I’ve used that term a lot on twitter, and was asked to define it.
This was my response:
Impossible in 140 chars. But here goes: The "incumbents" are those holding the power, their supporters, and their target demographic.
— 3four3 (@3four3) July 27, 2013
Here I’ll go further …
Traditionally the term is used for the holder of an office or post, but we must expand that to include the entire community that knowingly or unknowingly helps to sustain those in their posts, and consequently the status quo.
So I partition the incumbents in 2 classes:
- The High-level Incumbent
- The Incumbent Community
General profile of the High-level Incumbent
Non-exhaustive, and in no particular order:
- Federation executives
- Pro-league & team executives
- College executives
- Club directors
- Top level coaches from Youth to Pro to National Teams
- High profile media creators
General profile of the Incumbent Community
Non-exhaustive, and understanding there is plenty of overlap:
- Activist parents with disposable income
- The 1st generation soccer fan
- The novice
- The scared
- The high-level incumbents, of course.
Activist parents with disposable income
This is the prototypical ‘white’ or ‘white-washed’ suburban person who achieved their middle to upper-middle class position by following the long held ‘promise’ of industrial America.
Specifically, follow the rules, and you’ll be ok – you’ll achieve disposable income.
So go to school and follow the rules set out by every authority figure you are presented with. So long as you don’t color outside the lines (at least not too much), you will be ‘successful‘.
Then when you get a job, again … follow the rules laid out by every authority figure you are presented with – your boss(es). And so long as you don’t color outside the lines, you will be ‘successful‘.
In other words, rule followers. Or just simply, followers.
And their disposable income gives their kids an advantage within the establishment. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, their culture of obedience is welcomed by the establishment.
(Not to mention the vast majority of club boards are comprised of this class. Talk about a massive conflict of interest.)
1st Generation Soccer Fan
Put simply, this group is intrinsically more novice than those who grew up immersed in the game through experienced family and friends.
Of course in principle they can learn and catch up. But the problem is:
It’s natural for this group to gravitate to others who share the same profile – they have more in common. So they mostly live in this echo-chamber of ideas generated by the less experienced. Probably not the best thing …
Along those same lines, they naturally get most of their info and ideas from the high-level incumbents.
As such, they are brought into the fold. So no matter how experienced (# of years) they eventually become, they have been raised on the messages fed by the incumbents.
The Novice
Pretty self explanatory (I hope?).
And again, since the high-profile incumbents have the loudest megaphones, the novice receives his ‘education’ from them.
The Scared
Being a leader is scary, very scary.
That’s why most don’t become one.
And if you’re not leading, you’re following. And if you’re following, you’re supporting.
The high-level incumbent
Naturally.
They support the other incumbents. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. Together we stand, divided we fall.
The cohort of high-level incumbents speaks with one voice. One message.
There is no multi-party system, no real elections because there are no real challengers.
How could there be? For if you oppose the ruling cohort, you will be blackballed.
So even if you hold a high-level post and happen to know better, you tread carefully, you comply, you follow, you support.
Why write a post like this?
Well, beyond the necessity of defining the terms we use, if we are genuinely interested in achieving soccer greatness, we must understand the status-quo.
A huge part of which is identifying and understanding the creators and supporters of the status quo.
This gets us started.
JKG: The Conventional Wisdom
Awesome beginning to a desperately needed conversation. Also, I’m the dolt who (a bit cheekily at the time, though I am pretty sure I knew the answer) asked on Twitter who the incumbents were. My 2 seconds of fame! :o)
Thank you for the inspiration!
Well, I’m 3 of those categories.
1. Activist parents with disposable income (yup)
2. The 1st generation soccer fan (It didn’t start with MLS thankfully)
3. The novice (result of #2)
Don’t need to defend myself. I can’t change what’s true. I can only try to understand how it affects the decisions I make and concepts I accept. It also makes me look for more avenues of discourse and analysis. Without some of the things I’ve learned here, I’d be a hopeless novice.My thinking about the game has flipped almost 360 degrees in the past 2 years.
