U.S. Soccer Legend Speaks
Landon Donovan: Professional sports in the United States have become "very corporate"
Nov 22, 2019, 8:51 am
Courtesy: San Diego Loyal Soccer Club
Three-time FIFA World Cup participant with the United States, former Premier League midfielder and six-time MLS Cup Champion Landon Donovan joined Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis earlier this week. The U.S. Soccer Legend spoke on his involvement with 2020 USL Championship (2nd tier) expansion side San Diego Loyal Soccer Club, including his upcoming debut as a coach at the professional level.
"In order for this to be successful, we have to make this the community's team and, the way you do that, is by allowing them to be part of the process and really listening to what they want," said Donovan.
"In sports these days, in professional sports in our country - anyway you slice it - it's become very corporate," continued Donovan. "It's about what sponsorships you can get, how do you fill the seats, how do you maximize revenue. And I think people now, and I'm a big sports fan too, we all know that.... and we've kind of gotten away from the customer."
"We went out, we had twelve listening sessions with over 500 people in San Diego," added Donovan on the process of launching his expansion team. "We had teachers, we had surf community, we had the beer community, we had the business community that we listened to, soccer fans obviously, military, artists. We just talked to a bunch of different people about what San Diego is to them and what do they care about and want in a professional sports franchise. And over, and over, and over the world loyal kept coming up."
The interview can be listened to in its entirety on the "Glenn Davis Soccer" podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts and Podcast Arena.com/SoccerMatters.
Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis airs every Tuesday, 7 p.m. central , on ESPN 97.5 FM.
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Alex Bregman couldn’t hold back the smile when he was asked who might have had the biggest impact on his decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
“My favorite player Dustin Pedroia,” Bregman said of the club's former second baseman and two-time World Series champion.
“He reached out a few times this offseason and talked about how special it was to be a part of the Boston Red Sox,” Bregman said Sunday. “It was really cool to be able to talk to him as well as so many other former players here in Boston and current players on the team as well.”
A day after Bregman's $120 million, three-year contract was announced, he sat at a 25-minute news conference between his agent, Scott Boras, and Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. Manager Alex Cora, who gave Bregman a hug after he handed the infielder his No. 2 jersey, also was at the table along with team president Sam Kennedy.
Breslow and Cora wouldn't say whether Bregman would move to play second base, Pedroia's position, or remain at third — a position manned by Rafael Devers since July 2017.
A few players, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder among them, and coaches stood behind the seated reporters to listen.
Bregman gets a $5 million signing bonus, a $35 million salary this season and $40 million in each of the following two years, with some of the money deferred, and he can opt out after the 2025 and 2026 seasons to become a free agent again.
Asked why he agreed to the shorter contract with opt outs, he leaned forward to the microphone in front of him and replied: “I just think I believe in my abilities.”
Originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 amateur draft, Bregman attended LSU before the Houston Astros picked him second overall in 2015. His family history with the Red Sox goes back further.
“My dad grew up sitting on Ted Williams’ lap,” he said.
MLB.com said Stan Bregman, the player's grandfather, was a lawyer who represented the Washington Senators and negotiated Williams' deal to become manager.
Boston has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and had avoided signing the highest-profile free agents. Boras said a conversation with Red Sox controlling owner John Henry showed ownership’s desire to get back to winning.
“I think it was after Soto signed,’’ Boras said, citing the record contract he negotiated for Juan Soto with the Mets. “We had a discussion. I could tell knowing John back with the Marlins and such, he had a real onus about ‘we need to do things differently than what we’ve done before.’
“This is a point and time where I believe Red Sox ownership was hungry for championship play and exhausted with what had happened the last five, six years.”
Called the “perfect fit” by Breslow, the 30-year-old Bregman joined the Red Sox after winning two World Series titles and reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons with Houston.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career, and I plan on continuing to do that here,” he said in his opening remarks. “I’m a winning player and this is a winning organization.”
Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed fellow pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson during the offseason.
After the pitching moves, they found a right-handed bat, too.
“As the offseason progressed it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” Breslow said.
Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances in Fenway Park with an OPS of 1.240.
“He fits like a glove for our organization,” Kennedy said.