52 Responses to “Freddy Adu”

Dammit, call it a ‘field’ like a real American.

Left by Scott on May 27th, 2003

hmmm, I wish I was offered a one million dollar deal when I was 13… heck, a 10,000 dollar deal would do me just fine.

Left by Angel on May 27th, 2003

I think that the million dollar Adu deal makes a whole lot more sense than the LeBron James deal. Think aobut how that has all the little kiddies dreaming now. Knowing that they could (in their imaginations) score some nice green just before they reach the age of fourteen… is huge.
Also, I think Nike would do much better sponsoring 20 to 30 athletes at a few million a piece than sponsoring just one for a few years at $90 million.
Either way, I refuse to buy Nike… I don’t want to be putting a few bucks of every shoe or piece of equipment into the hands of an already over paid athelete. Lucky for Nike, I am probably alone in this feeling.

Left by David on May 27th, 2003

Nope, I’m going to keep calling it a pitch. It helps to differentiate it from, say, American football (especially when I’m really talking soccer and call it a ‘football pitch’). Plus it’s the term used by 99% of the world… and I just like the ring of “soccer pitch” over “soccer field.”

Left by John on May 28th, 2003

When I was 13 I once took on the whole Guatemalan national U17 team…

http://www.mifutbol.com/listado.php?max=11&client_id=1&video_id=69&client_id=1&format_id=1&PPclient_id=1&PPclient_id=1&client_tag=1&date=2003-05-28&verVideo=1PPclient_id=1

Left by Colin on May 28th, 2003

99% of the world? That was stat straight from the ol’ shittah, no? In China, do they call it a pitch? I think not, and I think that they who speak the many different languages of China probably make up more than the one percent that you’ve alotted them. In fact, I am willing to bet a dime that less than 10% of the world actually calls that beautiful bit of grass n’ lines a ‘pitch’ due to the various languages throughout the world.
ex… Italians call it ‘campo’ or ‘campo calcistico’ which translates as field or soccer field.
Also, ‘calcio,’ the Italian word for soccer, would translate better as soccer than as football because it does not have the morphemes /foot/ or /ball/ in it.
So, the arguement that most of the world (or even everyone but Americans) call soccer football in other nations and tongues is really shortsighted.
OK, I’m done playing the devil’s advocate. No one really likes that guy anyway.
I think you should keep calling the play area a pitch if that’s what you like. It probably seems pretentious to Scott and others when they see you use vocabulary that is not a part of standard american english, but it’s your site, your post, and you should be able to say whatever you want to! Bloody Hell!

Left by David on May 28th, 2003

Yup, you’re right. I guess I should have said 99% of the soccer/football-watching, English-speaking audience (because there are a lot of Americans, but most of them don’t watch soccer so they don’t count) calls it a pitch. And of course it’s not 99%, but hey, I was just pulling it out of my ass anyway.

Serious question, though: what morpheme does the Italian word for soccer/football have in it? Because soccer comes from a 19th century British abbreviation of “association football,” and really doesn’t have anything to do with foot or ball.

Left by John on May 28th, 2003

Reebok inked a deal with a 3 year old after he hit 18 consecutive shots in front of some of their executives. Yes, a 3 year old. I’m not sure if it’s official yet (I’m sure it is), but it was talked about on PTI and he was also on BET yesterday as a guest.

Left by Aristotle on May 28th, 2003

Its true about the 3 year old. But I read that the deal is still up in the air. They are not sure that he will even get drafted first round. Hes a great athlete, true, but not a team player. At least thats what his nanny said.

Left by Felix on May 29th, 2003

OK, 18 is crazy, 13 is insane, but 3 is just ludicrous. So they’re betting in fifteen years in advance that he’ll be good at basketball… You would think that with the economy doing poorly companies could think of better uses for their money.

Left by John on May 29th, 2003

So what Freddy is only 13. If he has the chance to get his mother out of a two jobs, good for him. I dont think Freddy is going to be handling the money. He has a mom and an agent who will do all that. So leave the kid alone with all the B.S.