Awesome Steve!
There’s nothing wrong with fitting these descriptions.
We just have to be real and acknowledge what the state of things are.
With that in hand, we have a better chance of improving ourselves.
I love that you’re here, and thank you for an intelligent response!
There’s a reason for the slogan I placed on the top right of the site:
“Join smart soccer people who get fresh content from 3four3!”
I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish, but it reeks of racism. And I think you mean “stereotypical”, not “prototypical”. If you posted about “prototypical”[sic] African-Americans you’d probably be drawn and quartered and discarded into internet oblivion. Unsubscribing now…
Really? You’re screaming racism? That hit too close to home I suspect.
Hi Rich,
Please calm down & explain your point of view e.g., specific point(s) of disagreement with Gary. You came here (probably) for the same reasons as everyone else. It would be a shame if you left purely for emotional reasons that were invalid.
Best Regards,
Larry
The term white may be referring to white collar vs blue collar. Although, if this has to do with the race with most financial influence, which is not anything we chose, it was already set up. No need to get upset about it but change bias / perspectives by proving it wrong.
Great post as usual, Gary. No one upsets the apple cart quiet like you. Your points are valid and real and they will indeed “hit too close to home” for many. Racism, ha! That’s rich;)
Thank you William!
There’s lots of work to do.
So how are things going at Chivas?
Encoutering some incumbents? 🙂
The incumbents are everywhere.
At Chivas do you encounter the usual Mexican football stereotypes from the Incumbents?
Creative- yes “Its in the blood” but not productive.
“Senseless dribbling”..never confuse activity with achievement
” Won’t defend”
” You get them down they will quit”
” unorganized”
Its interesting that I hear these “stereotypes” from the suburban incumbents but I’ll hear the same thing just as quickly from Bosnian immigrant, Italian, Brazilian or even a Guatemalean who will make sure that i know his ethnicity.
Why is this?
You read the “style of play” article, right?
How the game is played is linked to culture.
Explains a lot. Culture and tradition are at basic level “the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another.” USA has no real soccer tradition (heck, it’s only been 10-15 or so years the sport has started to really catch on and the rise of MLS and regular television programming . . . one f’ing generation!) and the national culture is still rooted in big, strong Marlborough man image best exemplified in Futbol Americano . . . the #1 sport here. Oh wait, the Marlborough man is not politically correct. Now it’s metrosexuals with bright green pants, a pound of hair goop, and kids who don’t play tag in school or can’t take wood shop because it’s dangerous. Heck, they can’t even cook in Home Economics because everyone is scared of lawsuits. Yeah, we traded macho for sissy scared of the lawyers. Now I’m on a tangent!
We need more immigration and a few more generations to change the culture and establish tradition as it applies to soccer. The big 3 sports dominate popular culture and soccer, by extension, resembles it. Suburban middle class will not change soccer for the better. It will come from immigrant population who have that culture and tradition pre-existing. Hopefully that inherent passion bleeds over.
If soccer were 90-minutes of set plays controlled by the coach, we would be #1 in FIFA rankings. But soccer is non-stop, creative, flamboyant, a players game, difficult to analyze statistically, and braun and height aren’t #1 and #2 characteristics of an elite player. Popular culture sports’ fans don’t get it. They have TV timeouts, warriors in pads, statistics, coach-centric / dominated games, and set plays in their DNA.
They need time to go to the fridge… lay off a bit! 🙂
LOL that describes my half Latina daughter on some days. ( :
I am probably the worst person ever as I am all these catagories except the high level incumbent. On top of that I also coach. The difference in my mind is I am trying to educate myself and leave those catagories. I come from no soccer experience growing up to having two daughters who keep me soccer focused 7 days a week. There are many things I have learned from the discussions on this site.
I was once the boot the ball uneducated parent. Unfortunately that is were I started, but fortunately I am miles from that today. Unfortunately I am probably even farther from were I want to be. I know I am not capable of creating a professional level player, but neither are 95% of the coaches I see.
