Atlanta: You Are Not Fans of Women’s Soccer. You Are Fans of Celebrity.

I am pissed. Where are all you people who bitched and moaned about the demise of WPS? Where are the hand-wringers who lamented how the loss of WPS would affect millions of youth soccer players for generations? Where are the petition-signers who swore they’d do anything to support women’s soccer if only the USSF would let WPS live?

I know where you aren’t: at Atlanta Silverbacks Women’s games.

Y’know… the defending W-League champions. The team that’s entering its 8th season. The team that boasts great talent and up-and-comi…

Oh.

I get it.

We don’t have anyone who posed naked in Sports Illustrated like Alex Morgan. We don’t have anyone who pranced tromped around in high heels on Dancing With the Stars like Hope Solo. We don’t have ABBBBBBYYYYYYYYY Wambach.

We just have soccer players.

Last year 900 fans cheered on the team at our first game. This time? Maybe 200. Did the loss of the Beat somehow erase information about the ‘Backs from peoples’ minds? I doubt it.

And don’t give me that crap about how Atlanta only shows up for winners. The Beat‘s opponents sold out their last two home games while carrying a record of 1-11-4. The Silverbacks Women have lost a total of ONE home game in the last three years.

But I guess a consistently excellent team, solid ownership, and a national title aren’t special enough for you.

I suppose having Ashley Baker, a ‘keeper who plays for the British U-23 National Team and might go to the London Olympics isn’t good enough.

Looks like having Libby Guess isn’t good enough either. But she went to UNC! Isn’t that usually enough to start a Pavlovian parade of people to the park?

And hey, all you fangurls so devastated magicJack will never return to Kennesaw: we’ve got lesbians! And I assure you, you’ve got a better shot with them than you do with, say, Megan Rapinoe.

But no. That won’t suffice. You like the shiny toys, the famous names. Soccer is a mere afterthought.

That’s a shame, because for the 22 women on the Silverbacks’ roster, soccer is the most important thing. And they’d love to show you how much fun a ‘Backs game can be.

The Atlanta Silverbacks Women have four home games remaining:

Friday, June 1st; Saturday, June 2nd; Friday, June 15th; Friday, June 22nd.

Tickets are only $10. Kickoff is at 7pm. All games are at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.

See you there?

A Brief Defense of the Atlanta Silverbacks Ownership

On Tuesday, the Atlanta Silverbacks Men’s team defeated the Georgia Revolution in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and earned the right to host MLS’ Seattle Sounders right here in little ol’ Atlanta.

In a controversial and unpopular decision, though, the Silverbacks “sold” the right to host the game back to the Sounders for an undisclosed sum which Silverbacks owner Boris Jerkunica called an offer “we simply couldn’t refuse.” (Link to Silverbacks’ statement.)

Fan backlash via the ‘Backs Facebook page was swift and severe. The team had heavily promoted the potential game vs. Seattle at their previous home game May 19th. There was palpable excitement about the possibility of hosting an MLS team and the knives came out once news of the venue change was released.

It won’t surprise you to hear what really tweaked me was certain fans comparing the Silverbacks ownership to former Atlanta Thrashers owners, the Atlanta Spirit Group. My rant response to those fans, posted on the ‘Backs Facebook page is as follows:

Those of you comparing the Silverbacks’ ownership to the Atlanta Spirit Group need to get a grip. ASG never cared about hockey, never wanted to own the Thrashers, and treated them like dirt, trying to “dispose of” the team almost as soon as they bought it. Boris started this organization from scratch and he and John have continued to support it (including the 2011 W-League National Champion Women’s team and the reserves) through this craptastic economy, maintaining and growing the park even when the team was on hiatus, and working to bring the men’s team back into action. You may disagree with the Silverbacks’ decision to sell the game; you may think they handled the whole situation poorly. I do – I would have loved to have gone to the game and think they underestimated the blowback from this decision. But Boris & John have never, ever wavered from their dedication to the Silverbacks and to soccer in Atlanta. The Silverbacks ownership should never be compared to Atlanta Spirit.

Look, I too suffered through losing my team due to complete ownership incompetence and negligence, and the NHL’s lack of interest in keeping the team here. But to compare what ASG did to hockey fans to the ‘Backs selling one game is simply preposterous.

Atlanta won’t host Seattle. It sucks. But we still have a soccer team (3 actually, including the women and reserves) with strong, dedicated owners and a growing, *ahem* vocal fan base. And the Silverbacks aren’t going anywhere. Support them. They deserve it.

