interview with Mrs. Woodward

Mrs. Woodward is a reliable source because she has worked with the McDonald's World Cup sponsorship for 8 years. Mrs Woodward and I exchanged emails for the past two weeks.

• 1. Well my big overall question is why and how soccer has changed throughout different countries?

In South America, the game is much, much faster.  And the teams play for years together, so they are really good at making plays.  This is why the South Americans do so well in the World Cup.  Most of the Europeans and Americans don't play together very much.  The South Americans spend so much time together, they are truly a 'team.'  The game in Europe is more strategic and defense oriented.  Over time, this has been a great style of play.   As for the Americans, well, it will take generations.  Phil Hersh, who is the international sports reporter for the Chicago Tribune, is a friend of mine.  He once told me, "When parents throw a ball to a 2 year old in the US, they encourage the baby to catch it with his hands.  In the rest of the world, they encourage him to catch it with his feet."  The difference in our countries is fundamental, right down to how we teach our babies to catch a ball!

• 2. While some of my sub questions are how have Nike and Adidas also changed how it has been played? 

Nike and Adidas are very competitive, and they have state of the art science to develop equipment.  They have developed balls that are more balanced, lightweight and flexible to move faster and make the state of play faster.  Their shoes have spikes that can dig in deeply so players can turn on a dime.  And, they have led the way in uniforms that repel sweat and keep players cool.  The sporting goods industry deserves a lot of credit in every sport for how scientific the games are today.

• 3. How have some of the players like Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Diego Maradona have caused the sport to change?  

Two ways:  first, when they are so good at what they do, they make everyone else better, too.  Do you see that on your own sports teams?  Everyone wants to be as good as the best player.  The second way they have caused the sport to change is by turning themselves in to celebrities.  That makes them very visible, which enhances the sport, makes it special, cool and visible.  Then, the best athletes in the world want to be like them.  It has definitely helped in the US, where the celebrity sportsmen are still pretty much NFL and NBA players.  When a young kid trying to decide which sport to play sees the celebrity status that Messi or Beckham has, it might make them change their mind away from the NFL.

• 4. And last how the countries influenced each other through different tournaments like the world cup of the UEFA world championships?   

Two ways:  first of all, I've had so many sportsmen and women tell me that there is just nothing as important as competing for your country.  The pride, the patriotism, the knowledge that millions of your country people are cheering for you -- it's an incredible, indescribable feeling.  So, that patriotism can make sports a point of unity across nations.  In fact, you might have heard of the "Olympic Truce."  During the Olympics, countries agree not to be at war.  Pretty awesome, right?!  The second way is, again, playing the best means everybody takes their game up a notch.  And so, the game continues to improve, and be more interesting and exciting -- which makes more fans watch and more players want to be their best, and so the never-ending cycle continues!

• Today the English team Arsenal has only 2 native players and is managed by a Frenchman
• 15 years ago there was only one Swede on the team all the rest were from England
• Soccer has long served as a form of combat which whole neighborhoods could be passionate about
• Globalization is changing the long standing traditions of soccer by eliminating boundaries
• Players no longer feel passionate about playing for their country, they just market themselves to the highest bidder
• Ukriane looks to Africa's second teir as the prime source of imported talent since it cannot compete with Europe in buying "star" players
• It is estimated that about 1,000 African players make a living playing in Europe
• Before Manchester United would sell about 30,000 replica jerseys, now they sell millions

Time Magazine

July 2004

Tony Karon

High- Preformance Soccer

High-Preformance Soccer by Paul Caligiuri Chapter 1

 In this book  Paul Caligiuri explains that the only way to get to the world cup is play, play, play. Also he talks about how you have to let the game teach you.  One fact that supports this main idea is that the best players are the ones who aren't able to afford a real ball and the ones who play "street soccer".  Another reason that supports this main idea is Paul says he doesn't hold himself to only having two practices a week.  He'd play every open chance. Finally, the author gives the example that only a couple of hours before the match he would be out in the parking lot kicking around a ball.  And after the game he'd rush home to try a new move he'd seen earlier that day. 

• Marcelo Balboa was the first American to reach 100 caps
• Franz Beckenbauer is one of the greatest soccer heroes of all time
• Cruyff played against west Germany and said it ws one of the most effective games to how he played

Adidas Tango 12

Adidas

• The adidas Tango 12 features modern design including a coloured outline inspired by the flags of the two host nations Poland and Ukraine 
• The adidas Tango 12 ball is known around the world by many soccer loving fans
• The ball features a series of triangular panels that are thermally bonded together to ensure a true, stable flight path
• It has taken over two years to perfect the ball
•  The adidas Tango 12 is the eleventh Official Match Ball produced for the UEFA tournament and history in adidas soccer development which started in 1963
• The Tango 12 will be sold for $149.99

Lionel Messi

In this article it talks about how Lionel Messi and his name/number and how they are the same but different.

• Messi was the 2009 FIFA Footballer of the year
• He has been nick named "Messi Messiah" and " Messi mesmerizes"
• Only 25 years old and considered one of the world's most talented contemporary footballer
• Wears number 10 also worn by Maradona another great footballer
• The little lion with a big roar
• Lionel also means small lion

My new article gave me some new info about my question.
http://find.galegroup.com/gic/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T004&prodId=GIC&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchId=R7&searchType=&currentPosition=3&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28KE%2CNone%2C6%29soccer%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28LU%2CNone%2C27%29%22Soccer%7Csports+Sponsorship%22%3AAnd%3ALQE%3D%28LU%2CNone%2C31%29%22Soccer%7Cathletic+Shoe+Industry%22%24&userGroupName=hins30136&inPS=true&docId=CJ230983795&contentSet=IAC-Documents&docId=CJ230983795&docType=IAC

• I learned that Nike has dropped significantly from 30.2 percent to 19.4
• While Adidas jumped to the top to beat out Nike 
•  Adidas is the 2010 top online brand
• a quater of online buzz was focused on adidas

Future questions:

• What has adidas done to be the best
• Why has Nike not been trying to be the best
• How has Adidas and Nike changed soccer

How and why has soccer changed in different countries

1. How have Messi, Pele, Rooney and Ronaldo changed the way people think about soccer.
2.What does it take to get a moved named after you. Like Iniesta.
3. How has a cleat turned from a regular shoe into a cleat that helps you shoot.