Please remember there are some of us who want to gain soccer knowledge. Unfortunatly I am finding the knowledge gathering is the hardest part for a 1st generation soccer fan. But as I am not satisfied with were I am at, my search continues.
Thanks for the resource and keep challenging me to grow as a soccer neophyte.
You’re not “the worst person ever” Dave!
Sounds like you are genuinely open and interested in exploring and learning, even from a resource that seems to go against convention.
And that’s badass!
Gary,
I’ve been following the blog for a few months now, and love the style of play your teams have and you always make great points on what’s wrong with Soccer in America and I totally agree. But where’s the education bro? Whats your plan on how to fix it? I’m a newb coach trying to do the best I can when our coach bailed on us, but all I see on your site is a bunch of bitching about how everyone else is stupid. You obviously have a great soccer mind, when are you gonna share anything more than “everyone else is stupid?”
What you do as a coach does not matter unless you have all the other stuff correct. That is the education we desperately need.
I think what Gary has been saying all along is that without the right perspective, without clearing away all that you think you know, you’ll have to many barriers to understanding how to develop a player and what’s important. If you’re coaching rec soccer, it doesn’t really matter what he teaches you, you won’t get results because the technique level and the commitment from players and parents probably isn’t there.
If you’re coaching at a higher level, you have to understand the process before you can even get on the field with the players. This blog isn’t just about showing coaches how it’s done, it’s about questioning everything you’ve already be taught.
Also, I think they’ve been working on a curriculum or manual of some sort for a while now. We’re all dying to have a look, but no wine before it’s time.
Racist? Don’t know about that one. Seems more about money, power, social status and politics. There are plenty of crap football clubs out there with a centralized power structure and players of every ethnicity learning bad football. Good footballing isn’t confined to certain races, and bad footballing is the flipside of the same coin.
Yep.
This has nothing to do with race.
This is about SPEC:
Social
Political
Economic
Cultural
Dear Gary,
I will always stand with you on this blog but .. For the record, I’m interested in your mental & emotional state when you wrote this blog. Seriously, please consider this request & answer after your yoga 😉
Regards,
Larry
I wouldn’t be too sure about “always standing with me” … there’s a lot I haven’t published yet.
But anyways, on the question of my mental and emotional state …
This post, like close to 100 others, was first drafted over a year ago and was revisited and revised over time.
I rarely write and publish an article in one sitting.
you have placed the nail in the right place. Very smart .Congratulations
The “American” ideals of individualism, self-sufficiency, meritocracy, democracy, and basically being anti-robot have not existed in this nation since the end of its first generation – mid 1800s.
Once industrial titans, coal magnates, high-minded social elites, and those with political aspirations aligned to create centrally controlled economic, social, and educational systems, the game was up. As Gary highlights, they offered a trade: become obedient robots willing to allow sifting, sorting, and manipulation of the population by enlightened guardians who offer material comforts and stability OR face a risky, self-determined, and yet hugely more satisfying existence as an anti-robot able to creatively express yourself, make your own decisions, and generally connect your self-worth to your own competencies and accomplishments.
History shows that this faux stability and security is an illusion that crumbles under its own weight. This hollowed out version of life proves to be oppressive and meaningless when compared to what humanity can do when truly free to work, risk, and accomplish according to its own purposes. If you think this is some conspiracy theory screed, take a closer look at the history of our own country along with the individuals and families behind pro sports, including MLS.
This is about a lot more than a game…The incumbents will fight to protect what they have carved out for themselves and their class.
Very well stated PH!
Hi Gary,
If you have the time, please list the attributes of someone who is NOT an Incumbents?
Regards,
Curious Larry
Yep.
We definitely need to do that.
I’m curious about the “conflict of interest” comment you’ve made a couple times specific to parents on a club board. Can you elaborate, and tell me if you think a board full of “high level Incumbents” is better?
Deserves one or more articles.
But briefly:
Will a parent come up with or support policies that would improve soccer, but will or may compromise their child?