Reflections on Seven Years with the Silverbacks Women

Last spring when I decided to retire from my gig with the Silverbacks, I started jotting down some of my favorite and not-so-favorite memories from my time as the ‘Backs P.A. Announcer/DJ/Scoreboard Operator/Halftime Show MC. Andy Crossley’s fun piece on his tenure with the Boston Breakers inspired me to flesh the post out, and here it is. Enjoy!

• #1 All-Time Highlight: No, it’s not winning the title in 2011. It’s the next morning, when I woke up and thought, “Did we really win? We did. We really won!” That was a thrilling feeling, especially since the final wasn’t televised live (Twitter and text messages aren’t quite the same thing). After so many near-misses, with this team and others, it was a special smile I wore for the rest of the week (along with a Silverbacks T or jersey every day).
• #1 All-Time Lowlight: The playoff game against Charlotte in 2009. It was Jacqui Melksham-level reffing. Full credit to the Lady Eagles for converting the chances they were given (in the 85th & 88th minutes), but the ref decided that match. (Which leads me to…)
• Biggest Regret: I was thisclose to announcing the ref had an assist on the second Charlotte tally – “Charlotte goal scored by #10, Lindsay Ozimek, assisted by the ref, John Smith.” I truly wish I had. Probably would have gotten a card for it (and then would have had to announce my own card!) but it would have been worth it. Instead, I played “Do You Know Your Enemy” by Green Day and “Bullet With a Name” by Nonpoint as soon as the game was over. A little way of getting in my $.02.
• Best Moment by a Non-Player: I will never forget owner John Latham storming the field and confronting the ref after that loss. John barked angrily and shook his finger at the guy, and watching him stand up for his team swelled me with pride.
• Best Individual Play: There are tons and tons of these, especially from our consistently stellar goalkeepers. But the one that sticks with me was a pickpocketing play by Krista Davey. In the box, from behind, she slid in toward a forward, curled her knee over the ball and came away squeaky clean, snuffing out a dangerous opportunity. It was sheer beauty.
• Friday Night Lights: In seven years, I missed maybe five women’s games. That’s a lot of Friday & Saturday nights outside in the summer in Atlanta, when you can count on a thunderstorm rolling through pretty much every evening. When we first got started out at DeKalb Memorial Stadium, we had a sound system with two satellite speakers facing the crowd. Every time the rain came, I had to rush over to the speakers and cover them with cheap drug store parkas and duct tape. Then, when we moved to Atlanta Silverbacks Park, but before they built up the concourse, they had us up on metal scaffolding with plywood flooring. Metal scaffolding. In a thunderstorm. Every game in which I was not electrocuted was a win for me.
• Is This Thing On?: There were always little audio issues to deal with. Once, our mascot, Socrates, hopped into his golf cart and took off around the track surrounding the field at DeKalb. In the process he spun out on one of the thick speaker cables and stripped it down to the metal wires. Like any good trainer, I got out my electrical tape and performed triage on the cable. It survived.
• Yes, That Thing Was On: One time I was using my laptop while the anthem singer was doing her thing, and I accidentally fired the Silverbacks Song while she was still singing. Damn touchpads!
• Don’t Look Down!: In 2007 we moved to the brand-spankin’ new Silverbacks Park. So new, in fact, they installed the sound system the morning of the first game. A few weeks later they moved the whole speaker array to a different location, but the tech guys hooked up the wiring wrong. I had to climb up the scaffolding on one of those narrow metal ladders and fix it; getting back down was worse as I am terribly afraid of heights. Got our subwoofers back online, though!
• Honor Roll: Anytime an NTer came through: Christine Latham, Melissa Tancredi, Sharolta Nonen, Kylie Bivens, Marci Miller, Flo Omagbemi, Mercy Akide, to name a few. I’m probably forgetting some…
• Dishonor Roll: But Christie Welsh isn’t on that list for a reason. And that reason is the singularly disgusting display she put on at Silverbacks Park in the Washington Freedom playoff match in 2008. To this day I can’t figure out how she scored and had an assist given she spent 90 minutes rolling around on the grass. I used to love Welsh; I remember the first time I saw her on TV with Penn State. A strong, tall forward with speed? Sign me up! But after watching her flop all over the pitch, I was embarrassed for the fans who were there to watch quality soccer. Now, on my game computer, I have a playlist of song clips called the Christie Welsh Honorary List of Dive Songs. Pathetic.
• Top Quote: Speaking of that game against Washington (a team for which I have no lost love), I’m reminded of the most memorable quote by a Silverbacks player who shall remain nameless: in describing the Freedom after that loss, she called them “no-class, no-talent ass clowns,” a phrase I was happy to add to my snarktionary.
