US Soccer and Volkswagen

So SUM marketing sold out to a Germany company so they could put there logo on USA national team and usdda jeseys.

"As part of the historic partnership, Volkswagen will have branding on training tops for all U.S. Soccer National Teams, including the Men’s and Women’s National Teams, all Youth National Teams and the Para 7-a-side, Beach and Futsal National Teams, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy"

If you want to know what's wrong with soccer in the USA: Soccer United Marketing (SUM) and welcome to the sell out team.
 
You think they are the only Nat’l team do do so?

Yeah I heard Montengro was mulling offers from "American Standard" and other foreign plumbing companies...

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So SUM marketing sold out to a Germany company so they could put there logo on USA national team and usdda jeseys.

"As part of the historic partnership, Volkswagen will have branding on training tops for all U.S. Soccer National Teams, including the Men’s and Women’s National Teams, all Youth National Teams and the Para 7-a-side, Beach and Futsal National Teams, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy"

If you want to know what's wrong with soccer in the USA: Soccer United Marketing (SUM) and welcome to the sell out team.
If the end result is more $ for training, education, facilities, equipment etc then it's a win for US Soccer. Now if they use the money to give the higher ups a raise well that wpuld be unfortunate. I for one would buy a US Soccer jersey now because of the VW logo on it but that's because I have 66' VW...
 
If the end result is more $ for training, education, facilities, equipment etc then it's a win for US Soccer. Now if they use the money to give the higher ups a raise well that wpuld be unfortunate. I for one would buy a US Soccer jersey now because of the VW logo on it but that's because I have 66' VW...

My first car was a 10-year-old '60 bug. Sold it for parts after I bought a new '71 SuperBug. Sold that for parts 11 years later. Later on, I bought a new '85 Jetta, which I then used as an excuse for a date with the receptionist in our building ("I need a ride to go pick up my new car."). A couple of years later she married me, and after the birth of our third child, I sold the Jetta in '93 to a couple of Iranian guys who paid cash in $100 bills.
 
My first car was a 10-year-old '60 bug. Sold it for parts after I bought a new '71 SuperBug. Sold that for parts 11 years later. Later on, I bought a new '85 Jetta, which I then used as an excuse for a date with the receptionist in our building ("I need a ride to go pick up my new car."). A couple of years later she married me, and after the birth of our third child, I sold the Jetta in '93 to a couple of Iranian guys who paid cash in $100 bills.

Regular pulp fiction going on..

In other news VW is sumbitting throw back jesery designs for the new 3rd.

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History of German & US companies sponsoring other national teams... Granted this is the jersey that someone needs to make - so similar but different.

2018 WORLD CUP JERSEY SPONSORS


adidas (12) – Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, Spain, Sweden
Nike (10) – Australia, Brazil, Croatia, England, France, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
Puma (3) – Senegal, Switzerland, Uruguay
New Balance (2) – Costa Rica, Panama
Umbro (2) – Peru, Serbia
Errea (1) – Iceland
Hummel (1) – Denmark
Uhlsport (1) – Tunisia
 
Volkswagen? The official car of the 1000-year Reich? A company that used enslaved Jews in WWII?

I know that today's Volkswagen is not the same as in the '30s and '40s. But some things you shouldn't forget. Volkswagen was a major supporter the Reich. Around 60 million people died in WWII, about a half-a-million of whom were Americans.

And now we are putting its name on AMERICA'S jersey. Nothing about this looks right to me.

You don't have to look that far back to find their emissions-testing scandal.
 
I am glad my daughter is moving on to college this year. Otherwise it would be three more new jerseys to buy so that the VW logo can be displayed.
 
I find the logo ugly and out of proportion to the jersey. The fact that its a multinational company HQ'd in Germany is simply the fact of life these days. VW announced today that they are investing $800m in their Tennessee VW auto plant to build electric vehicles for US.

The question you have to ask yourselves is would you feel any different if it was an American company's (say GM for Ford or for that matter Tesla) logo? I mean the Chevy logo on ManU jersey is fugly at best. If the answer is the same, then just be glad that someone is willing to sponsor our program. If its different, then what are you prepared to do about it?

