiet about my Jewish identity, but it’s hardly stamped on my passport. My two blonde children and blonde husband are hardly screaming out “Tribe”! to anyone.
Case in point: I went to synagogue tonight to celebrate Hanukkah with my family. As services ended, we gathered in the social hall for dinner and discussion. An older gentleman was there and purposefully introduced himself to me. “Hi, I’m Mr. Jewish Sounding Name. And you are?” “Tanya, Tanya Keith. Nice to meet you.” He started sputtering, “Keefe?” “NoKeith K E I T H” I said, a little annoyed. Then he did it: “Keith!? Well that’s not a Jewish sounding name!” I will save my commentary on how Jews shoot themselves in the foot with these comments all the time for another blog, but suffice it to say, I let him know that was inappropriate to say and left without further discussion.
So here I am, caught between two worlds. With some close minded people in the synagogue, I’m not Jewish enough. In the soccer community, I’m too Jewish to be comfortable in Qatar. I think in both instances, my response it, I’m just as Jewish and as big a soccer fan as I need to be. If you don’t think I belong, that’s for you to work out….on your own time. So I hope you meant what you said about bringing Middle East cultures together, Qatar bidding committee. Because I may miss Shabbat services, but I have a 16 year streak of World Cups that I’m in no mood to break.
You probably think this is going to be a rant about bribes in FIFA. Wrong. Made you look. Sucker!
This is about 22 year old Tanya. It’s about a girl who was driving home from the 1994 World Cup in Chicago, talking non-stop to her boyfriend about the amazing experience they’d just had and the pact they made. It was a pact to go to every World Cup, no matter where it was. We would let soccer show us the world. Places we’d never thinking of going to for fun, but places that would teach us about who we are.
In 1994, I was just starting to grasp what moving to Iowa from northern New Jersey had done for me. When you live somewhere totally different from your home environment, it changes the way you see yourself and the world around you. You realize what you took for granted as “what everyone does” and you learn about the things that really do connect us as people. That goes for travel too.
It was terrifying to go to Korea in 2002. I was four and a half months pregnant with my first child and had a head full of what ifs. What if we need medical attention and can’t communicate what we need? What if there’s a crush at the stadium? What if I eat something I’m not supposed to because I not only don’t speak the language, I can’t even sound out the characters? It was really scary.
South Africa had other worries. Would they be ready in time? How bad is the security? Will we be safe? On the streets? In the stadiums? Should we bring our kids and worry about them in questionably secure areas, or leave them in the states and worry that we will never see them again?
I’m not going to say that I’m not nervous, or even dreading going to Qatar. But I am going to say that there’s been several universal themes through all 5 cups I’ve witnessed.
- No host wants fans to have a bad experience.
- FIFA won’t let the tournament go on if there are serious security concerns.
- People are more the same around the world than they are different.
- For the most part, the differences are beautiful.
- The good will outweigh the bad.
So we’ll see. I’ve watched the Qatar presentation to FIFA. They make some provocative promises. Soccer stadiums getting built modularly and then torn down post tournament, so they can be packed and shipped to a developing nation is pretty cool. The industrial designer in me really wants to see that. Stadiums going out into the world is a good thing, if they can pull it off.
This is it. Qatar is what I wanted. I wanted to see parts of the world that I would never consider going to without a World Cup there. So I’ll give Qatar a chance. I’ll step out of my comfort zone and go to the Middle East and watch some soccer in 2022. 22 year old Tanya would be appalled if I didn’t.
I am not happy. And when Mama ain’t happy…..we must be going to Qatar.
I was so excited for the announcement from FIFA this morning. I thought that the earning potential for the US hosting would be a slam dunk. Then I woke up hearing my son getting up. My son that my husband was supposed to take so I could start writing this post in the morning. Note to self: three year olds do NOT understand the gravity of FIFA Decision Day. So I’m juggling getting him ready, me ready, cursing ESPN for talking about basketball all morning, and waiting. And waiting. FIFA started 40 minutes late. Would’ve helped me to know that ahead of time, so I could have dropped him off and had some peace.
So I finally gave up waiting for FIFA when? About 7 minutes before they announced. I was less than two miles from my house and I saw that Russia got 2018 on Twitter and I called my fellow Des Moines American Outlaw Corey so I could get audio and not be alone in my car with a three year old when I heard. So I heard it, through the phone, and didn’t really believe it until I heard Corey’s expletive commentary. Qatar. Really.
