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(More customer reviews)Gary Hopkins provides a terrific inside view of the extra-ordinary growth of soccer in the US over the last two decades.He is able to chronicle the quantum changes that were wrought by the ascendancy of Steinbrecher, Rothenberg, Gulati and Garber to the helm of the sport in the United States.
While Hopkins played a significant role himself he does not dwell on his own contributions but instead examines how a unique mix of personalities, corporate interests and FIFA's desire for a greater presence of soccer in the US came together with immaculate timing for the development of the game. Using his strong personal relationships he also takes us behind the scenes revealing the enormous leaps of faith required for the US to host the 1994 World Cup, the Womens' World Cup in 1999, and to initiate and sustain MLS through its early struggles.
This is however no dry academic study of the economic forces and management strategies that influenced soccer's development. His book has sufficient focus on the personalities of the major players and has enough humor to make it an easy read.
While his view of the future of soccer in America may indeed be overly influenced by his European roots he knows whereof he speaks. And who knows, he may be right!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Star-Spangled Soccer: The Selling, Marketing and Management of Soccer in the USA
Star-Spangled Soccer charts America's 25-year journey to becoming a soccer nation, the key business, decisions, personalities, and events that shaped its growth, and the developing perfect soccer storm that will propel its unstoppable march forward. The book takes its lead from a single premise that the granting of the 1994 World Cup to the United States set in motion a chain of events that has redefined soccer in America forever, good and bad, up and down, but ultimately positioned to become a major force in the rapidly changing American sports landscape. Drawn from a 20-year career as a senior executive in the American soccer market and supported by first person interviews and insights with all the key personalities and decision makers, Star Spangled Soccer is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the American soccer market, where it has come from, and why it is positioned for tremendous growth over the next 10 years.
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