Its easy to get wrapped up on the national team and pride thing - I get it. Just remember this though. Every time any of us buy VW/Audi, or Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, or MB, BMW, they may be made in US but the PROFIT from them are all going back to their mother country - Germany or Japan. So are you more upset when they sponsor our national teams or when your own money goes to them....
 
I agree. But I think their WWII activities are more important. Volkswagen supplied munitions to the German Army. Those munitions killed Americans (and many others). There are many Americans today who lost fathers and brothers to those very munitions. To say the optics are wrong on this is to be understated.
I can picture image of Nazi solders riding in what became VW bug years later. I'm sure you've seen similar images. The problem with singling out VW is that at that time, nearly 100% of industry in Germany was under the Reich.

MB parent company made Messerschmidt fighter aircraft, and BMW made aircraft engines for them. Similar argument can be made to just about every Axis side industries - Japan, Italy. Japanese consortium industries that built Zero fighters that killed thousands at Pearl Harbor, now trace its heritage to Mitsubishi, Fuji/Subaru, Heavy Industries. Toyota providing vehicles, like VW, and Honda with their motorcycles? The heavy industries are now a vital part of Boeing aircraft (e.g., 787) so there's that too.

Fully appreciate your point and none of us should ever forget what had happened, not just in WWII but many times since (e.g., Bosnia) across the world.
 
I agree. But I think their WWII activities are more important. Volkswagen supplied munitions to the German Army. Those munitions killed Americans (and many others). There are many Americans today who lost fathers and brothers to those very munitions. To say the optics are wrong on this is to be understated.

No one who participated in the Nazi VW era is still working at VW (and likely not still living). On the other hand, the emissions test cheats are still there.
 
I can picture image of Nazi solders riding in what became VW bug years later. I'm sure you've seen similar images. The problem with singling out VW is that at that time, nearly 100% of industry in Germany was under the Reich.

MB parent company made Messerschmidt fighter aircraft, and BMW made aircraft engines for them. Similar argument can be made to just about every Axis side industries - Japan, Italy. Japanese consortium industries that built Zero fighters that killed thousands at Pearl Harbor, now trace its heritage to Mitsubishi, Fuji/Subaru, Heavy Industries. Toyota providing vehicles, like VW, and Honda with their motorcycles? The heavy industries are now a vital part of Boeing aircraft (e.g., 787) so there's that too.

Fully appreciate your point and none of us should ever forget what had happened, not just in WWII but many times since (e.g., Bosnia) across the world.

As recently as the 80's, Toshiba in Japan ignored a ban on selling advanced machine tools to the Soviet Union that allowed them to produce very quiet submarine propellers. For a time, the US Navy looked negatively at any product from US suppliers that included any Toshiba components. Personally, I stayed away from Toshiba parts for the remainder of my career.
 
I agree. But I think their WWII activities are more important. Volkswagen supplied munitions to the German Army. Those munitions killed Americans (and many others). There are many Americans today who lost fathers and brothers to those very munitions. To say the optics are wrong on this is to be understated.

Well, it was Austrian Ferdinand Porsche who helped start Volkswagen, so we need to add Porsche to the list. But, since we are focused on VW, let's also not forget that after WWII, VW became a focal point in the rebuilding efforts by the allies, so we should also probably shun those damn allies, including the Americans who helped rebuild VW.

I have a serious problem punishing the "sons" for the sins of their "fathers." When we do, we have to decide how far back we go. WWII was 70+ years ago. But if we are going to hold the 2018 VW USA responsible for the acts of 1938 VW Germany under Nazi control, we also should hold Mitsubishi (who made the Zero). Ohh crap ... Mercedez Benz was also complicit by selling stuff to the Nazis.

But is 70 years enough, should we go back further? How about WWI, or the Civil War or the Revolutionary War or the Mexican-American War.

I say, we go back 4 years and no more. Let's hold a grudge for about 4 years, then after that we get on with our lives.
 
I think I saw those propellers in The Hunt for Red October. Thank goodness for Jack Ryan.