• Best of the Best: My love for ‘keeper Allison Whitworth has been well-documented on my Twitter feed. I’m thrilled she’s gotten tons of minutes with the Beat and that I have someone for whom I can say, I saw her play when… ! [Sad she won't be back with the Beat... or any WPS team.]
• Worst Vacation Timing: In 2007, ‘keeper Mel Wilson booked a vacation the same weekend as the W-League Finals. Of course, we made it to our first-ever championship game that year. And of course, poor Courtney Cripps got lit up by the Freedom in the first minute, then had a Robert Green moment just after the ‘Backs had scored to make it 2-1 Washington. Wilson never played for the Silverbacks again.
• The Blackout Match: After the economy tanked in late 2008, copper theft went up dramatically across the country. Soccer complexes it our neck of the woods were targeted and the ‘Backs were eventually hit too. Naturally, the bad guys struck on the day before opening night in 2009. A team of electricians kicked butt, jerry-rigged something together and we were able to go. The lights blew and were restarted twice, but eventually the strain of the system took the lights out for good and the game was called after the 54th minute. Luckily the ‘Backs were leading 2-0 over Tampa at that point, so we were credited with the win.
• Swimming Galileo: In 2009 Atlanta had its 100-year rains, and Silverbacks Park was built on a floodplain. With most parts of the city receiving record amounts of rain, our park was hit hard and spent a good bit of time under six-to-eight feet of water. While our speaker array, situated high up on the concourse, was spared, the rest of the audio gear – mics, cables, mixer, CD player and a speaker array controller called a Galileo – was locked in an office at field level and got completely swamped. That’s a pricey piece of equipment, so I decided to give it a go and hope against hope it would work. Despite being coated in mud, it actually fired up and ran the system. Unfortunately, by “fired” I mean it went *pop* and there was this burning smell… so our plucky Galileo didn’t survive. When I sent it back to the manufacturer to see if it could be salvaged, they said it “was really impressive, just not in a good way.” Ha!
• Up In My Roost: The truth is, most of the players couldn’t pick me out of a lineup. I get there before they do and leave well after they’ve gone. So a special shoutout to a few players who made the effort to say hello: Sarah Steinmann, Krista (Davey) Bobo, Tara Minnax, Megan Tomlinson and Rebecca (Hall) Nolin.
• “EEEEEEEEEE!”: You always knew when Tara Minnax was on the pitch and wanted the ball. T, I wish you’d been with us this past season. The team’s success is your legacy.
• Last One Left: While I was typing that last one, I realized I’m the only person left who was with the Beat v1.0. I called a few regular-season games for them in 2003.
• Female Refs 1: It’s been kind of fun to see a few female refs come through, especially Amy Mahan who I think got her first match in the center with us.
• Female Refs 2: At the women’s games we very rarely if ever had a 4th official, and if we didn’t have a spotter with a radio down on the field, our access to information (subs, goal scorers) was limited. So there were plenty of games when I didn’t know the amount of stoppage time. I have a standard spiel I use for ends of the half/game: “Attention fans, the clock has been stopped at the 90 minute mark. Official time is being kept on the field by the referee. There will be X minutes of stoppage time.” Just this last season, center ref Veronica Brito happened to be in the area near the press cabana and as I was reading that last part, held up two fingers to me to indicate the stoppage time. Never happened before and pretty cool of her to think to do that. Much appreciated!
• Close But No Croissant: Our first year we had a girl from France, Sandra Anger. I learned how to say “goal scored by #5 Sandra Anger” in French, but she only scored one goal all year and it was on the road.
• Oh Canada!: I did however get to play the rockin’ version of O Canada I’d found just in case Christine Latham scored a special goal. She did, in that 2008 playoff loss to Washington. I heard later on the whole bench cracked up. Score one for the DJ!
• Paging Dr. Laura:  In 2006 I ended up in the ER on a Friday/game day. There I was, doped up on morphine, on the hospital phone with Laura Fedrigo and PR guru Emmakate Young, slurring them through how to set up the PA and clock. They got it up and running, I left the hospital the next day and all was right with the world.
• Awkward!: We had a little party after one season, just a bunch of us at a bar drinking and having a fun time. I spent a good hour talking hockey with coach Graham Chandler, a Canadian. Once our conversation ended, Melissa Tancredi came over and tried to set me up with him. “So, you and Graham really hit it off, huh!” Yeah, Tank… I’m gay. Oops!
• Growing Up Together: Laura Fedrigo is one of my most favorite people in the world, and it’s been rewarding seeing her life change over the years. She met her husband – former ‘Backs player-now women’s asst. coach Greg Chevalier – on the job and last year they welcomed little Kennedy to the Silverbacks family. And Michael Oki, then fresh out of Emory University, started off as director of the park and is now president.
• Quick Hits: (not limited to the women’s team)

