Ben Dority

Coming out of Twitter Retirement with a rebrand #BenTalkingBall #PodcastSoon

In Germany, a talented 14-year-old earns his club money. In America, his parents pay the club $15,000 a year. That single inversion explains why "we will not" is the most accurate line ever written about US soccer. FIFA built a global system for this. Training compensation and solidarity payments send a cut of every transfer fee back to the clubs that developed the player, from age 12 onward. Develop one future pro and your academy gets paid for a decade. Barcelona's La Masia, Ajax, every Bundesliga academy runs on this logic. The kid is the asset. US Soccer refuses to enforce those rules. When Seattle's Crossfire Premier claimed its $60,000 share of DeAndre Yedlin's transfer to Tottenham, it got nothing. Claims on the Dempsey and Bradley transfers died partly because the federation couldn't even produce the youth training records. So American clubs earn zero dollars when a kid turns pro. They earn when a kid enrolls. Which makes the parent the customer, and the product is whatever keeps the parent writing checks: travel tournaments, hotel weekends, $500 showcase events, private training at $100 an hour. Elite pathways run $8,000 to $20,000 a year. A comparable academy spot in Italy costs about 120 euros. Follow the incentive one level deeper and it gets darker. A club dependent on fees can't cut its weakest paying players, so rosters optimize for retention over development. The scouting pool shrinks to families who can afford the cliff, which appears around age 11, exactly when development matters most. The country runs a talent filter sorted by household income instead of ability. Every four years someone proposes fixing this. The proposal always requires the people profiting from the $15,000 model to vote themselves out of business. They will not.

I’ll vote for anybody who will make I-26 between Charleston and Columbia 3 lanes

That’s never a red card.

PURE GREATNESS. WHAT A DAY OF WORLD CUP FOOTBALL 🏆

@jacobkarnes Interesting I don’t see it!

@BenTalkingBall I did leave the White Out off by mistake. But Death Valley is on here!

Since American stadiums are being talked about, it's important to remember that the true cathedrals and best experiences in our country remain in College Football.

@jacobkarnes I think you left the best environment in college football off this thread?

You want capacity? CFB has you covered.

So lame

Over 6 months. Hundreds of faces. One of the most challenging drawings I’ve ever done. Here’s the full time-lapse video of my drawing of @McIlroyRory winning @TheMasters. #TheMasters

C.J. Spiller. That guy rocked.

@jacobkarnes Ain’t no way you just said that

@BenTalkingBall At the very least, Stetson deserves to be ahead of RGIII and Mariota

My only gripe with this list is that Stetson Bennett is way too low. Burrow gets credit (as he should) for only two years of production, and Stetson’s two years as a starter produced back to back championships, with incredible production. Stetson’s gotta be top 10.

@Jon_Blau What’s an All-Practice Team, respectfully?

Clemson QB Cade Klubnik was named to the East-West Shrine Bowl’s All-Practice Team but he departed early and is not playing in the game (underway now). DT DeMonte Capehart departed early, too.

🦈

Proud of my Coach. Take a stand, or stand for nothing.

Dabo Swinney is going nuclear on Ole Miss

@chapelfowler This is what the people needed

@chapelfowler Scorched earth Dabo

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says transfer LB Luke Ferrelli's agent told Clemson they'd turn over text messages for Clemson to use against Ole Miss -- IF Clemson added a second year for $1 million to Ferrelli's already agreed upon contract. Clemson GM Jordan Sorrells declined

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says Ole Miss GM Austin Thomas told Clemson GM Jordan Sorrells that Ole Miss HC Pete Golding "just does what he does." Also says transfer LB Luke Ferrelli told Clemson staff that Golding texted him during an 8 a.m. morning class at Clemson