Today I'll take a reprieve from the NFL to discuss what the rest of the world knows as "football." The Confederations Cup, regarded by many as the precursor to the World Cup, is well underway and the U.S. already eliminated. As saddened as I am by this, I can hardly say I am particularly surprised by the result.
Despite certain fanatical advocates who claim that Major League Soccer is on even footing with the top European teams, the general concensus remains that there is a clear desparity across the pond. And why shouldn't it be this way? In Europe, "football" is perhaps the most widespread commercial enterprise, attracting high-end attention from the likes of a former Italian Prime Minister (Silvio Berlusconi, owner of Serie A club AC Milan) and a Russian oil tycoon (Roman Abramovich, owner of English Premier League team Chelsea FC). In America, some wouldn't even consider it a sideshow to the Superbowl, the World Series, and the NBA Finals.
So what separates the two sides: the Americans and the Europeans? First of all, TV exposure and other such monetary opportunities ensure that only the big-time clubs compete against US club (imagine the Superbowl champs going to play against NFL Europa teams). This favor towards international giants is understandable given the appeal of such teams to the United States audience, but in the end it skews the results of such friendly matches. Such irregular competition is not the best formula to decide who has the competitive edge.
Differences in league rules are also a divisive force between the U.S. and Europe. The United States uses the draft system for nearly every sprt of any national acclaim, which is aimed towards increasing the competitiveness and parity of the participating teams. The idea of allowing the worst team to choose the best potential player is thoroughly American, for it is not often shared by the rest of the sports world.
European soccer (and generally the rest of the world's leagues as well) is based almost purely on capital: the club with the most money can get the best players, ideally translating into success. There is no draft process, making it more similar to college football than the NFL. The transfers of Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo and AC Milan midfielder Kaka (for $102 million and $92 million, respectively) exemplifies the idea that permeates the world of professional football: the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.
In addition, the leagues themselves affect the status of their clubs. The MLS, NFL, and MLB are all singular entities that represent all the franchises in their respective leagues. In Europe, each club is its own independent organization; while they are tied to a collective governing body in nation Football Associations and FIFA, the restrictions imposed upon these clubs are much less strict than those of American sports. The European transfer market is essentially unregulated, allowing any team with enough dough to buy as many players as they want. There is no salary cap because wage budgets are set by the individual owners, allowing clubs to pay players as much as is required to get their signature.
Since Major League Soccer lacks any such transfer market (and any deals from outside have to go through the MLS, which owns the rights to all player contracts), it is difficult to make a fitting analogy that will strike a chord with American readers who do not follow intercontinental soccer. To illustrate the dominance of wealth, imagine if one NFL team held the top four picks in the Draft. In addition, they can pay each player as much as they wish, with no restrictions on incentives or contracts. An epitome of parity and fairness? I think not.
So when the MLS is accused of being a weaker league, I think we should take pride in the fact that we have a system that fosters competition and the opportunity for success for all.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Draft Recap Part 3
12. Denver Broncos – Knowshon Moreno – RB – Georgia: The inauspicious title of my Most Puzzling Pick Award, Denver defied the predictions of most draft analysts when they chose the Georgia back at #12. That is not to say that Moreno is a bad player; on the contrary, he may be the best overall running back in the draft with his quickness, lateral agility, good hands, and youth. My concern is that he is not the best for Denver, who suffered on defense last year with a dismal ranking of 29th in the NFL. The fact that this is a recurring theme (the Broncos have finished 15th on defense in 2005, 14th in 2006, and 19th in 2007, usually due to a porous front seven) makes it even more disappointing that they did not more aggressively pursue a difference maker on the defensive line. I would have loved to see this team move up to #8 to get B.J. Raji, as Jacksonville was attempting to trade down at the time. It doesn’t seem inconceivable that Josh McDaniels could have traded this pick and a second-rounder to move up to the eighth spot, and given the Broncos woeful defensive line Raji would have been a big help. With that possibility come and gone, it seems to me that McDaniels was instead trying to alleviate the loss of Jay Cutler with another stud player in the backfield. If Moreno turns out like Clinton Portis, that’s great, but I must say I was not particularly impressed with this selection, which appears to be make as the result of a mistake and not as the result of a ‘best-player-available’ strategy.
13.Washington Redskins – Brian Orakpo – DE/LB – Texas: It doesn’t seem often that a player has one specific team that they want to play for and that one team ends up picking them, but that seems to be case here. Brian Orakpo was jubilant upon being selected by the ‘Skins, and I’ll bet that Washington was eager to get him. A highly athletic and versatile talent, Orakpo will probably play a hybrid of linebacker and defensive end for the Redskins. The stars seem to have aligned for the former Longhorn and his new team, whom Orakpo stated after his selection was “the team I want.” This is a good fit for Washington given the status of aging pass rushers Andre Carter and Jason Taylor, but they should be wary of Orakpo’s status as a ‘workout warrior’ and hope he does not end up like Vernon Gholston, picked sixth by the Jets last year.
14. New Orleans Saints – Malcolm Jenkins – CB – Ohio State: While they lured safety Darren Sharper from Minnesota, the release of Mike McKenzie left the Saints secondary vulnerable at the cornerback position. Malcolm Jenkins is one of the best cover corners in this draft, and he possesses that rare ability that NFL teams covet in corners: the willingness to tackle. Having played safety as well as corner at (the) Ohio State University, Jenkins is an able tackler who can deliver the hit and give an instant boost to the Saints defense.
