This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

Question. by IrishCavan

I have heard people complain that high-level US soccer is a sport for the upper-middle class (and that includes coaching...that the coaching certificate has become very expensive) and, although, there are a few programs that provide "scholarships" to under-privileged kids, most of it is out of the reach of the vast majority of Americans. Would you agree with this? That seems to be pretty much the case in my area. I see the Hispanic kids playing soccer in the parks but rarely are they on top-level teams. It is even rarer to see a black kid on one of those teams. Would you agree.

My kids chose not to play soccer, instead opting for baseball, basketball and track, so I could be way off here.