North American Soccer League on television explained
North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. Beginning in 1975, the league final was called the Soccer Bowl.
North American Soccer League ProgressionSeason | Teams | Games | Attendance | Network TV (Games) |
---|
1968 | 17 | 32 | 4,699 | CBS |
1969 | 5 | 16 | 2,930 | None |
1970 | 6 | 24 | 3,163 |
1971 | 8 | 4,154 |
1972 | 14 | 4,780 |
1973 | 9 | 19 | 5,954 |
1974 | 15 | 20 | 7,770 | CBS (1) |
1975 | 20 | 22 | 7,642 | CBS (2) |
1976 | 10,295 | CBS (2) |
1977 | 18 | 26 | 13,558 | TVS (7) |
1978 | 24 | 30 | 13,084 | TVS (6) |
1979 | 14,201 | ABC (9) |
1980 | 32 | 14,440 | ABC (8) |
1981 | 21 | 14,084 | ABC (1) |
1982 | 14 | 13,155 | None |
1983 | 12 | 30 | 13,258 |
1984 | 9 | 24 | 10,759 |
TV column includes only network TV. It does not include cable (ESPN, USA) or pay-per-view (SportsVision). | |
CBS (1967–1976)
See also: Soccer on CBS Sports.
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
In 1967, two professional soccer leagues started in the United States: the FIFA-sanctioned United Soccer Association, which consisted of entire European and South American teams brought to the U.S. and given local names, and the unsanctioned National Professional Soccer League. The National Professional Soccer League had a national television contract in the U.S. with the CBS television network (which signed a two-year contract to broadcast a game every Sunday afternoon live and in color). The NPSL kicked off on Sunday, April 16 with a full slate of five matches. However, the ratings for matches were unacceptable even by weekend daytime standards and the arrangement was terminated. Bill MacPhail, head of CBS Sports, attributed NASL's lack of TV appeal to empty stadiums with few fans, and to undistinguished foreign players who were unfamiliar to American soccer fans.[1]
Play-by-play voice Jack Whitaker was joined by the former Northern Ireland international Danny Blanchflower as a pundit. Blanchflower was not impressed with the standard of play and did not hesitate to say so.[2]
The leagues merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). It has been suggested that the timing of the merge was related to the huge amount of attention given throughout the English-speaking world to the victory by England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the resulting documentary film, Goal. While the USSF and FIFA refused to recognize the NPSL, the television contract with CBS guaranteed some element of financial stability.
Controversy
Toronto Croatia played in the National Soccer League until 1975 when they purchased the Toronto Metros of the North American Soccer League to form Toronto Metros-Croatia. During this period the team attracted many soccer stars, such as Portuguese superstar Eusébio, and were successful enough that they won Soccer Bowl '76 – a 3–0 win over the Minnesota Kicks – at the Kingdome in Seattle. The championship team was coached by Marijan Bilić, an immigrant to Canada who had played for Dinamo Zagreb. The champions' team was: Paolo Cimpiel, Ted Polak, Željko Bilecki, Ivan Lukačević, Robert Iarusci, Eusébio, Mladen Cukon, Carmine Marcantonio, Ivair Ferreira, Wolfgang Suhnholz, Damir Sutevski, Ivan Grnja, Filip Blašković and Chris Horrocks.[3]
However, the NASL was never comfortable with the Croatia link (an obvious ethnic connection). League executives lobbied CBS to ensure they were only referred to as Toronto at the Soccer Bowl on television.
The Pelé effect
It was during the 1975 season that the New York Cosmos acquired the Brazilian star Pelé, whom they had been attempting to sign since the team was created. Steve Ross had apparently not heard of him before getting involved in soccer, but agreed to finance the transfer when Clive Toye compared the Brazilian's popularity to that of the Pope. Pelé joined the Cosmos on June 10, 1975 on a salary of $1.4 million per year, an enormous wage for an athlete at that time. A number of contracts—only one of which mentioned soccer—were set up for Pelé to ensure that he paid the lowest amount of tax possible, including one as a "recording artist" with Warner subsidiary Atlantic Records. "We owned him lock, stock and barrel," Toye retrospectively boasted.