1. Mac Kandji. Nuff said.
2. The guy on the visiting team who peed on our field. Yes, I knew what you were doing, kneeling down by the sideboards. And yes, that announcement I made minutes later about the location of our bathrooms was for YOU.
3. The opposing-team player (not dressed) who came over to tell me just how annoying he found the sound effects and movie clips I played during the game. Which led to approximately 8x more movie clips being played for the rest of the match.
4. The unnamed player on the women’s team who gave me a warm-up CD and assured me it was clean. It was not even close to being clean. Not cool, unnamed player. Not cool.
5. The part-time announcer with whom I had to have a little chat about his inappropriately-themed discussions in the press cabana. Dude. It’s a family show. (He was let go a few days later, though not because of that). [Note: I am not referring to Southside Steve].

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

More Than It Seemed: I was unemployed from Dec. 2006 to Oct 2008. The ’07 & ’08 Silverbacks seasons featured the men’s team, women’s team and the PDL (U-23) team. Including international friendlies, that was some 40+ games each year. Boris, John, Michael & Laura, you guys kept me financially afloat for two summers and gave me a gig that was way more fun than work. For that I am forever grateful.

[Postscript: Though I won't be working with the Silverbacks Men anymore, I do hope to be able to do the Women's games this upcoming season.]

WPS’ magicAct: No One Ever is to Blame

In the last six months I’ve bought season tickets for two teams and now neither of those teams exist. If you’d like me to buy tickets to your least-favorite team, leave the info in the comments section.

It’s difficult for me to fathom that this is happening again. Another team, another piece of my heart, simply gone. I’m not going to lie: if you’ve followed me for a while on Twitter you know I’m a bit of a bandwagon Beat v2.0 fan. Though I kept up with the team, and even worked for Beat v1.0, I didn’t fully commit until after the World Cup. But I’d bought in this year and was looking forward to seeing what our vastly improved squad could do.

And now WPS has completed its sad, slow crumble to the ground. Yes, I know, the league’s Powers That Be are swearing up and down the league will return in 2013 (er…); I just don’t believe it. For starters, I’m a pessimist like that. Keep my expectations low and be pleasantly surprised.

But also, I’ve seen this movie before. I listened to promise after promise that the Thrashers were not leaving Atlanta; that the NHL had a “covenant” with the fans here and wouldn’t abandon them. It was all a bunch of PR baloney.

Not to mention a lot of us have been through this with the WUSA. ‘Yes, we’ll do festivals and scrimmages and come back stronger than ever!’ I went to the Beat’s game in Asheville; I went to the festival in Blaine. I never saw the blue Beat again.

Now the mainstream press which normally ignores women’s soccer except during the World Cup and the Olympics will circle like vultures over the remains of something I loved. I’ve been through that, too. This pain is pricking my half-healed hockey scars.

—

One of the issues which factored into WPS’ shutdown, a well-placed source tells me, is that the USSF declined to support the five-teams-plus-magicJack arrangement made by WPS and mJ owner Dan Borislow last month. I certainly can’t speak for the USSF, but their decision makes sense to me: having Borislow run this “rogue” team (my words) gives the USSF no measure of control over the team, which, as we know, includes several of the marquee players for the WNT (inasmuch as anyone had control over magicJack to begin with). Not to mention the whole 5+1 settlement seems like a house of cards teetering on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher.

I am squarely in the USSF’s corner. They had standards and stuck to them. Borislow is the Nevin Shapiro of women’s soccer, yes, but WPS is a callow gremlin of its own. Oh, let us play with 5 teams! Oh, please let us play despite not having the required national footprint! Oh, let us play exhibitions against an unsanctioned team! This is an organization that has never been able to meet the requirements set up by the USSF. No wonder the Federation put its foot down.

The greatest magic act of WPS’ silly season is how team owners have seemingly succeeded in creating the public perception that everyone else is to blame, that they’re the victims of terrible injustices at the hands of Dan Borislow and the USSF. This was evident with the “Save WPS” petitions aimed at the Federation. Once the waiver was granted, did the petitioners turn their passion, anger, and will toward the owners who’d put the league in such a precarious position? No. They cheered, then went silent. There is no accountability in WPS’ front office; no one but the USSF has demanded it. That is how we have arrived here today.

