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Basketball Wouldn't Exist Without Soccer
On the eve of basketball’s 134th anniversary, we look back at the unexpected and largely forgotten role soccer played in its creation.
Basketball Wouldn’t Exist Without Soccer
Smithsonian Magazine
On the eve of basketball’s 134th anniversary, we look back at the unexpected and largely forgotten role soccer played in its creation. Plus, we revisit Ian Wright’s “Boston Tea Party” in 1993, unveil a new batch of CLUBELEVEN kits, and more.
This week’s stories:
👕 (Re)introducing the CLUBELEVEN Home Kit
☕ The Boston Tea Party of 1993
🏀 Basketball Wouldn’t Exist Without Soccer
🏆 Golden Goal
🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers
➡️ And More
CLUBELEVEN
(Re)introducing the CLUBELEVEN Home Kit
Tan Vo
It took eleven months to make… and almost just as long to restock.
Over the past year, this jersey has been our official uniform while on the road. A way to commemorate seven seasons of our storytelling journey in the region, celebrate those driving CLUBELEVEN and American soccer forward, and play around with our favorite design elements to develop the “ideal” kit.
After the first few stops with the Soccer Bus earlier in the year, we quickly realized we’d sold out—thanks to soccer fans who really liked the jersey, folks who just wanted to support our mission, or a little bit of both.
Now, after a mini odyssey trying to get a new batch ready, we’re finally able to bring the CLUBELEVEN Home Kit back. And to mark this very special return, we also have a limited amount with the number 11 on the back available.
Grab yours HERE!
OUR HISTORY
The Boston Tea Party of 1993
The Mirror
On a day like today in 1773, a group of Massachusetts colonists boarded three British merchant ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.
On the 252nd anniversary of this iconic moment in American history, it felt fitting to look back at the day England internationals Ian Wright and Paul Ince had their own “Boston Tea Party” when they visited the States for the 1993 US Cup.
Never knew these photos existed!
COVER STORY
Basketball Wouldn’t Exist Without Soccer
Smithsonian Magazine
And speaking of important anniversaries in American history, this weekend marks 134 years since James Naismith invented and organized the first basketball game ever. Believe it or not, though, soccer somehow played a crucial role.
The story goes that Naismith, a PE teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, was looking for a game his students could play indoors during the brutal New England winters.
While in college, Naismith had competed in soccer, football, and gymnastics, and he enjoyed this new challenge of analyzing popular sports “from the philosophical side” to come up with a new one that could truly captivate his students.
A good game, he reasoned, had to be easily learned. That led him towards sports that used larger balls, like soccer and football, which didn’t require additional equipment such as bats or racquets. Still, his early attempts to adapt these into an indoor game fell short.
Finally, though, he had a eureka moment, borrowing two peach baskets from the gym’s building manager and crafting the foundational rules of basketball.
Naturally, the peach baskets have become a classic part of American sports lore, but what often gets left out is the type of ball Naismith handed his students that day.
I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now, but yes, it was indeed a soccer ball 🤝.
EDUCATION
Golden Goal
Seattle Times
One of my favorite parts of fall? Watching the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament. There’s just nothing like getting swept up in the emotion of a cup run and seeing how much it means to the players and the students.
(I still have very fond memories of witnessing my Maryland Terps win it all during my freshman year of college in 2018. Good times…)
Last night’s final between NC State and Washington didn’t disappoint. Absolute scenes in OT!
CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section
Do you think soccer will be bigger than basketball in the US someday?...why or why not? |
Let us know your takes! We’ll highlight your best answers next week.
CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates
ESPN
USMNT Mascot Name: The fans have spoken. The new official USMNT mascot finally has a name. What do you think?
Shattering Records: MLS Cup seems to have been a wild success for the league. Check out these crazy numbers.
New Coach: We’re getting old. Seeing this USMNT legend step up to coach in MLS really hit home!
New Rules: The NWSL came up with a creative solution to their Trinity Rodman dilemma. It might shake up the league forever…
Welcome: Say hello to this new USL W League side over in Wisconsin! They just revealed their awesome name and crest last week.
TRAVEL
Reminiscing With The Footy Travelers
The Footy Travelers
An absolute honor!
As we close out the year, we had the chance to hop on the Footy Travelers podcast to slow down for a little bit, chat about our 10,000+ mile journey with the Soccer Bus, and share stories from many of the incredible communities we’ve visited over the past few months.
A huge thank you to fellow road warriors Colin and Mike for having us on and giving us the opportunity to talk about the behind-the-scenes experiences from our travels!
Catch the full episode here.
CLUBELEVEN
Just Ball in LA
Kakeru Otsuka
It meant a lot to get tapped by the US Soccer Foundation to cover this special event out in LA!
On Saturday, hundreds of families gathered at Lab Five in Gardena to enjoy what felt like a dream day of soccer. Whether it was playing foot golf, designing kits, customizing soccer bags, grabbing local bites to eat, or playing in pickup games for hours, it was an event built with and for the people who live in the area.
Here’s the story behind it.
CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️
Last week, we asked you: How far do you think the USMNT will go at the World Cup? Here are some of your answers:
“Semifinals. LFG, USA!” - Chris K.
“Round of 16. If they can tune out the noise of being on home turf and focus, they might go further! Otherwise, I think they'll drown in the hype.” - W. Dumka
In the poll, “Round of 16” won with 50% of the vote, while “Quarterfinals” followed with 36%. Overall, I’d say I also fall in the Round of 16 camp. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I do see a world where we even go further than that. It’ll all really depend on how the groups play out.
UP NEXT
Back East
Pablo Bayona Sapag
We had a lot of fun being out in LA, and now we’re back on the East Coast, ready to tackle a few other projects in New York this weekend.
Keep an eye out for more soon 💪
Enjoying This?
Make sure to forward this email to a friend and help us spread the soccer gospel far and wide! We’ll see you next week with even more untold stories of soccer.
Have a great Tuesday!
Pablo