All I know about Qatar is from one of my soccer travel buddies, Brock. You’ve seen him on TV. He’s one of those guys that wear the 9/11 Eagle shirts. We had a contest in South Africa to see who could score more media whore points. Trust me, if you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably seen him. His day job is building the Doha Airport. And he reports via Facebook about the project and the culture. It’s nothing revolutionary. Mostly his reports were about how bazaar it is to need a permit for alcohol.
I’m trying to tell myself that I’ll be 50 and won’t care as much about drinking. But I think that’s a bunch of crap, of course I’ll still care about drinking. And about being a woman with rights. And a Jew. It wasn’t as much fun going to games in Nuremberg. It was a little creepy, and I have a feeling that I’ll be watching my back and not ever really comfortable. When we flew through Dubai on the way to South Africa, we took a cab around the city…a ladies cab. They have separate cabs that women can go in. I think Qatar is going to be a big cultural shift for most soccer fans.
Once I got off the phone with Corey, I called Chad, another Des Moines soccer fan that typically has some good analysis. He started rattling off stats to me: Qatar is 4416 square miles. Think about that number. See if this helps: Iowa is 56276 square miles. Connecticut is 5543 square miles. The 2nd largest city in Qatar is SMALLER than the Des Moines metro area.
I think it’s irresponsible to build infrastructure to support a World Cup in a country that size. I understand that they’ll pack up stadiums and ship them around the world, but what about the hotels? After sleeping in many, many Korean “love hotels,” it scares me to think what will be called into housing in Qatar.
And air conditioning a field? I believe that technology exists, but do we have any business using it for something like this in an age when we should be cutting energy consumption? I can’t see how that’s going to be a green thing…air conditioning the outdoors.
Finally, this is personal for me. Qatar will, G-d willing, be my 8th consecutive men’s World Cup. Not going is not an option. The expense comparison for England/USA and Russia/Qatar is huge. There goes the college fund. People were joking with me today about inspiring my children to play in 2022/23 and 2026/27. I’m going to have to, because those kids are going to need some serious scholarship money.
I hadn’t really paid too much attention to the bidding process until today. I have a store to run and kids to raise. And I figured it was a done deal…who could turn down the financial benefits of the US hosting the World Cup? I can’t say I was too happy about it. I go to the World Cup to see the world, not a bunch of stadiums I already go to. I was grumbling about how lame it would be…traveling around in a rented RV or something.
Then today people started talking about Qatar possibly having the votes, and my US Soccer pride kicked in as fast as you can say “Do they even serve alcohol in Qatar?” FIFA, are we really going to say, in the age of global warming, that it’s OK to air condition entire fields and fan viewing areas? A World Cup in the middle of a dry dessert….OK, it’s funny to say that now, but trust me, no one actually wants to do that. And I know this is on a personal note, but Qatar hosting means I’ll hear years of Brock Kwiatkowsky calling it “Cutter.” You’ll have to trust me, FIFA. The answer to the Qatar question is “seek happiness elsewhere.”
The US should host the World Cup. I am a soccer fan because the cup was here in 1994. I had been to one game in 1993 and then slammed right into the 1994 World Cup games in Chicago. I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen, and I never wanted to miss another World Cup, and so far, I haven’t. I pray that in the next 12 years, America figures out that soccer is the greatest sport in the world, and we won’t need hosting to convert the masses, but just in case…let the US host and I’ll gladly spend all summer converting ordinary Americans into Ultra Fans.
We have huge stadiums that will sell out. We have the hotels. Not the “Love Hotels” like in Korea…real hotels in every price range. And we have lots and lots of people who want to see World Cup soccer. Remember South Africa? I was looking forward to a nice, intimate group of Americans, but noooo….we were the second highest attended national after South Africa. Those people and many, many more will flood stadiums across the US.
It will be epic. Americans will embrace soccer wholeheartedly. Brad Janovich will no longer be so misunderstood. US Soccer will have to institute a ticketing ranking system to ensure that the people who have followed them all over the world for the previous 28 years will be guaranteed tickets (you guys taking notes on this?) In short, it will be what we soccer fans have waited for, soccer hitting the tipping point in America’s mainstream.
So now, six and a half hours from the decision. I’m going to try (finally) to get some sleep. But I’ll have dreams of Sepp Blatter announcing “and in 2022, the FIFA World Cup goes to……the United States of America. GO USA BID.
Soccer....Family Style 