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 Progression
SeasonTeamsGamesAttendanceNetwork TV
(Games)
196817324,699CBS
19695162,930None
19706243,163
197184,154
1972144,780
19739195,954
197415207,770CBS (1)
197520227,642CBS (2)
197610,295CBS (2)
1977182613,558TVS (7)
1978243013,084TVS (6)
197914,201ABC (9)
19803214,440ABC (8)
19812114,084ABC (1)
19821413,155None
1983123013,258
198492410,759
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

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

TeamTelevision stationTelevision announcers
Atlanta Chiefs (1979)WTBS[19] Bob Neal[20] and Terry Hanson
Boston Minutemen
California SurfKHJ-TV[21] Gil Stratton and Dick Calvert
Calgary BoomersEd Whalen
Chicago StingSportsVision[22]
WGN-TV
WTTW
Roy Leonard,[23] Howard Balson,[24] [25] and Ken Stern[26]
Cleveland StokersWEWS-TVPaul Wilcox
Dallas TornadoWFAA[27] Verne Lundquist[28] and Brad Sham[29]
Detroit ExpressWKBD-TV[30] Jim Forney and Jimmy Hill
Edmonton DrillersCFRN-DT[31]
Fort Lauderdale StrikersWCIXRoger Twibell
Houston HurricaneKHTVMario Machado and Hans von Mende
Jacksonville Tea MenWJXTFrank Timoney and Arthur Smith
Los Angeles AztecsKNXT
ONTV
Gil Stratton[33] and Norm Jackson
Tom Kelly[34] and Dan Avey
Los Angeles WolvesKTLAChick Hearn[35] [36]
Minnesota KicksKSTP-TV
WCCO-TV
Bob Bruce, Rod Trongard, and Trevor Iseman
Minnesota StrikersKITN-TVFrank Mazzocco
TVAClaudine Douville, Pierre Donais, Francis Millien, and Michel Champagne
WSBK-TV/WLVI
WVIT
WPRI-TV
Bill Alex, Steve Glendye, and Scott Wahle
New York CosmosWNET
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 StompersKRON-TVArt Eckman[42] and Jack Hyde
Philadelphia AtomsGene Hart[43] and Walter Chyzowych
Philadelphia FuryWPHL-TV[44] Al Meltzer[45] and Walter Chyzowych
Rochester LancersWOKR-TVJack Palvino, Ron DeFrance,[46] Chuck Schiano, and Tom Pipines
San Diego SockersKUSI-TV[47] Randy Hahn[48] and Alan Mayer
San Jose EarthquakesGill Cable[49]
KICU-TV
Bob Ray,[50] Hal Ramey,[51] Dave Chaplik, Jon Miller,[52] and Pat Hughes
Seattle SoundersKCTS-TVBob Robertson,[53] [54] Steve Fimmel, Cliff McCrath, Simon Ostler, and Keith Dysart
St. Louis StarsDan Kelly
Tampa Bay RowdiesWTOGBob Wolff[55] and Tom Keene
Team AmericaWATV-LDBob Carpenter,[56] Gordon Bradley, and Mike Lange
Toronto Metros-Croatia/BlizzardGlobalMike Anscombe, Bruce Buchanan, Bob Irving, Shep Messing, Fergie Olver, and Jim Tatti
Tulsa RoughnecksKTULChris Lincoln,[57] Bob Carpenter,[58] [59] Gordon Bradley, and Al Miller
Vancouver WhitecapsBCTVBernie Pascall
Washington DiplomatsWDCAJon Miller, Don Earle,[60] and Terry Hanson
Washington Diplomats (1981)WTTGJim 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

YearNetworkPlay-by-playColor commentator(s)Touchline reporter
1984Sportsvision
TSN
Howard BalsonKen Stern
1983USA
CTV
Bob CarpenterGordon Bradley[61] Al Miller
1982USA[62]
CTV
Spencer Ross[63] Werner Roth[64]
1981ABC[65]
CTV
Verne LundquistPaul Gardner
1980[66] ABC[67]
CTV
Jim McKayPaul GardnerVerne Lundquist