Left by Samson Tamire on May 29th, 2003

I’m with Tony Kornheiser…Freddy Adu is not 13. Maybe 31, but not 13. Anyway, I think it’s insane the amount of money that even LeBron is getting considering he’s not a proven player yet. I would be more understandable if Carmello got it, but that goes into another debate. One that I would take Carmello over LeBron…EASILY!

Samson, you a 2Pac fan? Just curious since I saw his name in your email. Strange.

Left by Aristotle on May 29th, 2003

Oh, I’m totally happy for Freddy and his family. I don’t think that accepting the deal was crazy… any one of us would have if in that position. I think that _offering_ the deal was insane. But maybe that’s just me.

Left by John on May 29th, 2003

from what it sounds like I think Nike cheated the boy for just one million dollars. This kid is a gift from God to all american soccer fans. I just hope all the money lovers around Freddy Adu doesn’t become a hindrance to this young boys talent.
And by the way it’s call football field not a “pitch”

Left by Trueking on May 29th, 2003

I’m irish and i see this from a different angle.If this boy adu is half as good as he is made out to be then it is a very worthwhile investment. declan hlpin is gay

Left by Daver on May 29th, 2003

…and yes he is probably the savior of American soccer…

I’m sorry, but I had to comment on this. I, for one, have zero interest in soccer. As much as some people may like it, I don’t believe there is any type of savior for soccer in this country. People are just not into it like they are the other sports. It’s not in danger of dying out, but it will never be big here like it is in foreign countries.

Left by Aristotle on May 29th, 2003

Four things, Aristotle…

# America loves a winner. The better our national team does, the more people will come to accept it as a “real” sport. Just look at the huge spike in MLS attendance since World Cup 2002. Hell, it’s even on ESPN now (in fact I watched the Champion’s Cup final on the deuce yesterday).
# American athletes love money, and there is money to be made in soccer. With the MLS existing as a showcase for American soccer talent, European clubs are picking up players and paying them good money.
# Saying that it “will never be big here like it is in foreign countries” is really shortsighted. Think about the distance that American football has come in the last 100 years. Hell, the last forty years. If you would have told people in 1930 that someday football would be far more popular than baseball they would have thought you were crazy.
# There are almost 300 million people in this country… it’s big enough for four or five major sports.

Now it may never be _the_ sport in the United States, but I would bet money right now that its popularity with the American people will grow over the next few decades to match that of other major sports.

Left by John on May 29th, 2003

Ok, I agree to an extent….

1. We do love a winner, but I also like my yams covered in extra syrup. That doesn’t mean I want it everyday. Where am I going with this? The World Cup is nice once a year, but that’s it. The interest in the actual season is just not there.
2. We love money. Of course, but you made the point for me against American soccer…they leave to play in Europe, validating my point that it is not that big here.
3/4. It may be shortsighted, but in our lifetime, I don’t think we’ll see it be in the top 5. Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey, Golf, Tennis…

But then again, I played soccer when I was little and got to trip a girl flat on her face. Now that was fun!

Left by Aristotle on May 29th, 2003

You my friend are an idiot. Freddy Adu has so much selling potential for Nike they actually could have signed him to a much larger deal. If Nike comes out with an ADU shoe, they will make millions. Plus, they will probably come out with a line of ADU National team t-shirts and every 13 year old soccer player in America will want to buy one. This is maybe one of the smartest moves Nike has ever made. Think about your words now in 2006 when ADU is making you and all of the other haters look like asses. By the way, he isn’t in middle school you fucking moron, he is going to graduate high school next year. Way to do research.

Left by justin on May 29th, 2003

Christ Justin, calm down. I hope that Freddy Adu kicks ass, Nike is proven genius and everyone ends up happy. I certainly hope he turns out to be a baller and helps our national team earn some more respect on the world stage in 2006. I just think that signing a kid who is probably four years from playing a professional game to a million dollar contract is kind of crazy.