Pelé's arrival created a media sensation and overnight transformed the fortunes of soccer in the United States. The Pelé deal was later described by Gavin Newsham, an English writer, as "the transfer coup of the century". His arrival turned the Cosmos from a motley crew of foreigners, semiprofessionals and students into a huge commercial presence. The club's groundsman, on hearing that the Brazilian's début for New York was to be broadcast on CBS, spray-painted the pitch green to disguise how little grass was on it: the match, against the Dallas Tornado, was broadcast to 22 countries and covered by more than 300 journalists from all over the world.[4] From the moment he signed his contract at the 21 Club on June 10, 1975 in front of ecstatic Steve Ross and a crush of worldwide media, the player's every move was followed, bringing attention and credibility to the sport in America. As previously mentioned, his debut NASL match five days later versus the Dallas Tornado at the dilapidated Downing Stadium on Randall's Island was broadcast live on CBS network—the first regular-season NASL match on U.S. network TV in six years.
It was the Cosmos' tenth match of the season and led by the Brazilian, who recorded an assist and a goal; New York came back from two goals down for the 2–2 final score. The contest was also Pelé's first competitive match in eight months since his last outing with Santos FC in October 1974. He would eventually end up with five goals in his debut season during which his biggest challenge became figuring out how to fit into this team of journeymen players with abilities far inferior to his. Still his biggest impact was on the sport in New York and the rest of America as Cosmos' home attendance got tripled in just half the season he was there. They also played in front of huge crowds on the road since everyone wanted to see Pelé - toward the end of the season when he pulled a hamstring and couldn't suit up, 20,000 fans in Philadelphia showed up just to see him in street clothes. Furthermore, the league's profile got raised as other NASL teams - encouraged by Ross' investment in Pelé and the prominence his arrival brought to the Cosmos franchise - started bringing over more big-name aging foreign stars such as George Best who was about to turn 30, 31-year-old Rodney Marsh, 34-year-old Geoff Hurst, and 35-year-old Bobby Moore.
Commentators
- Paul Gardner - Gardner was the color commentator for the first-ever live telecast in the United States of a World Cup final, in 1982 on ABC. He also served as ABC color commentator with Jim McKay for NASL games in 1979-81. He also did commentary for NBC (1986 World Cup), CBS (NASL) and ESPN (college), and has been a film producer and was the scriptwriter and soccer adviser for the award-winning instructional series Pele: The Master and His Method in 1973.[5] [6]
- Frank Glieber - In 1963, Glieber began a long career with CBS television. Over the next two decades he would broadcast a variety of events for the network including NFL football, NBA and NCAA basketball, professional bowling, tennis, NASL soccer, and golf (including the Masters Tournament each spring). Glieber continued to broadcast local Dallas area sports events during his time at CBS, working as many as sixteen hours a day.
- Mario Machado - He was the voice of soccer for the CBS television network in 1968 and in 1976, covering the North American Soccer League (NASL). He hosted the weekly soccer program, The Best of the World Cup for the Spanish International Network. Machado hosted All-Star Soccer from England (a syndicated version of ATV's Star Soccer) on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television stations for six years.
- Seamus Malin - He also worked with the NASL's Boston Minutemen and New York Cosmos. He also called World Cup matches for NBC, ABC, and Turner Network Television, plus matches on CBS when the network had NASL rights.
- Jon Miller - His first network exposure came in 1976, when he was selected by CBS-TV to broadcast the NASL Championship Game. From 1974 - 1976, Miller did play-by-play for the Washington Diplomats of the NASL. He also announced the Soccer Game of the Week for nationally syndicated TVS from 1977 - 1978.
