"State does disservice to itself, players"

[lonestar]

Houston Chronicle Article

There is a scourge in Texas intercollegiate athletics, a resounding Dear John letter of sorts sent to hundreds of this state's best athletes every year.

The message: Your home state's public- and private-supported universities just don't care. Go somewhere else to play your game.

Every institution of higher learning in Texas outside of Southern Methodist University, the only Division I college in Texas that fields a men's soccer team, is failing its young male athletes.

These Division I athletes _ a group whose recruiting numbers and national reputation exceeds anything baseball offers out of Texas and rivals basketball _ have virtually no place to play. No place to call home.

"It's a shame and so sad, because we've got a lot of talent coming out of the Houston area and all kinds of talent in Texas," said Franklin Cartagena, the director of coaching for the elite Houstonians soccer club. "Kids end up going away and a lot of them come back a year later, because they can't stand the weather or the culture.

"If they had a chance here, they'd jump all over it. It's a matter of doing it. There's no time to waste."

But either through indifference, ignorance or failing to try, Texas universities have failed to develop men's soccer programs, even though all signs points toward massive growth and potential in the sport.

The University of Texas athletic department has sold some 72,000 football season tickets this year. Recently, it was named the most profitable program in college sports, pulling in more than $53 million last year.

You would think they could afford to stock a few extra light bulbs for the soccer stadium in the department's broom closet, wouldn't you?

The Texas A&M Aggies are on that top-10 list of most profitable programs as well. The Aggies brought in a tidy $39 million last year.

You would think at some point university president Robert Gates, whose efforts to lure minorities to A&M have been widely lauded, would ask himself: "Maybe a men's soccer program as good as our women's would help?"

But it is not just the two largest universities failing its youth. It's Texas Tech and the University of Houston. It's private schools like Baylor, TCU and Rice. It's North Texas, Texas-El Paso, Lamar.

It's all of them. Except SMU.

As it is in football and basketball, Texas is considered a national hotbed for soccer recruiting. More than 200 coaches annually invade Texas soccer showcase tournaments and some 100 players annually get recruited from out of the South Texas region of the youth soccer association, which encompasses Houston.

The Houston and the North Texas region have developed so many elite-level players, when U.S. Soccer announced the roster for its U17 residency program this week _ in essence, America's future World Cup hopefuls only California had more players than Texas' five.

Among those five are Humble's Alex Dixon and College Station's Dane Shea.

California has 18 universities fielding Division I men's soccer teams. Texas has SMU.

A player like Walberto "Pana" Vasquez, one of the Houstonians' best players and most sought-after recruits, would rather stay near home. He is an inner-city kid who wishes his family could watch him play every weekend. But Vasquez is left to choose from SMU, of course, along with Xavier, Butler, Alabama-Birmingham and South Florida.

Compounding this disservice by Texas colleges is that many schools have the infrastructure for a men's program already in place. Because of Title IX gender-equity demands, women's soccer programs are thriving at virtually every Texas university.

The Aggies and Longhorns both have constructed multi-million dollar soccer-specific stadiums. Both field women's teams that always rank among the nation's best.

But what kind of message does it send to men's soccer players? Or worse, to women players?

By investing in the facilities but engaging only women, it smacks of tokenism. It's as if these programs are fielding women's teams not because they want to, but because they have to.

"What places like Texas and Texas A&M are saying is they don't care enough of the sport to build a men's team there," said SMU coach Schellas Hyndman, who despite having the pick of the crop every year has for years been a critic of state universities cheating some 200,000 registered club players in Texas.

"They'll always talk about Title IX," Hyndman said. "They're going to say it would cost another million dollars, they'll tell you this and tell you that. But those are things that can be overcome if they wanted.

"Players don't have anywhere to go but SMU. There are 30 players every year I'd like to have, but I can't get them all. Only one school in the whole state? That just doesn't have a leg to stand on."

The Houstonians developed players that signed to play this fall at Cal State-Fullerton, Centenary College, Tulsa University, Xavier University and Butler University.

The other dominant Houston soccer program, Texans FC, sent players to Clemson, New Mexico, Wake Forest, Appalachian State, UConn and Michigan. Both Shea and Dixon of the U.S. Soccer residency team played for Texans F.C.

Altogether, some 200 universities field Division I soccer teams, which begs obvious questions.

If those schools can do it, why can't Texas universities?

And are this state's athletic directors and school presidents simply not as good as the other administrators that manage to field Division I soccer programs despite Title IX gender-equity challenges? Or do they just not care?

"Politically, it's almost a crime that they are allowed to get away with it," Hyndman said. "You're talking about almost half a million players in Texas at all ages. They play for all these years and want to keep playing. Their parents pay taxes for all these years.

"And then it's time for their kid to go to college and parents have to tell their kids, 'Sorry, if you want to play soccer, you have to leave home.' Somebody in politics has to say, 'this isn't right.'"

Athletic directors' reasoning for not fielding men's teams always turns to the same arguments. They'll talk of costs, travel restraints, conference scheduling challenges and, always, mention Title IX as if it is a ball and chain.