15. Houston Texans – Brian Cushing – LB – USC: Houston are building a case for one of the most talented defensive units in the league with the success of Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Omobi Okoye, and Brian Cushing could be another component in what I see as a future perennial playoff defense. Cushing is an extremely capable linebacker who might not have the most upside of the three USC linebackers, but during his college tenure he showed pass rushing ability and excellent coverage skills, which the Texans could definitely use. So who does he replace? Ryans? Definitely not. Marlon Greenwood, Xavier Adibi, or Zack Diles? Probably.
16. San Diego Chargers – Larry English – DE/LB – Northern Illinois: Larry English adds another talent to an already star-studded Chargers team. While San Diego’s squad has some of the best depth in the league, the loss of Shaun Merriman exposed some glaring weaknesses in the Chargers pass rush. English is a quick and powerful pass rusher who will complement Merriman well, giving the San Diego defense more ability to create chaos in the opponent’s backfield.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Cleveland, from NY Jets) – Josh Freeman – QB – Kansas State: This pick wasn’t much of a surprise; Tampa needed a quarterback coming into this draft (even with the remnants of Jon Gruden’s QB carousel still in-house) since Jeff Garcia departed for the Oakland Raiders. Josh Freeman can be for Tampa this year what Joe Flacco was for the Baltimore Ravens last year: a tall, strong-armed pocket passer who can give an ailing pass attack a shot in the arm. With recent star Antonio Bryant back in the receiving corps, Tampa will look to form a potent combination between him and Freeman.
18. Denver Broncos (from Chicago) – Robert Ayers – DE/LB – Tennessee: Let’s just say I was significantly more pleased with this pick than I was with #12. Who better to help fix the Broncos defense than a standout from a school known for producing stout defensive players (Albert Haynesworth, Jerod Mayo, and former Bronco Al Wilson for starters)? His lack of production at Tennessee (3 sacks in his senior year is poor, even on a struggling team), but Ayers has shown that he is a superb talent and potentially well-valued at 18th overall, able to bring an explosive presence to Denver’s new 3-4 defensive scheme.
Stay tuned for picks #19-25 on the next edition of our NFL Draft Recap.
13.Washington Redskins – Brian Orakpo – DE/LB – Texas: It doesn’t seem often that a player has one specific team that they want to play for and that one team ends up picking them, but that seems to be case here. Brian Orakpo was jubilant upon being selected by the ‘Skins, and I’ll bet that Washington was eager to get him. A highly athletic and versatile talent, Orakpo will probably play a hybrid of linebacker and defensive end for the Redskins. The stars seem to have aligned for the former Longhorn and his new team, whom Orakpo stated after his selection was “the team I want.” This is a good fit for Washington given the status of aging pass rushers Andre Carter and Jason Taylor, but they should be wary of Orakpo’s status as a ‘workout warrior’ and hope he does not end up like Vernon Gholston, picked sixth by the Jets last year.
14. New Orleans Saints – Malcolm Jenkins – CB – Ohio State: While they lured safety Darren Sharper from Minnesota, the release of Mike McKenzie left the Saints secondary vulnerable at the cornerback position. Malcolm Jenkins is one of the best cover corners in this draft, and he possesses that rare ability that NFL teams covet in corners: the willingness to tackle. Having played safety as well as corner at (the) Ohio State University, Jenkins is an able tackler who can deliver the hit and give an instant boost to the Saints defense.
15. Houston Texans – Brian Cushing – LB – USC: Houston are building a case for one of the most talented defensive units in the league with the success of Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Omobi Okoye, and Brian Cushing could be another component in what I see as a future perennial playoff defense. Cushing is an extremely capable linebacker who might not have the most upside of the three USC linebackers, but during his college tenure he showed pass rushing ability and excellent coverage skills, which the Texans could definitely use. So who does he replace? Ryans? Definitely not. Marlon Greenwood, Xavier Adibi, or Zack Diles? Probably.
16. San Diego Chargers – Larry English – DE/LB – Northern Illinois: Larry English adds another talent to an already star-studded Chargers team. While San Diego’s squad has some of the best depth in the league, the loss of Shaun Merriman exposed some glaring weaknesses in the Chargers pass rush. English is a quick and powerful pass rusher who will complement Merriman well, giving the San Diego defense more ability to create chaos in the opponent’s backfield.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Cleveland, from NY Jets) – Josh Freeman – QB – Kansas State: This pick wasn’t much of a surprise; Tampa needed a quarterback coming into this draft (even with the remnants of Jon Gruden’s QB carousel still in-house) since Jeff Garcia departed for the Oakland Raiders. Josh Freeman can be for Tampa this year what Joe Flacco was for the Baltimore Ravens last year: a tall, strong-armed pocket passer who can give an ailing pass attack a shot in the arm. With recent star Antonio Bryant back in the receiving corps, Tampa will look to form a potent combination between him and Freeman.
18. Denver Broncos (from Chicago) – Robert Ayers – DE/LB – Tennessee: Let’s just say I was significantly more pleased with this pick than I was with #12. Who better to help fix the Broncos defense than a standout from a school known for producing stout defensive players (Albert Haynesworth, Jerod Mayo, and former Bronco Al Wilson for starters)? His lack of production at Tennessee (3 sacks in his senior year is poor, even on a struggling team), but Ayers has shown that he is a superb talent and potentially well-valued at 18th overall, able to bring an explosive presence to Denver’s new 3-4 defensive scheme.
Stay tuned for picks #19-25 on the next edition of our NFL Draft Recap.
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