TVS Television Network and Mizlou Television Network (1977–1978)
Soccer Bowl '78 was broadcast live in the United States on the TVS network. Jon Miller handled play-by-play duties, while Paul Gardner was the color analyst.[7] This would be the final NASL game broadcast by the network, as the league signed a deal with ABC Sports in the fall of 1978.[8] Gardner would continue as the color analyst for ABC's coverage, while Miller would move on to a long career announcing Major League Baseball.
Mizlou produced the first "live" coast-to-coast satellite feed, of a New York Cosmos soccer game, from San Jose, California to WOR-TV in New York in the late 1970s.
ABC (1979–1981)
In 1979, ABC Sports began covering the NASL in a deal that called for 9 telecasts of league games, including the playoffs and Soccer Bowl. In 1979, the team from the "Village of Vancouver", the Whitecaps (a reference to ABC TV sportscaster Jim McKay's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouse New York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to the Soccer Bowl. In the Soccer Bowl, they triumphed against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a disappointed New York City.
Decline
On October 1, 1977, Pelé closed out his legendary career in an exhibition match between the Cosmos and Santos. Santos arrived in New York and New Jersey after previously defeating the Seattle Sounders 2–0. The match was played in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium and was televised in the United States on ABC's Wide World of Sports[9] as well as throughout the world. After the retirement of Pelé in 1977, much of the progress that American soccer had made during his stay was lost; there was no star at the same level to replace him as the NASL's headline act. After enduring briefly during the late 1970s, attendances dropped after 1980. The sport's popularity fell and the media lost interest. The deal with broadcaster ABC to broadcast NASL matches was also lost in 1980, and the 1981 Soccer Bowl was only shown on tape delay. All of the franchises quickly became unprofitable, and a salary cap enforced before the 1984 season only delayed the inevitable.
Commentators
ESPN and USA Network (1981–1984)
See also: Soccer on ESPN.
In the last few years of its existence, the NASL did manage to get some games on a new cable sports network that had begun in 1979 called ESPN. In 1981, they signed a contract to broadcast 20 games on Saturdays. The new USA Network also carried games, usually on Wednesday nights.
Major Indoor Soccer League
The 1982–83 Major Indoor Soccer League season was the fifth in league history and would end with the San Diego Sockers winning their first MISL title. It would be the Sockers' second straight indoor championship, as the club had won the North American Soccer League's indoor league the previous spring.
The league would enter into an agreement with the NASL in the summer of 1982 to begin plans for an eventual merger.[10] Initial plans to have all 14 NASL teams play in the winter would not come to pass, as most teams preferred to concentrate on the outdoor season. However, the Chicago Sting and Golden Bay Earthquakes would join the Sockers for the MISL season.
The MISL continued to make inroads on national television. While the spring would see the end of the league's two-year deal with the USA Network, CBS would broadcast a playoff game live from Cleveland on May 7 that drew an estimated four million viewers.
With the NASL near death in the summer of 1984, a handful of teams made plans to switch from outdoor to indoor soccer once the NASL season ended in October.[11] Along with the Sockers, the Chicago Sting, Minnesota Strikers and New York Cosmos formally made the leap in late August.[12] With the addition of the Dallas Sidekicks, the league went back to a 14-team, two-division setup.
This would be the final year the MISL would have games aired on network television, CBS broadcast Game 4 of the championship series live on May 25.[13]
Commentators (USA Network)
Local stations
WTTW in Chicago carried at least one Sting soccer game (against New York and Pelé, at Giants Stadium) in the early days of that franchise.
