Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle —
— Freddie Adu, 14, played his first Major League Soccer game Saturday. Though Freddie was far from dominating in his first outing, his teammates say they hope he’s with the team for a long time, because his mom brings the coolest snacks.
— The NFL passes a rule assessing a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration of touchdowns. The vote is unanimous, except for the Raiders, who abstain, saying, “This doesn’t concern us.”
People around here weren’t too happy with the coach of the D.C. United for keeping Adu out of the game until the 61st minute. There was tremendous excitement about the kid’s first game – huge ticket sales, good TV audience, and a lot of international press. Then he sits for 2/3 of the game. This might be a clue as to why soccer hasn’t really caught on stateside. (I recall LeBron James being a starter on opening day…whether he was really ready or not.)
Yes that was a missed marketing oppurtunity for a product that needs marketing in the worst way. The coach may have almost killed idle curiosity of non-soccer fans about Adu. I imagine there will be far fewer viewers for the next aired match.