A hard sell, definitely.
A bunch of coaches looking out for #1 is just as bad, methinks.
It takes a highly evolved and very patient human being to believe and truly know in their bones that there exists a solution to every problem that serves both the group and the individual equally.
Hi Gary,
> But briefly:
> Will a parent come up with or support policies that would improve soccer, but will or may compromise their child?
In youth situations where smaller, slower but more technical player is favored over the bigger, faster but less technical player, .., there must be more details provided to the players &/or parents. For example, is there a lower bound to the smaller, slower but more technical player where he/she should not be favored over the bigger, faster but less technical players?
I’m hoping that you can provide more guidance in this one area in a future blog.
Thanks.
Curious Larry
Will a parent come up with or support policies that would improve soccer, but will or may compromise their child?
They better, otherwise they are selling their child short. Then the parent would have to look at the reasons why they have their child at the club – to see how far their player can go in the sport or social recreation? Too many do not have an effin clue.
Gary, isn’t 3four3 a conflict of interests?
It’s hard to believe that you don’t suffer the consequences trying to challenge the incumbents. To me real coaches are like players. They need to avoid being fired from the team and must learn to survive after eliminations. Are you supernatural?
You have accurately described the state of football in New Zealand.
Are you sure you’ve never been to these fair shores?
This is a very interesting read…takes quite a different avenue around the block to still arrive at the same-place…a must-read!
Funny how these football conversations always seem to end up referencing the larger worlds of American economics and educational systems. The incumbency system of reliance upon the judgment and leadership of a self-appointed elite in US education was set in stone in the early days of the establishment of public schools. Read some of the thoughts of Andrew Carnegie, Rockefeller, and a few of the other robber barons who were actually, amazingly entrusted with this task. They saw mass education as no more than a course in teaching kids how to knuckle under and take orders for the purpose of serving the engine of assembly line and mass industrial production. Chilling.
The economic piece of this thing is much more fascinating, as the concepts formerly assumed to be universal and immutable are all crumbling (e.g.- fractional reserve banking, the primacy of fiat money over sound money, etc) and crumbling both in the economy at large and in the microcosm of football. The most powerful clubs- Barca, Real Madrid, ManU- are also the ones most overleveraged and most vulnerable to shifting economic events that are completely outside their control.
The beauty of football is that it remains the same, in that at every level, it is a reflection of both the best and worst traits of the communities and societies behind the teams. The cultures that are most stable are the ones that don’t flinch from the larger truths that their football reveals.
Reading this post, I didn’t interpret “Incumbents” as a four letter word or necessarily a bad thing.
Incumbency can be good or bad and we need it to varying degrees depending on the magnitude and criticality of the situation. At my work, we need qualified incumbents who understand the market. Use their knowledge to grow and remain competitive. But they also need the flexibility and open mindedness to see opportunity and improvement. Avoid stagnation and complacency. They need to use the old boy network because it opens doors, but not be bounded by it and limit opportunity. It’s a success oriented business and you need to look out for #1 (the goal, the objective, the mission, the investors).
Club soccer is no different. Fortunately or unfortunately, parents are the investors in club soccer in USA. Coaches and clubs are the trusted sources we invest money in to deliver an end product.
Incumbents have power and understand the game and are often the invested parties. It would be foolish to have complete novices run our clubs, soccer federations, and other higher level incumbent organizations. Ineffective incumbency and ill timed / planned systemic change are equally disruptive.
I don’t believe incumbency is a bad thing, but the more it overlaps with stagnation, inertia, politics, becoming barriers to entry (e.g., new ideas) – then it is a problem.
Last thing I’ll say is countries like Germany and Japan are very rigid, hierarchical. Robotic if you want to use that term. Very rigid school systems (especially Japan) and corporate environment. However, they are excellent footballing countries (especially Germany).
Each region of the footballing world has their playing styles, cultural peculiarities, and systemic youth football problems. Visit those countries, and ardent footballing fans gripe about things (more so in fanatical footballing countries) same as we do.