WTOG in St. Petersburg, FL aired numerous Tampa Bay Rowdies road games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Additionally, many of the Rowdies home and away indoor matches were also broadcast.[14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
List of broadcasters
Team | Television station | Television announcers |
---|
Atlanta Chiefs (1979) | WTBS[19] | Bob Neal[20] and Terry Hanson |
Boston Minutemen | | |
California Surf | KHJ-TV[21] | Gil Stratton and Dick Calvert |
Calgary Boomers | | Ed Whalen |
Chicago Sting | SportsVision[22] WGN-TV WTTW | Roy Leonard,[23] Howard Balson,[24] [25] and Ken Stern[26] |
Cleveland Stokers | WEWS-TV | Paul Wilcox |
Dallas Tornado | WFAA[27] | Verne Lundquist[28] and Brad Sham[29] |
Detroit Express | WKBD-TV[30] | Jim Forney and Jimmy Hill |
Edmonton Drillers | CFRN-DT[31] | |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | WCIX | Roger Twibell |
Houston Hurricane | KHTV | Mario Machado and Hans von Mende |
Jacksonville Tea Men | WJXT | Frank Timoney and Arthur Smith |
Los Angeles Aztecs | KNXT ONTV | Gil Stratton[33] and Norm Jackson Tom Kelly[34] and Dan Avey |
Los Angeles Wolves | KTLA | Chick Hearn[35] [36] |
Minnesota Kicks | KSTP-TV WCCO-TV | Bob Bruce, Rod Trongard, and Trevor Iseman |
Minnesota Strikers | KITN-TV | Frank Mazzocco |
| TVA | Claudine Douville, Pierre Donais, Francis Millien, and Michel Champagne |
| WSBK-TV/WLVI WVIT WPRI-TV | Bill Alex, Steve Glendye, and Scott Wahle |
New York Cosmos | WNET WOR-TV[37] [38] HBO Trans World International | Crane Davis and Kyle Rote Jr. Jim Karvellas,[39] [40] Howard David, Seamus Malin,[41] Lee Arthur, and Werner Roth Jim Karvellas, Steve Albert, Dick Stockton, Spencer Ross, Tom Kelly and Clive Toye Tom Kelly and Clive Toye |
Oakland Stompers | KRON-TV | Art Eckman[42] and Jack Hyde |
Philadelphia Atoms | | Gene Hart[43] and Walter Chyzowych |
Philadelphia Fury | WPHL-TV[44] | Al Meltzer[45] and Walter Chyzowych |
Rochester Lancers | WOKR-TV | Jack Palvino, Ron DeFrance,[46] Chuck Schiano, and Tom Pipines |
San Diego Sockers | KUSI-TV[47] | Randy Hahn[48] and Alan Mayer |
San Jose Earthquakes | Gill Cable[49] KICU-TV | Bob Ray,[50] Hal Ramey,[51] Dave Chaplik, Jon Miller,[52] and Pat Hughes |
Seattle Sounders | KCTS-TV | Bob Robertson,[53] [54] Steve Fimmel, Cliff McCrath, Simon Ostler, and Keith Dysart |
St. Louis Stars | | Dan Kelly |
Tampa Bay Rowdies | WTOG | Bob Wolff[55] and Tom Keene |
Team America | WATV-LD | Bob Carpenter,[56] Gordon Bradley, and Mike Lange |
Toronto Metros-Croatia/Blizzard | Global | Mike Anscombe, Bruce Buchanan, Bob Irving, Shep Messing, Fergie Olver, and Jim Tatti |
Tulsa Roughnecks | KTUL | Chris Lincoln,[57] Bob Carpenter,[58] [59] Gordon Bradley, and Al Miller |
Vancouver Whitecaps | BCTV | Bernie Pascall |
Washington Diplomats | WDCA | Jon Miller, Don Earle,[60] and Terry Hanson |
Washington Diplomats (1981) | WTTG | Jim Forney and Jimmy Hill | |
Soccer Bowl coverage
The following is a list of the television networks and announcers that have broadcast the Soccer Bowl, which was the annual championship competition of the North American Soccer League.
1980s
Notes
1970s
Notes
- 1978 - This would be the final NASL game broadcast TVS, as the league signed a deal with ABC Sports in the fall of 1978.[85] Gardner would continue as the color analyst for ABC's coverage, while Miller would move on to a long career announcing Major League Baseball.
