A two-fer here. For FourFourTwo, I explained that soccer parents’ complaints are no longer as easy to dismiss as they may have been when no one understood the game.
Source: Parents rightfully demanding more from inconsistent youth soccer experience | FourFourTwo
Then a related piece for Soccer Wire:
Source: Dure: Are pro coaches really better than parents? | Soccer Wire
June 16, 2016
The sprawling, chaotic, multi-layered Google Map from Hell: Select soccer clubs and leagues across the Mid-Atlantic region, where even second- and third-tier teams routinely drive hours for games.
Follow-up coming in July …
Source: Dure: Mapping the chaotic youth soccer scene — Soccer Wire
April 29, 2016
Don’t stereotype. Don’t rush to judgment. Those are the lessons of the Duke lacrosse case from 10 years ago. And to my pleasant surprise, the documentary Fantastic Lies covered those lessons pretty well.
Source: “Fantastic Lies” and the lessons of the Duke lacrosse case | SportsMyriad
March 23, 2016
My first job after Duke was in Wilmington, and I lived just a few feet away from UNCW’s campus. So I wrote something for my old paper about my split loyalties when Duke and UNCW were paired up in the NCAA Tournament.
Source: Two trips down memory lane | StarNewsOnline.com
March 15, 2016
I actually wound up not going to my Duke reunion, for reasons that had nothing to do with this piece in which I question how I spent my time in college and which classes I took. I hope Duke’s advising has improved since then. But I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. (Well, almost anything.)
Source: Did I waste my college opportunity? | Mostly Modern Media
Feb. 17, 2016
Oh, this was entertaining. I’ve spent years being hounded by soccer people who refuse to listen to any evidence they don’t like. That got me wondering about the Flat Earth movement, which is small but quite lively.
This piece was shared more than 20,000 times.
Source: Flat-Earthers are back: ‘It’s almost like the beginning of a new religion’ | Science | The Guardian
Jan. 20, 2016
Eric Wynalda’s session at the NSCAA Convention has fun, healthy debate. But look elsewhere, and you’ll find people more actively punching the sacred cows of the youth game.
Source: The real controversies of U.S. Soccer in 2016 | SportsMyriad
Jan. 16, 2016
Selected pieces from an arbitrary period between my departure from USA TODAY and a re-organization of my work portfolio:
BEST OF 2015
BEST OF 2010-14
Selected pieces from my tenure as a full-time writer/editor/online content producer at USA TODAY:
Selected youth soccer pieces:
January 2015: I made a presentation on Single-Digit Soccer (U10s and below) at the NSCAA convention. See my notes and the slideshow.
Also see SoccerWire index.
Duresport.com 