The truth is, WPS put itself in this slippery spot with its dreadful decisions and desperately-lacking communication skills. Instead of pointing fingers, I’d like to see CEO Jennifer O’Sullivan, Beat owner T. Fitz Johnson and the others stand up and directly take responsibility for today’s action. “Yes, we made a poor choice when we allowed Dan to join the league. Yes, we are paying for that decision now. Yes, our timing is horrible, what with the European transfer window closing, which strands many players here on our shores, and also coming on the heels of Olympic qualifying, with the Games coming up. Yes, we have done a lousy job communicating with the fans and the press, and keeping them up-to-date on league goings-on. Yes, the constant dropping of bombshells (lawsuit, sanctioning, cessation of operations) makes us look like amateurs. Yes, we understand why some fans might be frustrated with us, and we are very sorry. If we get the opportunity to try again – and that’s a big if, despite what we’ve said thus far – we will publicly spell out how we intend to do better.”

I feel tremendously discouraged and let down by WPS management and the owners. These are successful businesspeople, right? How could they so monumentally misjudge (at best) and mismanage this league? Did they not learn anything from the WUSA? Did they not look to other leagues and business models for structure and insight? Within the official WPS press release there are promises of WPS returning in 2013. Do we really want these people, who oversaw the deaths of five teams in three years, followed by their own termination (yeah, yeah, “suspension”), in charge of whatever comes next?

A year is a long time to wait, if WPS even makes it back by 2013. Many players, some of whose hard work finally came to blissful fruition just two weeks ago, will have to move on. Former Atlanta Beat v1.0 player Tara Minnax said, “At 23 my dream of playing pro soccer [in the WUSA] came true. A year later the league folded. Sad to hear players are going through that type of disappointment today.”

Much will be written (and deservedly so) about how this affects the players; that’s who we love to watch, right? But it’s not just them. I went through this with Thrashers too. Ushers, concessions people, park workers, security guards, even our friends in the media like Jenna Pel, Jeff Kassouf and Beau Dure – today’s decision affects the livelihoods of more than just players on the pitch. Communities of all kinds have formed around this league. Those, too, are having their foundations shaken by today’s action.

(And before someone complains that 10 games really isn’t that big of a deal to a security guard, let me tell you a story: I was unemployed for almost two years. During that time, working for the Silverbacks – we had three teams back them – helped pay my mortgage. Every dollar counts.)

As for me… well,  I’ve got no soccer team to talk about. No hockey team to talk about. I have my Silverbacks, but I won’t snark on them. They’re family.

All I have is another stunning soccer setback to mirror the one in 2003. That one happened just days before the World Cup; the Olympics and a gold medal were a year later. But WPS didn’t arrive for an additional six years. When will professional women’s soccer return to the United States this time?

magicJack Mercenaries & WPS Penance

What say we kick this one off with something happy?

To the Atlanta Beat’s 2012 free agents: thank you. You probably could have signed elsewhere but you chose the Beat. I very much appreciate that. Atlanta’s a lovely town and I hope you like it. Be sure to check out Las Palmeras on 5th St. Best Cuban food in the city.

Sadly, this burst of goodwill cannot last, because today the other boot dropped in the Dan Borislow vs. WPS court case. To sum it up: magicJack lives. (For an actual summary, click here). The team will feature Abby Wambach, Hope Solo [edit: maybe] and Megan Rapinoe, play as a – what, club side? – and take on the WPS teams in exhibition games. This is WPS’ penance for last year’s deal with the devil and the poor decisions it made trying to exorcize Borislow from the league.

On the surface it seems Borislow can now not adhere to any WPS requirements and yet still make money off exhibition games. This lunatic is a genius. But to see the sport’s most prominent players follow the money is disheartening. I do understand their careers will be short and their massive popularity likely even shorter. And certainly WPS is no paragon of business acumen and some players may be reluctant to get involved with them at this time, even if doing so would bolster the league  – something it desperately needs. What a choice: WPS or Borislow.

As one Tweeter mentioned though, for Wambach, et. al., the optics on this are terrible. There are pages and pages of evidence (and much more heresay) which lay bare just how badly Borislow treated the non-star members of magicJack. By returning to the team despite the bullying tactics Borislow used on players and the league alike, his superstars appear to be saying such behavior is acceptable as long as the fat paychecks don’t bounce. And thus the magicJack Mercenaries are born.