- Alongside Gene Hart doing play-by-play, Walter Chyzowych provided color commentary for the 1973 Finals of the North American Soccer League between the Philadelphia Atoms and the Dallas Tornado.[86] He also served as the touchline reporter at Soccer Bowl '77.[87]
- In 1964, Paul Gardner left the medical magazine and spent two years in Italy before returning to New York, where he discovered a sudden American interest in pro soccer. The United Soccer Association and the National Professional Soccer League – which eventually merged into the NASL – launched in 1967. The emergence of American pro soccer in the late 1960s coincided with Gardner’s start as a full-time free-lance journalist and he has since covered soccer for publications on both sides of the Atlantic. Gardner was the color commentator for the first-ever live telecast in the United States of a World Cup final, in 1982 on ABC. He also served as ABC color commentator with legendary Jim McKay of NASL games in 1979-81. He also did commentary for NBC (1986 World Cup), CBS (NASL) and ESPN (college), and has been a film producer and was the scriptwriter and soccer adviser for the award-winning instructional series Pele: The Master and His Method in 1973.[88] [89]
- Jon Miller's first network exposure came in 1976, when he was selected by CBS-TV to broadcast the NASL Championship Game. From 1974 to 1976, Miller did play-by-play for the Washington Diplomats of the NASL. He also announced the Soccer Game of the Week for nationally syndicated TVS from 1977 to 1978.[90]
- 1974 - Although the Aztecs had a league-best record and points total, and rightly should have hosted the championship final, CBS intervened and strongly influenced the NASL's decision to play the match in Miami. CBS was under contract to air the game live and was unwilling to black-out the large Southern California viewing audience. At the time it was the standard in many U.S.-based sports for the host market not to broadcast games locally unless they were sold out. At the time, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum had a capacity of 94,500 and, even in a best-case scenario, an Aztecs sell-out was unlikely. Moreover, in an effort by CBS to capture more viewers during the peak East Coast time slot, a Los Angeles-hosted game would have begun at 12:30 (PDT) local time. The league recognized that both these factors would be detrimental to ticket sales and agreed to move the game to the Miami Orange Bowl with a 3:30 (EDT) local start. CBS had also stepped in the previous week and forced the Toros to play their semifinal match at the much-smaller Tamiami Stadium in Tamiami Park. This was done so that if Miami did win, CBS's production crews would have a full week for set-up in the Orange Bowl stadium.[91]
- In 1963, Frank Glieber began a long career with CBS television. Over the next two decades, he broadcast a variety of events for the network including NFL, NBA and NCAA basketball, professional bowling, tennis, NASL soccer, and golf (including the Masters Tournament each spring). Glieber continued to broadcast local Dallas area sports events during his time at CBS, working as many as sixteen hours a day. He was also a commentator for the World Series of Poker.[92]
1960s
Notes
- As a star collegiate athlete and former soccer player, Mario Machado was able to indulge his love for soccer by serving as the Voice of Soccer for the CBS Television Network in 1968 and in 1976, covering the North American Soccer League (NASL). He did the television play-by-play of both legs for CBS' broadcast of the NASL's first championship.[97]
- Danny Blanchflower was the color commentator for the CBS television network broadcasts of National Professional Soccer League (NASL) matches in the United States in 1967.[98] His candor about the fledgling league's shortcomings distressed network executives, as he recounted in a June 10, 1968 Sports Illustrated article he authored.[99]
- In 1966, a group of sports entrepreneurs led by Bill Cox and Robert Hermann formed a consortium called the North American Professional Soccer League with the intention of forming a professional soccer league in United States and Canada. However this was just one of three groups with similar plans. The NAPSL eventually merged with one of these groups, the National Soccer League, led by Richard Millen, to form the National Professional Soccer League. A third group, the United Soccer Association was sanctioned by both the USSFA and FIFA. Because of this the NPSL was branded an outlaw league by FIFA and players faced sanctions for signing with it. Despite this the NPSL, which secured a TV contract from CBS, set about recruiting players, and announced it would be ready to launch in 1967. In December 1967, the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It has been suggested that the timing of the merge was related to the huge amount of attention given throughout the English-speaking world to the victory by England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the resulting documentary film, Goal. While the USSF and FIFA refused to recognize the NPSL, the television contract with CBS guaranteed some element of financial stability.