Notes

1970s

YearNetworkPlay-by-playColor commentator(s)Touchline reporter
1979ABC
CTV
Jim McKay[70] [71] Paul Gardner[72] Verne Lundquist[73]
1978TVSJon MillerPaul Gardner[74]
1977TVS[75] Jon Miller[76] Paul GardnerWalter Chyzowych[77]
1976CBS
CBC
Jon Miller[78] [79] [80]
1975CBS[81] Frank GlieberJack Whitaker[82]
1974CBS[83] [84] Frank GlieberClive Toye and Kyle Rote Jr.
1973Not televised
1972Not televised
1971Not televised
1970Not televised

Notes

1960s

YearNetworkPlay-by-playColor commentator(s)Touchline reporter
1969With only five teams in the league, no championship event was held that year. In a close finish, the NASL trophy was awarded to the Kansas City Spurs, the team with the most points at the end of the season. The season was completed on August 31, 1969.[93] [94]
1968CBSMario Machado[95] Clive Toye
1967CBSDanny Blanchflower[96]

Notes

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Sports Illustrated, Soccer Is Getting A Toehold, August 30, 1976, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091476/index.htm
  2. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135457/index.htm Maule, Tex. "Kickoff For A Babel Of Booters," Sports Illustrated, April 24, 1967.
  3. http://nasljerseys.com/images/Metros/Metros-Croatia%2076%20Road%20Team%202.jpg NASL
  4. News: When Pele and Cosmos were kings. 2005-06-10. The Guardian. London. Guardian News & Media. Gavin. Newsham. 2011-01-20.
  5. http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n50-15259
  6. News: Sandomir. Richard. Hefty Tribute Fit for a Sport's King. The New York Times. November 18, 2006.
  7. Web site: NASL TV: A Short History. Kenn Tomasch. June 12, 2012.
  8. News: Kleiman . Carol . Banking on American dollars, ABC to televise NASL soccer games. May 9, 1979. . 2012-06-12.
  9. News: Tierney. Mike. September 3, 1977. Commercials Necessary Evil In Nasl. - Page 25. St. Petersburg Times. June 5, 2024.
  10. News: NASL, indoor league announce merger. August 11, 1982. . C2. 2012-01-27.
  11. News: Miranda . Randy . Four NASL squads will play in MISL . . D1 . August 10, 1984 . May 8, 2012.
  12. News: MISL takes four NASL teams . . 2C . August 31, 1984 . May 8, 2012.
  13. News: Sarni . Jim . Blast For Soccer Fans: CBS Airs MISL Game . . May 25, 1985 . May 8, 2012.
  14. 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.
  15. Web site: NASL Indoor: Tampa Bay Rowdies at Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 11/27/1979. thecelebratedmisterk. January 28, 2011. YouTube.
  16. Web site: Indoor Soccer: Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Zenit Leningrad 3/9/1977. thecelebratedmisterk. December 19, 2010. YouTube.
  17. Web site: RANDY SCOTT SPORTS (3) WTOG-TV TAMPA BAY. Randy Scott. July 28, 2014. YouTube.
  18. Web site: Randy Scott Sports (9) Tampa Bay Rowdies vs NY Cosmos 1985. Randy Scott. March 19, 2015. YouTube.
  19. Web site: 1979-1981 Atlanta Chiefs. May 12, 2013. Fun While It Lasted.
  20. Web site: This Week in Atlanta Soccer History, July 13–19. Longshore. Jason. July 13, 2015. Dirty South Soccer.
  21. News: Oberjuerge. Paul. July 30, 1978. San Bernardino Sun, 30 July 1978. The Sun-Telegram.
  22. Book: Zminda, Don. 26 April 2019. The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball's Greatest Salesman. 170. Rowman & Littlefield . 9781538112953.
  23. Web site: Have Your Say : This Day in 1981. Rivera. Guillermo. June 27, 2011. Chicago Fire Confidential.
  24. News: Conklin. Mike . June 30, 1985. SUMMER WITHOUT SOCCER. Chicago Tribune.
  25. News: Leptich. John. September 7, 1988. CITY'S NEW SOCCER TEAM TO RELY ON OLD STING. Chicago Tribune.
  26. News: Maurer. Pablo. How the largest American soccer film archive came to live in a guestroom in Austin, Texas.
  27. News: June 1, 1972. Irving Daily News from Irving, Texas · Page 13. Irving Daily News.
  28. News: May 5, 1979. Doylestown Intelligencer Newspaper Archives May 05, 1979 Page 25. Doylestown Intelligencer.