It’s all totally my opinion. Of course had you actually _read_ what I had wrote and _thought_ about it instead of spouting off like a _fucking moron_, you would have realized that. Now go away.

Left by John on May 29th, 2003

I would have to agree with Justin on this one. The simpe headline a few days ago, “Nike signs 13 year old soccer phenom to $1 million contract”, is going to spark so much interest among young soccer consumers, that Nike will probably make that money back this month. And think about the Nike Corparations annual gross. Dont you think a tiny $1 million investment has little risk, considering the mass of their company. They probably gain and lose more everyday in their stock fluctuation. But one thing Justin, chill brother. Go see anger managment, or get laid. Think happy.

Left by Felix on May 29th, 2003

ive been hearing adu’s name since january from a friend so i went and watched him practice in brandenton florida with the under 17 national squad. After seeing him play i truly believe that the U.S. will be in the semifinals and possibly take the cup in 2006
just remember that nike didnt pay him 1 million for the rest of his life,he will end up signing an other contract that will rival if not surpass lebron’s—-what nike did was genius because freddy will re-sign with nike when his contract comes up for extension—all nike did was cock-block reebok and addidas out of millions in merchandise revenue by signing the future of american national and european club futbol at an early age for an extremely LOW 1 million U.S. dollars

Left by kike on May 30th, 2003

If Adu gets a shoe, I hope it’s blue… Don’t you?
(and other rhymes)
John, I don’t really know what the etymology or morphology of ‘calcio’ or any other Italian words. Though it really seems to me like it has just two morphemes in it /cæls/ and /io/.
(Man, I wish ASCII had IPA symbols in it, because 1) I could do IPA in HTML and 2) ASCII would rock all the more. Actually, if you could post instructions for using a unicode font in MovableType I’d be set. Hmmm… maybe I’ll give it a shot anyway. OK everything worked, and I just realized that I am dumb because ASCII does have all the characters I needed… this time.)
More on Adu…
I think that he really deserves more than $1 million, and I think that LeBron at $90M is a much bigger risk than Adu at $1M. Adu is a tested player… he’s played against MLS teams, National teams, tons of U-17 teams, etc. LeBron has played High Schoolers… and that is it to my knowledge. Either way, I have a bigger hate on Nike than I do Microsoft, and I refuse to explian the hate of either so if it bothers you or seems silly then just dismiss me and read the rest of the comments.

Left by David on May 30th, 2003

Doh… huge grammatical err. Please forgive me, for I have left out a word.

Left by David on May 30th, 2003

LeBron has played against tons of NBA players, just not in ‘organized’ games. Nike has watched these games, you can be sure, and Jordan has told them he’s worth it.

Left by Scott on May 30th, 2003

He’s getting 1 million before taxes over 4 years. So that basically means his family will have an upper-middle class income. There are millions of kids in this country with access to more money who are no more deserving.

And as for the age thing, why would his mother have claimed he was only 8 when she was still in Ghana? He had never played organized soccer at that point. What on Earth would have been her motive? So he couldn’t start working for another 2 or 3 years after arriving in the States? It makes no sense. The kid is 13, ooops now 14, and if you don’t believe it, go look at the Sports Illustrated pictures from a couple of months ago. He looks 13.

Left by Justin on May 30th, 2003

To the person who said he won’t be playing pro for 4 years, Adu will likely be playing in MLS next season, according to many. He’ll graduate high school in May and go pro.

Left by Justin on May 30th, 2003

The reason that I said that he probably won’t play pro for a few years is from the CNNSI article here http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2003/03/03/freddy/ (quote is from near the bottom):

bq. Then there’s the biggest question: What comes next? If European interest remains after the under-17 championships, Freddy has persuaded Emelia to accept a pro offer this time. “I think I’m ready,” he says. “I’ve played against MLS teams and done the same things to them that I do in every other game. If I go to another country, I’ll play with their youth team for a year and then maybe jump into a professional setting.” But new FIFA regulations forbid players under 18 from transferring into the European Union (unless they are moving for family reasons), and MLS recently rebuffed the Adus’ inquiry about the possibility of Freddy’s joining the league this season. (”At some point we’ll look at it again, but 13 is just too young,” says deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis.) Of course, Freddy could stay in Bradenton another year, earn his high school diploma and train with the under-20 team or even join his brother on the U-17s. A spot on the 2004 Olympic team (made up primarily of under-23 players) isn’t out of the question.

