Thought Trails: Expectations, the Media and Moving to MLS

Thought Trails: Expectations, the Media and Moving to MLS

In one week, Toronto FC have managed to sign Jermain Defoe, one of England’s best strikers, and Michael Bradley, arguably America’s best player at the moment. It’s a coup for Toronto, a shock to many, and everyone has something to say. 

Maxi: If you had asked me a few years ago how I felt about MLS offseasons, I would have raised an eyebrow and said something along the lines of, “…M..L..S…offseason..?” For as long as I can remember, MLS offseasons were a time period frequented only by devoted beat writers and the sort of committed fans who created Excel spreadsheets stockpiled with information on the most unknown college soccer player from Blackfoot, Idaho. As the league has grown, so too has interest in that painful period between seasons, and in the last week, we might have experienced one of the most significant periods in MLS history: both Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe, players of a recognized, international stature, are moving to MLS, and the implications are widespread.

Eric: Implications cause ripples. Implications create thousands of opinions. At this point, it might not even be possible to create an original thought about Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley’s big (or little, depending on your perspective) move. Major League Soccer has, once again, shaken up the generally accepted narrative of how things work in “the world of football”. Globally recognized footballers go to MLS when they want to retire… except, ugh, wait… something just doesn’t make sense. Sure, MLS may be getting better and dozens of world class players may be asking Thierry Henry and David Beckham what it’s like living in cosmopolitan cities and doing what they love for a living… But it can’t be that simple. You know what?

Jermain Defoe doesn’t know what Jermain Defoe is doing, according to me. I may know very, very little about Jermain Defoe’s personal thought process, yet thousands of people who also know very, very little about Jermain Defoe agree with me. As for playing in MLS? It seems like everyone who knows the league well likes this move; therefore, I need to trust the unbiased opinions of people who know very, very little about MLS. That must be the solution here, right?

M: Well, one thing’s for sure: if we’re going to judge the merits of these moves before they've played out, we can’t consider the personal thought process of the players themselves. Or their families. Or agents. Or anyone actually involved in the transactions. Actually, wait a second, that doesn't seem quite right…

Maybe it’s just my naive perspective, but it seems that we’re seeing an increasingly cynical sort of echo chamber, not only about a few players moving to MLS, but about soccer in general. That’s not to say that there isn't plenty of quality work produced each and every day by hard working writers, but that much of it seems to be overwhelmed by the sort of visceral writing that places emphasis on pushing the most click-friendly headline instead of any thoughtful analysis. Just in the last few days, I’ve seen and heard prominent figures in the sport discussing Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe with the sort of expertise you can only assume close friends and family have regarding their careers.

• “Why would Michael Bradley leave Roma? He was dominating Serie A!” Ahh, not really.
• “Jermain Defoe moved to MLS? Well, he must have lost a step.” Umm, wait a second.

Now, I want to clarify a bit: this isn’t a jab at professional writers or their profession, but the wealth of uninformed writing on these moves is overwhelming. The news cycle proceeds at an unabated pace, so it’s understandable that there’s a pressure to maximize traffic by taking publishing content as soon as possible, but shouldn’t there be a way to balance perspective and research? Instead of just pushing opinions that lack legitimate, factual research? If you haven’t follow Michael Bradley’s time at Roma that closely, should you be writing about it at all?

E: As you said, the news cycle strikes quickly and often. With writers expected to produce pieces with such regularity, that “Um, wait a second…” period can be overlooked. Jermain Defoe losing a step is an easy explanation. Players don’t get faster after they turn 30. He told Sky Sports, “If you have a year left [on your contract] and someone comes in and offers you four, you have to think about it and consider your options. It’s as simple as that.“ But that simplicity requires examination. Defoe is a proven professional, so taking those statements to say that he’s 1) moving to Toronto to retire 2) going to immediately worsen as a footballer 3) only leaving for the money all sound good, but lack the substance to do justice to the player or his career. Player who compete in the Premier League throughout an entire career don’t stop being competitive. To suggest any of those three options is to suggest that Jermain Defoe is giving up on the very thing that gave him the chance to make Jermain Defoe a globally-recognized name.

M: And coincidentally, the majority of writing I’ve seen about Defoe/Bradley tends to follow one of those conclusions. For better or worse, there’s a tendency to write to the pre-existing narrative, isn’t there? Now, no writer I’ve ever met has purposely deluded fans, or enjoys writing to impossible deadlines. Writers are put in a position where content is expected on a constant basis. And in a sport like soccer, even the most niche writer is expected to be knowledgeable on an extreme range of teams and players. So even with the best of intentions, sketchy opinions slip though.

But as arbiters of opinion, and ‘respected insiders,’ fans have a tendency to take writers at face value, even when their expertise might not be that extensive. That would work if the sports media worked in a vacuum, but it doesn’t. Each article molds the narrative, and each opinion jotted down by someone working on a deadline eventually filters down to fans across the world. “So and so said X? Well, that must make it true.” We’ve created a cycle of questionable opinions.

When we hear fans criticizing Jermaine Defoe moving to MLS, are we hearing their personal opinion, or something they read online?

E: From English fans and journalists, there seems to be an assortment of misplaced disappointment. Defoe is one of England’s best, and many fans have enjoyed watching him over the years. Seeing a great English player trade in London for Toronto is underwhelming to his most loyal fans on many levels, but to Jermain, the city of Toronto, and MLS fans the same simply isn’t true. This is a new adventure, and - while it is unfortunate to Defoe’s fans in London and throughout the country - it’s going to be fun watching him battle against the likes of Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane. Defoe is a true competitor, and working to make Toronto FC a strong, successful club is a monumental challenge for anyone to undertake. He’s getting paid (read: PAID) to do it, but he still has to perform. With excellent performances will come recognition. With a match-winning goal will come the highlights on YouTube for Roy Hodgson to see. There’s a fear, more than any criticism, that Jermain Defoe is falling off the face of the earth. It’s in Defoe’s hands to prove that isn’t the case.

M: But it’s also on the hands of fans and writers to give the move a chance before drawing any type of conclusions. If Defoe flames out too quickly and falls off Roy Hodgson’s radar, then sure, feel free to criticize Defoe’s intentions and MLS’ quality. But before that happens, fans and writers ought to actively research and catch a few Toronto games before drawing longbows. Opinions can be freely formed, but at least have some evidence to back up your claims.