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U.S. Soccer Foundation Sues U.S. Soccer Federation Over Naming, Logo Dispute
https://amp.si.com/soccer/2018/12/06/us-soccer-foundation-federation-lawsuit-ussf
"The U.S. Soccer Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has invested $125 million over the last 25 years to provide access to soccer, largely in minority and low-income communities, sued the U.S. Soccer Federation on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
We were surprised and shocked,” Foster-Simeon said of U.S. Soccer’s actions. “We have spent $125 million over 25 years building up the equity around the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the work that we’re doing. This is a threat to our organization and our ability to continue the work we’re doing. But more importantly, this threatens our ability to reach kids in low-income communities that we have taken the forefront in in trying to create access and opportunities and quality programming for those kids.
“Not just the elite athletes. Not just those kids who come from households that can afford the pay-to-play model. We’re talking 90% of the kids that we’re reaching are on free and reduced school lunch, which is a key indicator of poverty. This effort to strip us of the name ‘U.S. Soccer Foundation’ and all the work that we’ve built into becoming a leader in this space and in effect telling us to start over, it’s just unreasonable.”
The U.S. Soccer Foundation was formed with $50 million of the profits from the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted in the United States and is still the highest-attended World Cup of all time. While U.S. Soccer’s mission is to serve its member groups and produce the best national teams possible, the mission of the U.S. Soccer Foundation has been to provide access to soccer around the country to kids, not just potentially elite players. The foundation has supported programs and built fields in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and distributed more than one million pieces of soccer gear and equipment to children in need. (Full disclosure: I have participated in foundation fundraising events over the years.)
Foster-Simeon said the foundation asked U.S. Soccer verbally whether it intended to use the name U.S. Soccer Foundation for itself, but U.S. Soccer did not respond. But the foundation was direct in its complaint, saying: “The USSF has threatened to hijack the Foundation’s trademarks for its own use—likely an effort to capitalize on lucrative business opportunities when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026.”
Shame it's all about the $$$ for the us soccer federation...
https://amp.si.com/soccer/2018/12/06/us-soccer-foundation-federation-lawsuit-ussf
"The U.S. Soccer Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has invested $125 million over the last 25 years to provide access to soccer, largely in minority and low-income communities, sued the U.S. Soccer Federation on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
We were surprised and shocked,” Foster-Simeon said of U.S. Soccer’s actions. “We have spent $125 million over 25 years building up the equity around the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the work that we’re doing. This is a threat to our organization and our ability to continue the work we’re doing. But more importantly, this threatens our ability to reach kids in low-income communities that we have taken the forefront in in trying to create access and opportunities and quality programming for those kids.
“Not just the elite athletes. Not just those kids who come from households that can afford the pay-to-play model. We’re talking 90% of the kids that we’re reaching are on free and reduced school lunch, which is a key indicator of poverty. This effort to strip us of the name ‘U.S. Soccer Foundation’ and all the work that we’ve built into becoming a leader in this space and in effect telling us to start over, it’s just unreasonable.”
The U.S. Soccer Foundation was formed with $50 million of the profits from the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted in the United States and is still the highest-attended World Cup of all time. While U.S. Soccer’s mission is to serve its member groups and produce the best national teams possible, the mission of the U.S. Soccer Foundation has been to provide access to soccer around the country to kids, not just potentially elite players. The foundation has supported programs and built fields in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and distributed more than one million pieces of soccer gear and equipment to children in need. (Full disclosure: I have participated in foundation fundraising events over the years.)
Foster-Simeon said the foundation asked U.S. Soccer verbally whether it intended to use the name U.S. Soccer Foundation for itself, but U.S. Soccer did not respond. But the foundation was direct in its complaint, saying: “The USSF has threatened to hijack the Foundation’s trademarks for its own use—likely an effort to capitalize on lucrative business opportunities when the United States hosts the World Cup in 2026.”
Shame it's all about the $$$ for the us soccer federation...