I can understand their concern… no matter how good you are, playing against full-grown men is going be tough on his body, and there’s no point in getting him hurt while he is still young.

And yes, I missed that point about him getting his high school diploma next year (at 15?). The kid is pretty damned talented.

Left by John on May 30th, 2003

i agree this kid is a huge investment and a smarter investment that lebron james. it’s true that right now soccer isnt a huge sport but mark my words it will be. soccer has risin in the last couple of years and it will continue to rise. soccer is a rough sport and thats what america loves. right now it is the most played sport in america from ages 6-17 and when indoor(if indoor) ever goes pro soccer will jump even more because of the speed.

Left by danny on May 30th, 2003

when i say its not huge i mean in america

Left by danny on May 30th, 2003

its just a matter of time before man utd snap up adu just like they poach other players…and im right in saying alex ferguson has already got his greedy eyes on him

Left by Barry on May 30th, 2003

And you can bet MLS wants to get the check from Man U, or Real Madrid or whoever when they come after him. I’ll be very very surprised if he isn’t signed by MLS for next season and probably playing shortly after graduating and turning 15. The Nike deal has just made it easier for him to stay.

Left by Justin on May 30th, 2003

Upon closer inspection the deal is not quite as shocking as it first appeared. From si.com’s Grant Wahl:

“As you might already know, last week 13-year-old Freddy Adu became the youngest American soccer player ever to sign an endorsement contract with Nike. But according to a source close to the deal, the reported $1 million figure includes incentives and option years and is not all guaranteed.

‘The annual base figure is well below $100,000 a year the first couple years,’ the source says. ‘Then it goes into six figures for years three and four, and if he’s a superstar, then it goes up significantly for each option year after that. If he’s just another good soccer player, though, there are all kinds of out clauses.’”

Left by Justin on June 2nd, 2003

I dont think Adu is that good im only 12 and im amazing at 10 i can juggle 630 (still my record) because im so lazy my record of balancing it on my head is 1 minute and 57 seconds i can hold it on my neck and do a heel hold and catch the ball and do a rainbow and do that amazing thing like Ronaldino did when he goes back and forth through the hole of his leg on nikefootball.com i had some videos on the net.

Left by Sean Browm on June 7th, 2003

But by the time hes 20 he will prolly be like Maradona but 1 day i will go off against him in the big days.

Left by Sean Browm on June 7th, 2003

For the moment, assume Nike’s pay scale is linear with regard to age. That would imply that a 13-year old phenom would command a $65 million contract, based on a $5 million/year extapolated model. By comparison, $1 million seems like a pittance.

Don’t misunderstand me, I think Nike is guilty of skewing the perception of reality held by many, but the argument that Adu’s contract is somehow more offensive than the multi-millions thrown at LeBron James is specious in my view. Consider this: who has faced higher-caliber opposition, James or Adu? I would argue that Adu has already shined in *international* competitions and in matches against the U.S. National and MLS teams. James on the other hand has been on ESPN every night dunking over 5′10″ sixteen year-olds.

I predict that both will enjoy success as professionals, and all this talk of premature endorsement deals will be water under the bridge. And if not, in each case a kid that grew up with not a lot of privilege reaps a financial windfall.

Left by James on June 8th, 2003

Hey, you US guys are flying the flag for football, sorry, soccer out there - good on ya. Do you have any pictures of Freddy Adu for my school project?