But in countries like Brazil and Argentina, the stakes are higher. So the banter fever pitched. The incumbents feel the heat. Not so much in USA. They get away with more here.
We all have our problems. The power brokers within USA footballing incumbency (not necessarily incumbency itself) are definitely a problem for us. I’m sure others will feel differently and that’s ok.
Great post Gary!
Great post! Been following for a while. Finally compelled to comment. I have been serving on a BOD of a high level, well respected youth club for a while now. Played competitively as a youth. Love the game and truly believe in the innumerable “off field” life lessons it gave me which I may not have received otherwise. Because of high level youth soccer I am a better, stronger adult.
Was placed on the board because of modern technical expertise. We have many children in our family and are in no way shape or form middle class.
What you are saying of incumbents is bordering on the best case scenario for their involvement in youth soccer. To me, they are THE biggest roadblock in the USA becoming a world contender in the game.
The “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” quip has a large place in capitalist business practices, but not-for-profit organizations serving 100s of children and families do not function optimally solely leaning on a capitalist business model. Of course, intelligent business management practices are necessary. But, capitalist markets do not demand financial transparency. Infiltrating an incumbent board to serve the local youth soccer community and USA soccer development at large through honesty and true soccer knowledge is proving to be a overwhelmingly daunting task!
Incumbent not necessarily bad. Agree. When it becomes a closed old boy network it’s bad. All hierarchical organizations experience some form of that. Especially when you get incumbent power through means other than a popular vote. DoC seems to be a job for life. Same for BoDs. I assume most soccer federations are like FIFA where people run unopposed and incumbents have voting blocks filled with other old boy network chums. Even coaches run in a tight circle. Especially the ones who have won or at prestigous club. They become sage and their systems copied. And in USA it’s size, size, and more size. And owners of clubs are wealthy privileged few with vested interest. Soccer is very prone to pitfalls of closed system incumbency.
“Infiltrating an incumbent board to serve the local youth soccer community and USA soccer development at large through honesty and true soccer knowledge is proving to be a overwhelmingly daunting task!”
Well said. Like you, I am new here.
I see lots of coaches trying to what’s right (possession based attacking soccer), but so many around them at same club go for size and route 1. Frustrating, very frustrating. I’m at a well known club in SD that rymes with Turf. They are trying, but size still a factor at Academy level. Big boys get called up 1 and even 2 years ahead becasue they are 6’+ at U14, U13, U12.
I thought that only happened in the Midwest. Its part of the culture. People talk about how great Kobe or LeBron would be at soccer, I would say it depends on their coaching and themselves. They could be horrible. But as long as we glorify the Deon Sanders and Bo Jacksons, we’ll continue to overvalue athletecisim over skills and smarts.
This happens not just w/ soccer, but with football and basketball (and baseball and hockey). Players may get pushed into playing at higher age groups simply because of their size or strength or speed, or vertical ability, etc. Those of us who follow the NFL know that many of those players who never really became proper football players find themselves either on the fringes of the NFL or out of the NFL in only a few years time, particularly when teams find out that speed and physical stuff (and not technique and the mental/training side of the game), doesn’t always equate into a proper NFL player, and proper person when their career ends.
Draft busts always are those players that were pushed along or succeeded at lower levels because of their physical attributes alone, but whose other dilemmas were sort of pushed aside (and those players also were really slick in their interviews).
The worst part about MLS is that their Anatomy of a Goal segment, they don’t the longer-standing battles that lead up to the goal (whether it’s a NE goal from their higher press being more successful, or the right pressure somewhere on the pitch to get the ball, Philadelphia Union sagging their backline, keeping a couple Revs forwards onside, or not knowing when to close (or reacting quickly enough) to close down the space offered NE’s attackers. (And also the kinds of little things the Revs players did to create space for themselves to open up the Union defensive shape. Okugo’s own goal in that match was unlucky, because he recovered in time. It was the communication before that lead to the Okugo own goal.)