  29. News: January 22, 2010. FC Dallas broadcaster Brad Sham named Texas Sportscaster of the Year. Major League Soccer.
  30. News: O'Connor. Larry. July 12, 2019. Four decades later, Detroit Express chugs along in professional soccer lore. The Detroit News.
  31. Web site: NASL 1980 Edmonton Drillers Pocket Soccer Schedule - CFRN Television. ebay.com.
  32. Web site: EPISODE #125: San Jose Sharks Broadcaster Randy Hahn. August 11, 2019. GOOD SEATS STILL AVAILABLE.
  33. Web site: KICK MAGAZINE MAY 22ND 1977. May 22, 1977. SportsHistoryCollectibles.com.
  34. News: Leovy. Jill. June 27, 2016. Tom Kelly dies at 88; broadcast USC football and basketball games for decades. Los Angeles Times.
  35. 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.
  36. Web site: Alexander: Dodgers front office is taking the heat for bullpen failures. Alexander. Jim. August 17, 2018. The Press-Enterprise.
  37. Web site: New York Cosmos TV, web schedule. McMillan. Ken. March 31, 2017. HudsonValley.com.
  38. 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 .
  39. News: January 4, 2007. OBITUARY: Cosmos broadcaster Jim Karvellas. Soccer America.
  40. Web site: 1972-1973 Baltimore Bays. Crossley. Drew. June 25, 2018. FUN WHILE IT LASTED.
  41. Web site: Seamus Malin - NASL50th!. NASL 50th Anniversary.
  42. Web site: ART ECKMAN. Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
  43. Web site: Champions! Atoms defeat Dallas Tornado 2-0 in NASL final. Farnsworth. Ed. August 23, 2013. The Philly Soccer Page.
  44. Web site: 1979 Tv ad PHILADELPHIA FURY WASHINGTON DIPLOMATS North American Soccer League. Pinterest.
  45. News: Fitzpatrick. Frank. June 14, 2018. Philadelphia sports broadcasting icon Al 'Big Al' Meltzer dies. The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  46. News: Lewis. Michael. August 19, 2018. GOODBYE, RON: DeFrance, Rochester TV announcer, dies. Front Row Soccer.
  47. Web site: 1983 San Diego Sockers Soccer Schedule, NASL. eBay.
  48. Web site: SAN DIEGO SOCKERS 1982-83 MEDIA GUIDE. SportsHistoryCollectibles.com.
  49. Web site: Earthquakes history -- NASL style!, Part 2. July 2, 2008. Big Soccer.
  50. Web site: what happened to the NASL?. November 27, 2005. Big Soccer.
  51. News: Ramey. Ted. March 3, 2017. Ramey: San Jose Earthquakes had a troubled past and a bright future. KNBR.
  52. News: Conley. Mark. March 25, 2010. Momcilo 'Gabbo' Gavric, an original San Jose Earthquake, was a fighter until the end. The Mercury News.
  53. Web site: Birth of a Seattle Broadcasting Legend. Sounders. Frank M.. February 27, 2016. Sounder At Heart.
  54. Web site: A First & Lasting Impression - Original Voice of Sounders Blazed a Broadcasting Path. Sounders. Frank M.. February 6, 2016. Sounder At Heart.
  55. Book: Wolff, Bob. 23 March 2011. Bob Wolff's Complete Guide to Sportscasting: How to Make It in Sportscasting .... 169. Skyhorse Publishing . 9781616080815.
  56. Web site: EPISODE #99: Sports Broadcaster Bob Carpenter. February 10, 2019. GOOD SEATS STILL AVAILABLE.
  57. Web site: Chris Lincoln. Oklahoma Sportscene.
  58. Web site: 099: Sports Broadcaster Bob Carpenter. Good Seats Still Available . 11 February 2019 .
  59. Web site: 2012 – BOB CARPENTER. Rotary Club of Tulsa.
  60. Web site: EPISODE #14: Radio Personality Terry Hanson's Formative Years In NASL Soccer. June 9, 2017. GOOD SEATS STILL AVAILABLE.
  61. 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.
  62. Book: 1982 New York Cosmos Soccer Bowl Press Kit. 2.
  63. News: September 11, 1982. Sports View, Soccer's Samuels Says Thrill As Tv Host ... - Page 14. The Telegraph. May 28, 2024.
  64. Web site: Soccer Bowl 1982 New York Cosmos Seattle Sounders. 27 April 2021.
  65. News: September 25, 1981. Sunday September 27 Day And Night. - Page 14. The Madison Courier .
