SPORTS: In Praise of Soccer

Rodney Beard writes:

"In 1928, I aspired to become a soccer player. Harry Maloney was Stanford's coach, and was an inspiring teacher who was a model of fair play and patience with a clumsy non-athlete who tried to learn. He never gave up teaching: on retirement from Stanford he went to live at Sequoias, and continued to coach the other retirees in physical activities. I enjoy watching soccer. It is a game I can understand, in which I can follow the plays, and appreciate skill. It seems to be rougher than it used to be. I marvel at the endurance of the players. Just watching them makes short of breath."

My comment: Soccer requires extraordinary team play, which individual sports like running do not. Violence in sports has got much worse with increasing professionalism. There is a Canadian specialist on the subject, William McMurtry, who has testified in US congressional hearings on violence in sports. I will retrieve his bibliography and forward it to Miles Seeley and Carlos Lopez (the WAIS soccer expert), and ask them to be sure to include the subject in their sessions on sports.

Ronald Hilton - 9/25/00