That was fiction (although many parts of HfRO "exposed" some facts that those in the Navy had assumed all along were secret, and Clancy had to prove to US Naval Institute (his publisher - their first bestseller) were public knowledge). The Toshiba deal is fact.
 
Lots of comments that I expected.
I'm no fan of a German company sponsoring our US National Team.

Here is an excerpt from the press release:
“We are extremely excited to work together with Volkswagen to help us continue to grow soccer in the United States,” said Flynn. “Volkswagen will be one of the most active and visible partners U.S. Soccer has ever had, providing us with additional resources for more programs that can impact and help develop the sport, while also allowing us to reach more fans of the game across the country. We look forward to the next four years together as we drive towards our mission of becoming the preeminent sport in the United States.”

As part of the historic partnership, Volkswagen will have branding on training tops for all U.S. Soccer National Teams, including the Men’s and Women’s National Teams, all Youth National Teams and the Para 7-a-side, Beach and Futsal National Teams, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. "

I highlighted the areas that I am curious about.
1. How much did VW pay? Who else was submitted competing bids? Does anyone at the exec level of US Soccer and/or SUM have any position at VW?
2. How will that money be allocated?
3. What "additional resources for more programs"? What resources? What programs?
4. You are gonna have the DA Youth teams wearing a logo? I certainly hope that one of the "resources for programs" is that all DA players are able to play for free.

How long has Volkswagen cared about soccer in the US? They had some "cute" commercials during the World Cup. But only the first 10,000 times that I saw them. Then they became annoying by the 2nd week.

I get that we are now a global economy and that VW may provide a lot of jobs for Americans. I just would have really liked to have seen an "American" brand name on the jersey of our National Team.
Auto: Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler (or any of their sub brands - GMC, Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick, etc).
Retail: Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart
Technology: Google, Cisco, ATT, Microsoft, etc
Banking: Bank of America, Wells Fargo (I guess they are Mexico fans - boooo!!!)
Airlines: United, American, Southwest
OR what about a just a big giant NIKE symbol?

All of these make way more sense (to me) than Volkswagen.
 
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Lots of comments that I expected.
I'm no fan of a German company sponsoring our US National Team.

Here is an excerpt from the press release:
“We are extremely excited to work together with Volkswagen to help us continue to grow soccer in the United States,” said Flynn. “Volkswagen will be one of the most active and visible partners U.S. Soccer has ever had, providing us with additional resources for more programs that can impact and help develop the sport, while also allowing us to reach more fans of the game across the country. We look forward to the next four years together as we drive towards our mission of becoming the preeminent sport in the United States.”

As part of the historic partnership, Volkswagen will have branding on training tops for all U.S. Soccer National Teams, including the Men’s and Women’s National Teams, all Youth National Teams and the Para 7-a-side, Beach and Futsal National Teams, and the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. "

I highlighted the areas that I am curious about.
1. How much did VW pay? Who else was submitted competing bids? Does anyone at the exec level of US Soccer and/or SUM have any position at VM?
2. How will that money be allocated?
3. What "additional resources for more programs"? What resources? What programs?
4. You are gonna have the DA Youth teams wearing a logo? I certainly hope that one of the "resources for programs" is that all DA players are able to play for free.

How long has Volgswagen cared about soccer in the US? They had some "cute" commercials during the World Cup. But only the first 10,000 times that I saw them. Then they became annoying by the 2nd week.

I get that we are now a global economy and that VW may provide a lot of jobs for Americans. I just would have really liked to have seen an "American" brand name on the jersey of our National Team.
Auto: Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler (or any of their sub brands - GMC, Cadillac, Lincoln, Buick, etc).
Retail: Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart
Technology: Google, Cisco, ATT, Microsoft, etc
Banking: Bank of America, Wells Fargo (I guess they are Mexico fans - boooo!!!)
Airlines: United, American, Southwest
OR what about a just a big giant NIKE symbol?

All of these make way more sense (to me) than Volkswagen.

Chrysler is now a subsidiary of a Dutch company.
 
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