There will be upside to this arrangement: The WPS survives. Megan Rapinoe doesn’t go play in Australia. The players who draw the highest salaries can now do so without the funds coming from WPS owners’ pockets. The flip side, of course, is those players will only come to WPS cities once, rather than having the biggest stars on the pitch for 10 home games.

But for now, today’s stunning compromise engenders more questions than answers. In typical WPS style, no one from the home office in…  no one is talking. Thus, here is my laundry list o’ wondering:

1. I wonder how this is going to play out with US Soccer and FIFA. How does playing on this “rogue” team differ from playing in an unsanctioned league?
2. Who pays to stage the games/staff/promotions/etc?
3. How are any profits distributed between WPS and magicJack?
4. I already have my season tickets. Will this exhibition be included? Frankly, it had better be. I supported the league when there looked like there would be no league. Throwing in a free ticket for STHs shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at USWNT camp today. I wonder how some of the younger players (a couple of whom have signed in Atlanta) feel about this new deal. Understanding? Upset? Disappointed? For as much as I admire the players for consistently staying on-message (not you, Hope), I sure wish one of them would let loose just once (again… not you, Hope).

Sometimes there’s a delicate balance to being a fan. I’m the sort who likes to know a little more about my team – I get more invested that way. But the danger lies with eventually, inevitably finding out something I don’t like. That’s my battle with WPS and the USWNT now. I would like to understand the reasons behind the decisions that affect something I care about. I want more specifics when a player like Ella Masar types up a tantalizing blog about her time with magicJack. Well… we’ve been over the whole communication thing.

Ultimately what today means is for every success WPS has in the next two years, Dan Borislow will be a shadow in the room. Hopefully moving forward the league will do a better job of getting out of its own way; handling this hellion will be hard enough.

And I Am a Material Girl

For an excellent analysis of the WPS draft, please visit All White Kit.

Those of you who’ve read this blog before know I’m an Atlanta Thrashers fan. Or used to be before our team was moved to Canada. Thus this summer I was deprived of the fun of free agency and the draft. I say “fun” half-truthfully only because the Thrashers were so mind-numbingly bad at both. With an ownership group that truly rivaled Dan Borislow in sheer idiocy and a GM who kept his job not because of his success but because he was willing to tow the comapny line, the Thrashers underspent, overspent, and poorly drafted their way into NHL oblivion. Really, ASG? Chris Chelios?

But despite ASG’s remarkable ability to completely screw things up, there was always that sense of hope come the off-season, once the Stanley Cup finals were done, free agents started looking for new homes and the draft rolled around. This would be the year they drafted someone amazing. This would be the year they spent some money. It never quite happened that way, but for a diehard fan, hope always sprang eternal even if ten times out of 11 it was followed by another disappointing season.

In some ways, the Atlanta Beat had begun to remind me of the Thrashers. They drafted poorly. They signed free agents expecting them to perform out of position and/or above their abilities. They retained a coach with a cumulative 2-16-5 record. Last season, with the economy in the tank, owner T. Fitz Johnson chose to go with a low payroll, and the team simply couldn’t compete.

A tumultuous winter for WPS didn’t help me feel any more encouraged about the Beat. The league itself was on life support; would any team outside of Western NY pony up for free agents?

Then the Beat signed Christen Press. And Amy LePeilbet. Kelley O’Hara. Yael Averbuch. Rachel Buehler and Stephanie Cox. Val Henderson.

And in the draft, well… they managed to get an A- from Chris Henderson, and that’s saying a lot.

Will all these moves add up to a winning side? I don’t know. I don’t do tactical analysis. I couldn’t even tell you the strengths and weaknesses of former Silverback Katy Frierson, taken 10th by the Beat in the draft. And just because the Beat have signed a gaggle of “name” players doesn’t ensure they’ll be a good team.

But I can tell you this: it sure feels good.

This is not unimportant. For fans like me who follow every WPS news nugget and read all those Borislow lawsuit documents (ok, most of them), seeing Fitz Johnson open his wallet and bring in some USWNT players is a sunny counterpoint to the grey clouds of bad news that seem to shadow WPS’ every move.

And for casual fans who don’t know or don’t care about the behind-the-scenes goings-on, hearing these names – names from the 2011 Women’s World Cup – should hopefully create interest, generate a buzz and perhaps even sell a few more tickets. (That being said, what brings in crowds in Atlanta is winning, so if this team can do that, fans will follow).