Left by Wolf on June 10th, 2003

First off i am friends with Ferdua Adu freddys lil brother. they have the same name they live in potomac maryland and Ferdua aka Fro plays for the potomac cougars. And heres the real deal that not everybody knows. Ferdua told me cause he is supposively 10 but plays in my u15 age group. They were born in africa and in africa they do not start counting your days as being born untill you are baptised and he wasnt till he was 5 so he is really 18 so all this 13 mumbo jumbo is shit. He is a very good player and i have personally played agianst him when he was on the bethesda internationals. Hes very good for an 18 yearold but he is not 13 and he should clarify that before people like me say something.

Left by Kyle on June 14th, 2003

Freddy Adu, the name is known world wide and i personally think that hes such an idol to me i play soccer, and people tell me that im really good not to brag but now knowing that me a 14 year old girl could get a deal with nike for 1 million bucks, really makes me feel like i need to try harder than ever and stay in playing soccer…

Left by Cassee on June 22nd, 2003

the writer of the original article is a complete butt-head

Left by Nedward on June 28th, 2003

I don’t want to call the writer of the piece a butthead, as Nedward has done, but I wouldn’t trust John to do my grocery shopping, that’s for sure.

Most important point, about anyone being a “saviour” of American soccer. No country has as many kids playing organized soccer as the U.S. Not even close. The university and college system is a de facto minor leagues for European soccer clubs, and each year the talent gets better and more players end up abroad. American soccer is just fine, even if the MLS folds. Freddy Adu is not needed to save anything. In fact, too bad he doesn’t play baseball, because that clownish sport needs help, bad.

If you read the SI or CNN articles about Adu, you’ll see he’s being protected beyond belief by his family, friends, coaches, and soccer officials. In the case of the latter, this is because careers (advancement opportunities) for other people are riding on his shoulders. You think 1 mil is big now, wait until this kid is 17. But we won’t have to wait until then becasue the cat will be out of the bag in August in Finland. If the U.S. wins, which it is almost favored to do, and Adu is the spark, look out. The pressure on him to sign in Europe will be enormous. But he can’t play over there for legal reasons, which might be bent but wuld still delay him until at least 16. If he dominates in Finland in August, and then gets onto the Olympic team, the MLS will have pressure put on it to allow him to play so TV can build its audience. So look for him to sign with a European team, for tons of dough, in the next year, and then be allowed to play in the U.S. with the MLS for at least one season, probably 2005. The following summer is the World Cup, and if Adu is the phenom there and the U.S. team wins a few games, the road is gold . . . That’s the marketing plan, even if none of the soccer officials have the guts to say so.

About Lebron: He’ll be terrific, wonderfully precocious, but he’ll be a loser for many years. When will he be in the playoffs? May of 2004? How much you want to bet? May of 2005? I’ll give you three dollars to every one of yours. And if he does make the playoffs with the Cavaliers in ‘05 or ‘06, so what? For how long? Five games? The second round? Give me a break. I’m a Timberwolves fan, and I’ve been frustrated for years by an inept team and stupid officials, and KG is twice the man Lebron will ever be. KG is a warrior, and he gets cut down like a straw man, so don’t expect too much from the hype out of Cleveland.

So from all this you can conclude a startling scenario: Freddy Adu will be a bigger star on a bigger stage — while winning — than Lebron James within three or four years. If you’re the junior exec at Nike who just convinced his boss to shell out a paltry mil after 90 million was thrown down the rathole, wouldn’t you feel pretty cool?

But most important of all: Nike is a sweatshop that depends on slavery and stupidity to make its cash. Don’t give them any of yours! Hopefully Lebron will help them into bankruptcy, where swill like Nike belong.

