Transcriber: Denise RQ Reviewer: Reiko Bovee
"Can I get in?"
It was not only a question that I posed to the sport of soccer.
But one that I put forth to a group
of West Indian and Latin American guys,
in a Los Angeles park one day.
I was a different gender, different ethnicity,
and I grew up 3,000 miles away.
So you can imagine the strange looks that they gave me!
But, I had a ball.
And that ball sealed the deal.
I was a late arrival to the sport of soccer,
but after that day in the park,
I became consumed with the sport.
I started to play pickup games all the time,
and started reading books about this sport,
one of which was about Brazilian soccer principles.
Now, some people may read a book like this
and just implement what they learned.
However, I took it a step further,
and began communicating with the author.
Our communication led to me receiving the opportunity to train in his facility
and then, an even bigger invitation:
to join an all-female soccer club in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
So I packed up and moved to South America.
Now, when I arrived, I quickly found out
that my teammates and coaches
had three preconceived notions about Americans.
One: we are all rich.
(Laughter)
Two: all we ever eat is fast food.
And three: in the United States there are no homeless people.
Now, it was going to be pretty hard for me to convince them otherwise
because I was a beginner Portuguese speaker,
and they spoke little to no English.
However, we did have a universal language,
and that language was this ball: soccer.
And over that course of hours of training and playing together,
through days and months,
soccer served as an icebreaker that whittled away
our preconceived notions that we had about one another.
And in the end, we realized we had more commonalities than differences.
When I returned back to the South East,
my perspective on the sport of soccer, had broaden tremendously.
However, I noticed here in the United States,
our view is very narrow compared to the rest of the world.
When I was in Brazil,
we played any and everywhere with the ball.
On cement, on grass, on sand.
All over the globe, soccer is considered the sport of the common man.
Because just as in Brazil, you can play anywhere.
It's inexpensive to play and is accessible to everyone.
However, it seems like here, in the US, the sport has been relegated
to grassy fields and neighborhoods of affluent or international background.
Exposure and economics
have prevented Americans in all neighborhoods
from mastering the language of soccer
in the way that others have, around the globe.
And the interesting thing is that soccer can serve as a bridge:
not just between a young girl and her foreign teammates,
but between local residents of diverse communities,
and business people of different international cultures.
And that is why I am so adamant and passionate about spreading
the universal language of soccer
here in the South East, and throughout this nation.
By embracing soccer, we can engage in the global community
and participate in a way that we haven't done up until this point.
So, what can we do to develop fluency in the sport of soccer?
I have two approaches that I am participating in,
and I would like to ask you to join me.
First: we need to expose more young people to the language.
And how can you do that?
It's very easy.
All we need to do is provide them with a ball.
Not an expensive proposition.
I've witnessed firsthand how our classroom of inner-city students
became so excited when I taught them in less than two minutes,
how to balance this ball on the back of their neck.
Secondly: for those of us that coach soccer,
play soccer or are fans of the sport,
I would like you to consider engaging in a little soccer tourism.
The next time you decide to travel abroad, set aside a day or two.
Experience the culture in a whole new way.
And how can you do that?
Train with the local soccer coach, and then, in the afternoon,
participate in a friendly match with the local club.
Imagine the experience that you'll have!
And that you will be able to share once you return here.
Just as important, picture the influence and impact
that you will have on the coaches, teammates and local residents,
that you'll encounter during that experience.
You know, we are fortunate here, that we live in a country,
where our native tongue, English,
has become a de-facto universal language spoken by people all over the world.
Athletically speaking, soccer is the global language,
and it is one that can yield us new friendships,
and allow us to engage in global dialogues in a whole new way.
Embrace the universal language of soccer.
That is my idea worth sharing.
Thank you.
(Applause)