We’re a few months away yet before this new team takes the pitch and dreamy potential gets tested by reality. And of course the possibility still exists Borislow will win his lawsuit and the other WPS owners will take their ball and go home.

But for one fun month, at least, all that uncertainty has been put aside as my off-season hope starts to build again, this time with a solid foundation.

On Fighting in the NHL: A Response to Wendy Parker

Sports journalist and web editor Wendy Parker wrote an insightful post on the recent spate of deaths of NHL players. As I talked about here, Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak all passed away over the summer, through OD, suicide or “accidental death,” respectively. And all three would be considered “enforcers” were they still playing. Parker’s blog reviewed the similarities in the three men and wondered how hockey would be different without fighting (I’m paraphrasing badly; go read her post). She said she isn’t much of a hockey fan, and solicited opinions from her readers. I am a hockey lover who happens to live in the same town as Wendy, and here is my reply to her:

The tl;dr answer is:

It’s ridiculous for the NHL to focus time and energy on how to prevent concussions while still allowing guys to punch each other in the head.

That being said, is this in my Top 5 All-Time Favorite Thrashers Moments?

Yes.

The full answer is:

There are two things that get fans out of their seats at hockey games: goals and fights. Fans love fights; players respond to them, and the are as much a part of hockey as is ice itself.

But it doesn’t have to be.

There was a time when goalies didn’t wear masks.

A time when players didn’t wear helmets.

Though not required in the NHL, visors are mandatory in the AHL and ECHL (minor leagues). It’s likely only a matter of time before such a mandate reaches the top level of the sport.

The game evolves, rules change, players adapt. Hockey did not become a contact-free sport once players started wearing helmets. As rules are enacted to prevent checks to the head, players will find a way to remain physical without targeting each others’ noggins.

Yet fighting remains. Is it only because no one has the guts to make the call to get rid of it? In today’s NHL, as the role of the pure enforcer is diminished if not completely eliminated (via SI article; no link yet), why is intentionally bashing another guy’s face ok? Because that’s how it’s always been?

It doesn’t have to stay that way, and it shouldn’t. The boys know now. They know what is happening to their brains; they’ve seen now what devastation is possible if the dangers of the enforcers’ lifestyle – that uber-tough, willing-to-do-anything-even-get-beat-up, pop-a-painkiller-to-get-through attitude -  get into a toxic mix with degenerative brain disease.

It’s time for the NHL to take more action against hits to the head. Eliminate the loopholes in Rule 48. There’s no reason any hit to the head should be tolerated. A player doesn’t need to get his hands up around another guy’s face to finish a check. Player A might see Player B out of the corner of his eye, but that’s not going to stop his brain from ricocheting around his skull if Player B’s shoulder snaps the other guy’s head back. The rules can be changed and players will adapt. See: hooking, pre-lockout.

But what about fighting? It will stay. Why?

Because, for now, it’s too hard to remove it from the game. We’re talking about a sport where guys push and shove each other after virtually every. single. play. stops. There’s so much testosterone out on the ice it’s a wonder Johnathan Toews can’t just grow a mustache via osmosis (ok, that was obtuse, I admit). It’s ingrained in them, and in the sport itself. Removing it is not a blanket-rule, single-season project.

And the NHL must take ownership of the absurdity of not establishing rules to get rid of fighting. “Yeeees, we realize it’s completely duplicitous to ban head shots while still allowing guys to pummel each other in the face. We’re working on it.*”

Eliminating fighting is up to the players.

It’s up to them to clean up their game and to learn to protect themselves. It’s their mandate to decide when fighting is really necessary (ever?). Is fighting worth the risk of facial fractures just because some guy skated too close to your goalie? Might want to ask Rick DiPietro. Is it worth the potential injury to try to spark your team? Might want to ask Max Talbot (or maybe not).

After all, it’s the boys who decide when to drop the gloves. Now that they know what’s happening to their brains, will they?

I think fighting will always be a part of hockey. And there will always be fans who go to games because they love to see fights.

That enjoyment should be tempered now with the loss of three guys who loved to play the game. There’s no need to be sad all the time when their former teams play. But no one – players, coaches, front offices and fans alike – should forget the hard lessons we’ve learned with these tragedies.

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*(I suggest the NHL enact a rule where fighting is allowed, but they all have to be in the style of Alexander Semin. No one would ever fight again.)