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Sports Illustrated, Soccer Is Getting A Toehold, August 30, 1976, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091476/index.htm
- http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135457/index.htm Maule, Tex. "Kickoff For A Babel Of Booters," Sports Illustrated, April 24, 1967.
- http://nasljerseys.com/images/Metros/Metros-Croatia%2076%20Road%20Team%202.jpg NASL
- News: When Pele and Cosmos were kings. 2005-06-10. The Guardian. London. Guardian News & Media. Gavin. Newsham. 2011-01-20.
- http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n50-15259
- News: Sandomir. Richard. Hefty Tribute Fit for a Sport's King. The New York Times. November 18, 2006.
- Web site: NASL TV: A Short History. Kenn Tomasch. June 12, 2012.
- News: Kleiman . Carol . Banking on American dollars, ABC to televise NASL soccer games. May 9, 1979. . 2012-06-12.
- News: Tierney. Mike. September 3, 1977. Commercials Necessary Evil In Nasl. - Page 25. St. Petersburg Times. June 5, 2024.
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- News: Miranda . Randy . Four NASL squads will play in MISL . . D1 . August 10, 1984 . May 8, 2012.
- News: MISL takes four NASL teams . . 2C . August 31, 1984 . May 8, 2012.
- News: Sarni . Jim . Blast For Soccer Fans: CBS Airs MISL Game . . May 25, 1985 . May 8, 2012.
- Web site: It Was Elton John Who Brought Rodney March To The US But It Was Tampa Bay That Won Him Over. James. Williams. January 9, 2015. sportstalkflorida.com.
- Web site: NASL Indoor: Tampa Bay Rowdies at Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 11/27/1979. thecelebratedmisterk. January 28, 2011. YouTube.
- Web site: Indoor Soccer: Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Zenit Leningrad 3/9/1977. thecelebratedmisterk. December 19, 2010. YouTube.
- Web site: RANDY SCOTT SPORTS (3) WTOG-TV TAMPA BAY. Randy Scott. July 28, 2014. YouTube.
- Web site: Randy Scott Sports (9) Tampa Bay Rowdies vs NY Cosmos 1985. Randy Scott. March 19, 2015. YouTube.
- Web site: 1979-1981 Atlanta Chiefs. May 12, 2013. Fun While It Lasted.
- Web site: This Week in Atlanta Soccer History, July 13–19. Longshore. Jason. July 13, 2015. Dirty South Soccer.
- News: Oberjuerge. Paul. July 30, 1978. San Bernardino Sun, 30 July 1978. The Sun-Telegram.
- Book: Zminda, Don. 26 April 2019. The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball's Greatest Salesman. 170. Rowman & Littlefield . 9781538112953.
- Web site: Have Your Say : This Day in 1981. Rivera. Guillermo. June 27, 2011. Chicago Fire Confidential.
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- News: June 1, 1972. Irving Daily News from Irving, Texas · Page 13. Irving Daily News.
- News: May 5, 1979. Doylestown Intelligencer Newspaper Archives May 05, 1979 Page 25. Doylestown Intelligencer.
- News: January 22, 2010. FC Dallas broadcaster Brad Sham named Texas Sportscaster of the Year. Major League Soccer.
- News: O'Connor. Larry. July 12, 2019. Four decades later, Detroit Express chugs along in professional soccer lore. The Detroit News.
- Web site: NASL 1980 Edmonton Drillers Pocket Soccer Schedule - CFRN Television. ebay.com.
- Web site: EPISODE #125: San Jose Sharks Broadcaster Randy Hahn. August 11, 2019. GOOD SEATS STILL AVAILABLE.