And on the other side, how people missed how good Andrew Farrell was as a CB, and why Shane O’Neill and Chris Klute weren’t being talked about until too late in the season. Same with Yedlin (if it weren’t for a CCL outing), and Gale Agbossumonde. (H/T: to Colin Reese at worldsoccersource.com for helping me find many of those players).
It confirms that MLS and some people in the US soccer media establishment can’t handle the audience that actually knows soccer, or the former casual fans who’ve become die-hards.
Was looking at 2013 MLS salaries. They looked disappointingly low. 15-20 years of sacrifice to make $35K – $102K on average for non DPs. $35K seems to be the base and numerous players getting that. Found good analysis of salaries at http://www.sounderatheart.com/2013/5/6/4306550/mls-player-salaries-analysis-charts-and-tables.
With such low salaries, college and going into workforce (especially technical degree) is better choice for most. Most college grads in technical areas get $40K+. $100K very typical by early 30s for most engineers, IT, and certain medical fields.
Goalkeepers paid lowest. Strange, because they are arguably most important position (build team from the back). But MLS likes to pay big for has been forwards to draw ticket sales.
Not surprisingly, standings and team salary are highly correlated. And don’t play for Chivas! Bocanegra is tops with $228K salary. Laughable in terms of professional athlete!
With such low salaries, no wonder MLS is 3rd tier with has been players from Europe cashing in big before they ride off into the sunset. Taking it down to youth soccer, any surprise we are far behind Europe and South America? If the money at pro is a joke, why would we think youth soccer (coaches, training, etc.) be of highest caliber? Suppliers of youth talent to top clubs have to be tops themselves. There is a strong correlation. The free market does work. It’s cutthroat, but it works in pro sports. MLS is socialist paying crappy wages. And USA youth soccer is crap by extension.
This site talks a lot about coaching, but maybe a big part of the problem is lack of money and involvement of professional soccer’s influence / impact on youth soccer. Money = influence. Is college making a positive improvement? No! USSDA? A tiny bit. High School. NO, NO, and NO! leagues such as SCDSL? No! MLS? They help grow the game, but improving quality? No! So where will improvement come from?
Please help me fill in blanks. The incuments will improve quality through . . . .
Right. T3COEP, a competitive free market does work. Productive thoughts and analysis. So if MLS has little meaningful influence on youth clubs and vice versa, what are our options…What about youth clubs gaining influence with/thru USL PRO clubs? Have you seen this: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/08/02/mls-wants-all-its-clubs-either-fielding-reserve-teams-usl-pro-or-affiliating
Seems mutually beneficial.
If only the club DoCs, coaches, and the various federations understood how misguided youth soccer is in large sectors across this country. They collectively, through ineptitude and stubbornness, have little regard for the future of players they supposedly want to develop. They operate absent of any modern gold standard or philosophy. They are lost in their own fairy tale that is truly a nightmare. It manifests itself in the huge proportion of jungle ball we see week in, week out . . . at every age level. They are outmoded and ignorant to it. This group of biased, misguided . . . but supposedly well-intentioned gatekeepers is harmful indeed.
These same self-professed “brilliant” soccer minds are starting to understand possession soccer, but teaching a bull to play like a fox is feeble minded. They smugly go from decision to decision unconsciously beholden to ways of old and self-interest. Can an old dog change his ways? Their inconsistent edicts are problematic. Tteach possession . . . the flavor of the week marketing slogan . . . but id players who can only play jungle ball. They are devoid of any semblance of accountability. We choose with our pocketbooks, but the festering incompetence is still there waiting to capture it’s next prey. This group of myopic power brokers need to be shown the door! But who can really do that? After years of systematic incompetence in these matters from Club President to Assistant Coach, they somehow retain power. Incumbency is a wonderful thing.
Q: “This group of myopic power brokers need to be shown the door! But who can really do that?”
A: Caleb Porter can…
http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/16/football-focus-portland-timbers-tactically-transform-under-caleb-porter-in-2013/