Sepp Blatter could have been a great character in the movie “Mean Girls.” He would have fit in perfectly with Cady and Regina - stirring up drama and giggling while writing in the “Burn Book.” (Don’t doubt our knowledge of Mean Girls, by the way).
The FIFA President seems to love controversy, from keeping the World Cup ethics report to himself, to making sure FIFA gets all the World Cup tax exemptions it "deserves." And he's now moved on to the world of Major League Soccer to stir up controversy with claims about a dramatic change to the league.
During a recent press conference in Canada, Blatter made a confident remark over the fact that Major League Soccer would adopt a FIFA calendar. Specifically, he clearly stated, “(MLS) has taken the decision — I don’t know when they will start — to adopt the FIFA calendar.”
The18 for one does not think that would be a wise decision. As it stands Major League Soccer already battles for attention against Major League Baseball, but if it were moved to a FIFA schedule it would battle for America’s attention against the big, bad NFL - and the NBA to boot. This would obviously be tough for Major League Soccer, a little like tonight's impending matchup between MLS All-Stars and Bayern Munich. That is, even though soccer's popularity continues to grow in the United States, it would be a tough pill to swallow to have to go head-to-head with the most popular sport in the country at this critical stage of growth in the sport's fan base.
Fortunately, it seems that MLS commissioner Don Garber and MLS vice president Dan Courtemanche agree with this sentiment and, moreover, don’t really know what Blatter is talking about:
. @JeremiahOshan Although MLS has reviewed a potential move to a FIFA calendar in the past, the league plans to stay with its current format
— Dan Courtemanche (@courtemancheMLS) August 5, 2014
So, either Blatter is really losing it, or just stirring up rumors. We'll have to see if MLS will ever get to a point where they can compete with the NFL and the NBA, but for now we have to appreciate where the future of US soccer is headed. After all, look at the steps we have taken so far - especially with that new “Soccer Village.”
