An Open Remark: To all of MLS

To whom it may concern,

Throughout history some of the largest corporations and countries have been built and torn down on the word strike. In today's world where equality is as hidden to us as our free time, we find things hard to comprehend and choose a side in. We've seen all kinds of strikes within professional sports leagues such as the NFL, the NHL, and the MLB and while power has tended to side with the players unions, opinions often remain divided between the ownership groups and the unions. However, rarely has anyone appealed to the crowd, to the 90 percent of reason and honor. In Major League Soccer we have hit a turning point that can and will forever change the league.

Whatever the future may bring, be it with changes in the league or the players union being unsuccessful, the outcome of the debates will be a turning point and a key outcome similar to the proclamation of the Supreme Court or President. However much like the politics of today's world, the crowd or the regular Joe is often hurt.

MLS is searching for a way to compromise with the players on free agency and while other leagues such as the NFL have found ways to make free agency work, soccer is still behind and based on transfer fees. The Union is also looking to gain more money for its lower paid players while others earn millions. A good example of this can be seen in the recent acquisitions of David Villa, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard while players such as Tyler Deric who may be of vital importance, may have trouble with financial burdens of being an athlete.

I am not looking to give an exact aid to the league and say that there is a clear-cut fix to this problem, but I am looking to remind everyone: the fans and the front office of every club, the players, and the league office of the impact of their actions. The word strike has been thrown around a lot in the past few days and I hope it does not come to this.

Soccer in the United States is finally growing, thanks in part to the World Cup, and to squander the first full MLS season after such would be detrimental to the sport that many consider to still be a joke in the US. In the havoc that we see as a society every day, from terrorist attacks, to economic depressions, sports is what can bind a community together. After Boston Marathon bombings we saw hockey fans join together, and too many times it is only in times of bad that we see why sports plays a major role in why the United States (and Canada) is the great land we love.

Should a soccer strike occur and the season pushed back also delayed would be the excitement that games bring. Soccer players would be without a job for some time and the sport we know and love would be hurt. While I am not saying conditions don't need to get better, I am simply stating that a strike should not be thrown around lightly and it may have a larger impact than the terms not agreed to.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend and right now the common enemy to soccer growth in the United States is the misconceptions that occur every day and the harm that could be done with a strike. So while the league and the players continue to work out their problems and the fans voice their opinions, I simply ask that all three sides, the players, the league, and the fans understand how important of a time we are in and not forget that history will be made in these next years. The path history will take, be it for the better or worse, will be up to us.

Sincerely,

Dynamo_Defender