Featured / Local

No Union in SportsWeek

“Michael Farfan proving to be the steal of the draft.”

“Le Toux for MVP? Believe it.”

“Could Zac MacMath make an NFL roster as a kicker? The truth may not surprise you.”

“Danny Califf officially changes name to ‘Thor.'”

“Sheanon Williams races a cheetah… AND WINS!!!”

Any of those headlines would have made for a great feature piece about the Union in this weekend’s SportsWeek.

What’s SportsWeek you ask?

Launched today, October 1, 2011, SportsWeek is a weekly paper—it is “powered by the Daily News,” the Saturday edition of which it replaces— that promises to highlight all the best stories Philadelphia sports has to offer. With the Phillies entering the postseason, they dominate the column inches as do the always tumultuous Eagles. The preseason Flyers get plenty of face time, as does Penn State, local high school football, and for some reason, Ted Williams.

But where, oh where, are the Philadelphia Union?

You know, the Philly sports team that sells out most of it’s home games, has not lost in a month and is on the verge of a playoff spot?

Uh huh, that team.

Well, the Union apparently did not make the cut. In fact, the Union’s only appearance in the 87 pages of the premier edition is in the TV schedule, where a photo of  “Zach MacMath” appears next to a listing reading, “Union at Chivas. Carson, Calif. TCN, 8 p.m.”

Yo, SportsWeek! It’s spelled “Zac,” not “Zach.” And the Union are playing Chivas USA on Sunday. Chivas is a team, but they play in Mexico.

Yep, that’s all she wrote as far as the Union are concerned.

SportsWeek, huh? “SportsWeak” is more like it.

So, if you care about Philadelphia Union coverage, the printed page is still not a reliable resource for you.

Good thing we all have the Internet.

Larry Platt, the editor of the Daily News, writes, “SportsWeek will be the bible of Philadelphia sports, and it will be as passionate and eloquent as you, the fan. It will also be a work in progress, so let me know what you want in your weekly sports holy book: lplatt@phillynews.com.”

Why not take him up on his invitation to share your eloquence, Union fans, and passionately let him know about the gaping hole in his weekly sports holy book?

C’mon the U!!!!!!!!!!!!

12 Comments

  1. Yeah stuff like that is pretty bad.

    I understand soccer is not mainstream, and that for some reason the general American public seems to hate it instead of you know, just being indifferent.

    But there is plenty to talk about on this team and for a professional sports paper to not mention them is pretty bad. What are they getting paid for then?

    You guys do a better job than anyone on that staff does, and you all do it for free.

  2. further proof that the print media is dead. i don’t even want union coverage in it. it wouldn’t make me want to buy the rag either way. would you really want articles about the U in there written by sports writers that know nothing about soccer?

    • Ed Farnsworth says:

      I hear what you are saying, but I think the Daily News’ Kerith Gabriel does good work covering the Union – I, for one, read whatever he writes. Part of what has pissed me off so much about this whole thing is that, given the combination of the access Gabriel has to the Union and his broader sports background, I think he has a good ability to translate his love of soccer for the more general sports audience who, whether it be from lack of exposure, indifference, or outright disdain, “don’t get soccer.” Whatever one thinks about soccer’s prospects for being a part of, as James says above, the American sport “mainstream,” writers like Gabriel are important for reaching that mainstream. The Daily News/SportsWeek have simply indicated how out of touch they are with their readers if they think soccer isn’t worthy of regular and quality discussion in their “sports holy book.” Even the ridiculous religious imagery Platt uses to describe SportsWeek is telling: if you think other Philly sports are worthy of serious attention and discussion, apparently you have blasphemed against the accepted sports dogma. It is all very lame and rather pathetic.

  3. I am borrowing this picture to further the cause… if you want you can sue me. Love, Section 133.

  4. I’ve seen some nice articles in the Wilmington News Journal. A few with a nice photo and front page attention. It probably doesn’t matter if it makes ink or not; We’re packing the stadium either way.

  5. Receiced an email late last night from Larry Platt:
    “Thanks for the feedback. We definitely plan on articles about the Union and soccer in future issues, so stay tuned. I appreciate you reaching out.
    Best,
    LP”

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