- Web site: KICK MAGAZINE MAY 22ND 1977. May 22, 1977. SportsHistoryCollectibles.com.
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- Web site: 2016 Meet the Underdogs: UPSL's LA Wolves rose from ashes, set to make US Open Cup debut. Smith. Zach. May 11, 2016. TheCup.us.
- Web site: Alexander: Dodgers front office is taking the heat for bullpen failures. Alexander. Jim. August 17, 2018. The Press-Enterprise.
- Web site: New York Cosmos TV, web schedule. McMillan. Ken. March 31, 2017. HudsonValley.com.
- Book: June 2014. The Soccer Diaries: An American's Thirty-Year Pursuit of the International Game. 22. 9780803240476. Agovino. Michael J.. U of Nebraska Press .
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- Web site: 1979 Tv ad PHILADELPHIA FURY WASHINGTON DIPLOMATS North American Soccer League. Pinterest.
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- Web site: what happened to the NASL?. November 27, 2005. Big Soccer.
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- Web site: Birth of a Seattle Broadcasting Legend. Sounders. Frank M.. February 27, 2016. Sounder At Heart.
- Web site: A First & Lasting Impression - Original Voice of Sounders Blazed a Broadcasting Path. Sounders. Frank M.. February 6, 2016. Sounder At Heart.
- Book: Wolff, Bob. 23 March 2011. Bob Wolff's Complete Guide to Sportscasting: How to Make It in Sportscasting .... 169. Skyhorse Publishing . 9781616080815.
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- Web site: 099: Sports Broadcaster Bob Carpenter. Good Seats Still Available . 11 February 2019 .
- Web site: 2012 – BOB CARPENTER. Rotary Club of Tulsa.
- Web site: EPISODE #14: Radio Personality Terry Hanson's Formative Years In NASL Soccer. June 9, 2017. GOOD SEATS STILL AVAILABLE.
- Web site: Soccer Bowl 1983 Tulsa vs. Toronto . 1 October 1983. youtube.com. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/QubCSWZanEQ . 2021-12-21 . live. 26 January 2017.
- Book: 1982 New York Cosmos Soccer Bowl Press Kit. 2.
- News: September 11, 1982. Sports View, Soccer's Samuels Says Thrill As Tv Host ... - Page 14. The Telegraph. May 28, 2024.
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- News: September 25, 1981. Sunday September 27 Day And Night. - Page 14. The Madison Courier .
- News: September 19, 1980. Soccer Bowl 80: Facts and Figures . The Washington Post. May 28, 2024.
- News: September 19, 1980. The Times-News - Page 20 . The Times-News.
- News: The Year in American Soccer – 1980 . Soccer History USA. May 28, 2024.
- News: Yannis. Alex. September 25, 1981. Soccer Bowl Notebook; Clubs Are Angered by Lack of Live TV. The New York Times. May 28, 2024.
- News: Mackin. Bob. September 8, 2018. Where were you on Saturday, September 8, 1979?. theBreaker.news. May 28, 2024.
- News: September 10, 1979. Vancouver Wild Over Whitecaps. - Page 27. Ottawa Citizen. June 3, 2024.
- Book: 1979 Soccer Bowl '79 Media Guide. 2 .
- News: September 8, 1979. St. Petersburg Times - Page 25. St. Petersburg Times. May 28, 2024.
- Web site: NASL TV: A Short History. Kenn Tomasch. June 12, 2012.
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- News: Sepich. Scott. December 10, 2021. Before the 2021 MLS Cup hits Portland, a look back at Soccer Bowl ′77 at Civic Stadium. The Oregonian/OregonLive. May 28, 2024.
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- Book: Miller, Hyman, Jon W., Mark. Confessions of a Baseball Purist: What's Right, and Wrong, with Baseball, as .... 2000. JHU Press. 169. 9780801863165.
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- News: August 23, 1974. North American Soccer League Finals On Cbs. - Page 13. The Dispatch. May 28, 2024.
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