The Post I Wish I’d Written on WPS

A fantastic summary and discussion of the issues surrounding WPS, USSF and Dan Borislow, by Lauren Barker (@ljbarks). Funny, fair, thoughtful, good punctuation. Read it now.

http://www.allwhitekit.com/?p=8365

Heavy: The Story of How I Started Powerlifting

In the summer of 2010, I’d decided to retire from ice hockey. I’d been on the Lady Thrashers’ board of directors for six non-consecutive years and president for three. Although I knew it was time for me to step aside, actually doing so was a huge personal loss, difficult to explain in a blog. For all intents and purposes, the Lady Thrashers had been my primary relationship for a long time. Walking away from that – though my choice and the right thing for the team – took a heavy toll.

On my last night on the board, I was publicly berated by a teammate at the rink, then a few minutes later during a board meeting sat and watched as that teammate and another sent text messages about me back and forth as though I’d walked through some wormhole upon entering the bar and ended up back in middle school. Then, when the next season started, the new slogan, “New Season. New Format. New Attitude” I felt was an undeserved low blow.

At the same time, I was suffering the full effects of my bout with depression, though not yet aware of my situation. I was crippled with loss and pain, and simply did not want to play anymore. I was done.

Fast forward about a year. There I was, turning down my new trainer yet again when he asked if I wanted to compete in the Georgia state powerlifting meet. Josh is a long-time powerlifter who will recruit pretty much anyone to join his team. He will also pester his current clients mercilessly until they accede. That’s what I’ve told people when they ask how I got into powerlifing. But that’s not the truth.

For years I’ve struggled with what it means to be an athlete, and whether or not I am one. Athletes are my rock stars. One only needs to read my ode to the USWNT to understand that. Put me in a room with an actual rock star, no problem. Sit me down with, say, Cammi Granato or hell, even my own team, the Silverbacks, and I can’t find two words to say. They represent to me not just an occupation, but an ideal. How can I, for sure a weekend warrior, call myself by the same name as those I idolize?

In May of 2011 when I started working with Josh, I decided to really bear down, be disciplined about my diet, do cardio at least once a day (sometimes twice) and lift with Josh three times a week. I was in the gym every day. I didn’t eat pizza for four months. I dropped about three inches off my hips and waist in four months. I was kicking butt.

But I wasn’t playing hockey – I wasn’t competing. And one day I thought: an athlete who does not compete, is not an athlete. I’m just someone who goes to the gym all the time.

And that, my friends, is why I started powerlifting. To compete. To be an athlete once again.

I competed in my first powerlifting meet on November 6th. I came in first in my weight class in the Open division, and second in the Masters division (ages 40-49, wheeee), lightweight class (I’m wearing the hat).

And I had a fantastic time. It’s fun and challenging to see what I can accomplish. I’ve already told Josh I don’t want to do another meet until I can see some big gains, and I’m looking forward to that.

I’m not in love with powerlifting; that spot in my heart is still taken by hockey, which I started playing again this fall. But with lifting, I’m not in charge. I’m not organizing the meet and worried about budgets and whether or not we have enough people. I just have to go lift. It’s different. It’s liberating. It’s helping me be the person I want to be.

Heavy, indeed.

Why WPS is Like My Ex-girlfriend

It started out well enough. It was exciting, fun, and the *ahem* scoring was fantastic. But something just isn’t right with my relationship with WPS.

You know what I’m talking about, yes? That nagging sense in the back of my mind that I’m compromising. That I’m making excuses for behavior with which I’m uncomfortable. The fear there isn’t or won’t be anything better if I pass this by.

WPS’ decisions as of late, and their near-complete lack of communication with the public regarding serious, crucial issues are the voices whispering to me it’s time to move on. And in the background, of course, is the one man who’s doing any talking and has nothing good to say, no positives, only vitriol and personal insults that create such cacophony in my head I simply want to walk away from the whole thing.

I don’t have suggestions for how WPS should solve their myriad current issues – I have no experience running a business (ok, that’s not true, I did own a recording studio that went under in 13 months, so, you know, don’t come to me for anything but advice on how to fail). But I do have tons of experience in relationships with the unavailable.

So this is where I am with you, WPS, and it’s all too familiar: I feel as though I’m settling for you simply because I want so badly for you to succeed. It’s getting increasingly difficult to watch you make mistake after mistake, with one questionable – and more often than not, unexplained – decision on top of another, decisions that by their very nature affect our ability to have a partnership at all. Our relationship is not as balanced as it should be. I have given and will continue to give you my loyalty (and my money) and in return I ask you not act like those things are trivial.

Basically, WPS, I’m not getting what I need: communication, stability, and a sense that you value me.

Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on with you and what’s important to you in this relationship.

Because I’d very much like to see you again.