But if state ADs would push themselves away from their desks long enough to do some simple research and start thinking creatively, like some 200 other schools do, they would see endless possibilities.

Not to mention, they would realize the first state-school AD to develop a men's program would have a huge head start on winning championships, given the fertile Texas recruiting ground.

"What I've seen over the years is kids play soccer up until eighth grade, but then in high school all the kids play football or basketball," UH athletic director Dave Maggard said. "In the state of Texas, football is still big. The best athletes are going to be playing football in Texas. Soccer is great, it's a healthy sport.

"But I have heard for 30 years that soccer is going to be the coming sport. I'm still waiting We're humping for every buck we can get. It's not a sport that is broad in the state of Texas and in our conference."

Actually, most of those arguments are, at best, flimsy.

Conference USA is in fact one of the healthiest soccer leagues, with a full three-month schedule, a conference tournament and nine teams. Included in the C-USA league are "affiliates" from other leagues, Kentucky and South Carolina, which shows what creative thinking can do.

And actually, out-of-state schools love the way many Texas ADs share the thought that high school athletes do not play soccer in this state. While Texas administrators are counting up football season ticket sales, outside schools are airlifting dozens of Texas' best players out of state every year.

"Texas has become a goldmine for other programs," Hyndman said. "And they love it because they know they don't have a lot of competition."

And regarding the popularity of the game among youths, it has become undeniable to everyone, apparently, except athletic directors.

Is there anything that influences kids more than video games? Gamespot.com reported this month that America's most popular PlayStation games this year have been NBA Live 2006 and FIFA Soccer Live 2006. They rank well ahead of NFL, college football and baseball video games.

As for the participation, play on high school soccer teams has increased by 88-percent over the past decade. Registration in the U.S. Youth Soccer Association increased by more than five million over the same span, according to American Sports Data Inc.

While more than 18 million youths are participating in soccer nationally, in contrast baseball participation has declined steadily since 1990.

Last year, participation in baseball among kids between the ages of seven and 17 dropped by 6.7-percent. Soccer increased by 9.8-percent.

Between football, basketball and baseball, only basketball's reported participation growth was higher in 2005 and its growh was less than a percentage point higher _ 10.4-percent to 9.8-percent.

The numbers are there. Texas soccer players are looking for a home.

Every other state must deal with Title IX arguments, too. They get it done, but Texas does not.

NCAA presidents have of late discussed the merits of reducing the number of scholarships in Division I football from 85 to 75 or perhaps 65. The issue has met with much resistance, as one would expect, from football coaches and fans.

Perhaps the answer is to reduce the number to 75, but allow 10 half-scholarships. Thus, football coaches still would get 85 players on scholarships of some sort.

And a men's soccer program could be developed without compromising Title IX laws that call for equal dispersal of scholarships between men and women.

"That's one theory; one plan I've heard discussed," Hyndman said. "Really, if we sat down with another 15 people, we could come up with 15 plans that would all work.

"It really comes down to the administration. The athletic directors are almost all men and they're almost all either football or basketball people. The closest any of them have gotten to soccer is their grandchildren. The fact is soccer is here to stay. And I think that might be a fearful thing to some people's mentality."

Texas athletic directors and presidents need to ask themselves whether they're here for the state's constituency. Or only the football coach.

[Jsmity]

Hey you can use me as an example..... I didnt get recruited by one single Texas school.... but I got recruited by 6 East Coast Universities.... go figure.... But Im playing in SC now and Im living a dream.... But come on Texas.... Theres a ton of talent here.... and only one D-1 mens soccer team in this whole state???? wow....... its just ashame...

[mustang]

Is soccer even a real sport?

Who would even waste their time to go see soccer?

[Jsmity]

No.. no its not a real sport..... I mean, how could something that envolves speed,agility, athleticsm, coordination, physicality, and mental toughness even be considered a "real sport"....... :roll:

And who would actualy watch soccer??? Who knows... deffinately not the millions of people who fill up stadiums every week of every year to watch this "fake" sport... not to mention the biggest sporting even in the world.... the World Cup.... :roll:

Hmmmm..... do us all a favor and stay in school and STOP doing drugs.... because your brain is allready fried and if you stop now... it might be worth salvaging....

[Bread]

i dont even have to say anything, smity said what was needed to be said...

[Jsmity]

Word 8)

[mustang]

Yeah I can just feel the excitement all over America when Soccer season starts up. WHOOEEE!

[Bread]

how do you know how many Americans get excited when you know nothing about the sport itself or when it starts?

[Jsmity]

I can feel the excitment........... whats more exciting than walking out on that freshly cut grass with your new shiny kangaroo leather boots..... getting that first touch on the ball.... striking a good clean ball a couple times.... oh wow.... theres nothing better.... nothing.... I love it.... I live for those moments.... so yea... I can feel the excitment... so go some were else until you can rid yourself of assenine statements that make you look alot more stupid than you are... and that hard to do.....

[Bread]

once again, smity covered all of it, said what needed to be said....