  66. News: September 19, 1980. Soccer Bowl 80: Facts and Figures . The Washington Post. May 28, 2024.
  67. News: September 19, 1980. The Times-News - Page 20 . The Times-News.
  68. News: The Year in American Soccer – 1980 . Soccer History USA. May 28, 2024.
  69. News: Yannis. Alex. September 25, 1981. Soccer Bowl Notebook; Clubs Are Angered by Lack of Live TV. The New York Times. May 28, 2024.
  70. News: Mackin. Bob. September 8, 2018. Where were you on Saturday, September 8, 1979?. theBreaker.news. May 28, 2024.
  71. News: September 10, 1979. Vancouver Wild Over Whitecaps. - Page 27. Ottawa Citizen. June 3, 2024.
  72. Book: 1979 Soccer Bowl '79 Media Guide. 2 .
  73. News: September 8, 1979. St. Petersburg Times - Page 25. St. Petersburg Times. May 28, 2024.
  74. Web site: NASL TV: A Short History. Kenn Tomasch. June 12, 2012.
  75. News: McDonald. Frank. August 28, 2017. ONE GAME'S PROFOUND LEGACY. The Frank MacDonald Blog. May 28, 2024.
  76. 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.
  77. News: Farnsworth. Ed. January 21, 2010. Great Philly soccer teams: Ukrainian Nationals. The Philly Soccer Page. May 28, 2024.
  78. Book: Miller, Hyman, Jon W., Mark. Confessions of a Baseball Purist: What's Right, and Wrong, with Baseball, as .... 2000. JHU Press. 169. 9780801863165.
  79. Web site: Soccer Almanac: The explosion of soccer on TV. Lalas. Greg. August 24, 2011. MLSsoccer.com.
  80. News: The Year in American Soccer – 1976. Soccer History USA. May 28, 2024.
  81. News: Yannis. Alex. August 24, 1975. N.A.S.L.'s Best to Meet in 'Soccer Bow1-75. The New York Times. May 28, 2024.
  82. News: Martz . Ron. TV coverage unfair to NASL . August 25, 1975. St. Petersburg Times. 1-C . 2015-12-25.
  83. Web site: The Year in American Soccer – 1974. Soccer History USA. May 28, 2024.
  84. News: August 23, 1974. North American Soccer League Finals On Cbs. - Page 13. The Dispatch. May 28, 2024.
  85. News: Kleiman . Carol . Banking on American dollars, ABC to televise NASL soccer games. May 9, 1979. . 2012-06-12.
  86. Web site: Philadelphia Atoms @ Dallas Tornado 1973 NASL Finals Highlights. 25 December 2012 . www.youtube.com.
  87. Web site: NASL Soccer Bowl 77 (Cosmos vs. Sounders). www.youtube.com.
  88. Web site: Sports illustrated soccer . https://web.archive.org/web/20200722013845/http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n50-15259/ . July 22, 2020 . WorldCat.
  89. News: Sandomir. Richard. Hefty Tribute Fit for a Sport's King. The New York Times. November 18, 2006.
  90. Web site: Jon Miller, then and now . It's About TV . Mitchell . Hadley . June 23, 2011.
  91. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19740814&id=UDw0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=yesFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4148,1615343&hl=en
  92. Web site: Archives. Los Angeles Times. 2 May 1985 .
  93. Web site: NASL. NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner. North American Soccer League.
  94. Web site: NASL . NASL 1968-1984 - Yearly Result . North American Soccer League . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131012023409/http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=458 . October 12, 2013 .
  95. Web site: MLS & NBC Sports have agreed on a 3-year deal. August 11, 2011. BigSoccer.
  96. https://archive.today/20120721040141/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135457/index.htm Maule, Tex. "Kickoff For A Babel Of Booters," Sports Illustrated, 24 April 1967.
  97. North American Soccer League Championship, Leg 1 program, published September 1968
  98. https://archive.today/20120721040141/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135457/index.htm Maule, Tex. "Kickoff For A Babel Of Booters," Sports Illustrated, 24 April 1967.
  99. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1081255/index.htm Blanchflower, Danny. "Just One Truth For Me," Sports Illustrated, June 10, 1968.