Left by ingo tusk on July 10th, 2003

It’s called a PITCH. Why do americans have to be different to the rest of the world. It is a PITCH and the sport is called FOOTBALL not Soccer. Any American that claims that soccer is not a “real” sport is bloody crazy Let me ask one question. Have you ever seen a fat soccer player, the answer NO. This is based on the fact that soccer is a game for pure athletes I see fat football players all the time the best player in baseball ,Barry Bonds is 40 and not to mention the size of Shaq, imagine any of these players trying to survive playing soccer, most soccer players retire at 30-32 because soccer places a high athletic demand on a person. the reson why these player continue to thrive is the fact that American football and baseball require NO athletic ability. it’s easy to grab an obese man like Warren Sapp and pay him millions to sit his fat ass on quarterbacks, so why people would say soccer is not a “real” sport completely amazes me. Can you people not see that your country is the only one that plays American football and baseball. Obviousely none of you lot have left your country. I advise that you do. You will find out no one else in the world plays Americsan football and onle Koreans play baseball. You can call Freddy Adu the savior for soccer but the sad but true fact is that American soccer cannot be saved, I watched the MLS and I can honestly say it is the most lathargic and boring thing I’ve ever had the displeasure of viewing. I agree that Freddy deserved alot more money from Nike. But if i were him i would move abroad and play REAL soccer in a decent league, not the MLS.

Left by James on July 14th, 2003

Nike should be payine Yaw Ming 95 million. Stats show that Lebron James will be watched by as many as three million people a week whilst Yaw Ming is being watched by 300 million people in China.

Left by James on July 14th, 2003

all i want to say is freddy is freddy…..and freddy will be freddy…and oh yeah we have the same birthday!!!! du du is the man, or kid, or yeah,whatever!!!!!!! i have total confidence in the lad.

Left by JOSHUA on July 28th, 2003

pitch, field, whats the difference? just get your asses out there my son.

Left by JOSHUA on July 28th, 2003

I had the chance to watch Freddy play here in Northern Virginia 2.5 years ago when I was coaching my high school soccer team. I don’t know about the Nike deal but he is an unbelievable player. We have a pretty good squad and went to the Independent High School State Tournament the year we played his school team. We double teamed Freddy and he still managed to score three goals in under 20 minutes. The players I had covering him were both very good (Travel players who are cross country runners). He ran circles around them when he was 12. He kind of dances around the ball and has unbelieveable speed.
It kind of cool to see him play before his national notoriety.

Just my 2 cents.

Sincerely
Hugh
Assistant Soccer Seton High School
Manassas, VA

Left by Hugh Brien on July 31st, 2003

Leave Freddy alone, he’s just a kid playing a game that he loves. You all must have really boring lives to write such long comments, wasting your time.
Why don’t you all get out there and play futbol and get off the couch you lazy, fat Americans?!

The U.S. has only been playing futbol for 15-20 years when the rest of the WORLD has been playing for at least 100 years. The U.S. has a long way to go to try and really compete on an international level. You all know nothing about futbol, or as you call it, soccer. Malakas!

Stephen Gioni
Former Greek National Team Member
Sweeper for Greek 1st division leader Fostitha

Left by Stephen Jones on August 1st, 2003

i am english so i actually know something about football or soccer if you will. infact i know a lot about football a lot more than most people. and let me just say you can talk all you want about adu - and i have done my research on him - but until he has played as a fully flegded pro footballer theres no way of telling whether he has what it takes.

Left by i know football on August 2nd, 2003

while i think of it - to whoever said about there are no fat football players - have you never seen gazza? h’s 1 of the most talented players of the last 15 years and for most of career he was no slim jim.

Left by i know football on August 2nd, 2003

I live in madrid, around 500 yards from real madrid’s stadium………anyways, i saw a short bio of this boy on a programme about soccer in america on real madrid tv……….they said he was GOOD, REALLY GOOD……..but we’ll wait and see………
By the way most ppl here in spain call it, “football field” not “pitch”!!!!

Left by ZiZoU on August 5th, 2003

Pure athletes my ass…name a soccer futbol player who can bench 500lbs and run a 4.4- 40…many NFL running backs can do it. Americans are by far and away the best athletes in the world and its proven year in and year out in major international sporting events. Americans now want to win a world cup and with or with out freddy it will get done by 2010.-You can like you can lump it you can play it in your trumpet

Left by Chris on August 15th, 2003

Obviously, nobody has anything interesting to say about Freddy Adu anymore, so I think it’s time to close the comments before flaming trolls consume us all.

Left by John on August 15th, 2003