Welcome, kind reader. This little intro is a late addition to this post, and is a nod to the fantastic points made in the comments that resulted from my opinion. I won't say that I'm completely convinced that I was wrong when I originally wrote this missive, but I will say that I have scaled back my convictions just a little. Some very astute readers have pointed out flaws in my hypothesis, and while I could go stomping away with fingers shoved firmly in my ears, I'm more than capable of revising my thoughts. What you'll find here is still my basic belief, and while there may be just a small amount of confusion as to my point (which is my failing as a writer), I think it important for you to read both my organically produced post and the resulting comments for proper context.

Generally speaking, I'm all for the success of women's soccer. I can appreciate the skill and ability that the best women players in the world possess, and I'm happy to see the latest attempt at a viable league that showcases those attributes succeeding. I'm proud that the United States has led the way in promoting women's soccer, that the greatest women's national teams have been American, and that young girls all over this country have role models their peers around the world simply do not have.

Unfortunately, I have a bit of a problem. Despite my feelings of pride and appreciation, it is my belief that the success of American women in the sport has stunted the growth of the men's professional game in the United States.

None of this, no matter what you might think, comes from a place of sexism. I don't begrudge women the right to play the game and get paid for it. I don't begrudge them the spotlight they've received in this country. I don't begrudge them all of the success they have or may have, and I won't make the argument that the nascent Women's Professional Soccer league is hurting MLS or men's soccer.

No, the effect of women's soccer on the men is a matter of perception, and it goes back to those original great United States Women's National Teams. Players like Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm are legends in the history of the sport, and their dominance in the early years of international competition was truly remarkable. But in being so dominant and receiving the amount of attention they did (and rightfully so), they fundamentally altered the image of soccer in the American sports consciousness.

The most transcendent soccer image of the last twenty years, a moment that crossed over into the mainstream American sports scene, is that of Brandi Chastain, on her knees with arms raised and shirt in hand, exultant after putting home the winning penalty in the 1999 Women's World Cup Final. There is no equivalent image for American men's soccer; even a shocking run to the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup came and went without marking our culture the way that Chastain and her teammates did.

For millions of Americans, both male and female, it has therefore been burned into their minds that soccer is a women's game. The only major American success (i.e. victory, because we're all about winners) attained on an international stage was accomplished by women; the conclusion is then easily drawn by those already closed off to soccer by mistaken assumptions or reactionary tendencies (the "foreign" factor) that the game is therefore a "woman's sport". Even those with more liberal outlooks on gender equality or with a proclivity to accept "new" passions like soccer have trouble reconciling "major sport" with it because of the connections formed by Hamm, Lilly, Chastain and company throughout the 1990's.

In effect, this means that not only does the anti-soccer crowd have another rallying cry (as asinine as it is), but also that the casual American sports fans is less likely to give the game a chance. The inherent sexism that exists in our sporting culture may be unfortunate and lamentable, but it clearly exists. Sports passion tends to be a one-way affair; while millions of American women follow men's teams avidly, only a minuscule fraction of men do the same with women's teams (and I know of no real-life examples). Latent sexism in the culture means that any success attained by women in soccer reflects negatively on the sport as whole rather than boosting its popularity (as it actually should).

Major League Soccer is the entity most affected by all of this; while the women and their game have carved out a niche thanks to passionate female fans, America's top men's league has struggled in comparison (with allowances for the relative meaning of "success"). Sports are inarguably driven by the collective interest of male culture, a culture has mostly rejected soccer in the U.S. I have no doubt that part of that rejection can be attributed to the aforementioned perception that soccer in America is a women's game first and foremost.

I personally have very little interest in WPS or women's international soccer. This is probably a failing on my part, one I will readily admit to. My passion and attention inevitably fall to the men's game, and I have no real defense for what I'm sure comes off as a sexist attitude. On occasion, I've even been known to lament the need for the "M" in "USMNT".

But I have no (or little) resentment towards the women's game, despite my opinion of their effect on the prospects of the men's version in the United States. I accept the current situation and the history that caused it as it is, with no bitterness. I've never thought to myself, "If only women's soccer hadn't gotten so big here", or anything of similar ilk. I still believe that MLS and men's professional soccer will become a major part of American culture, and I hope that it will in concert with a strong women's league.

I'm no sociologist; I have no empirical evidence to back up this viewpoint, and my opinions are based solely on being an American male living in the American sports culture.

I expect to receive some criticism for my views, though I suspect there are some out there that will understand my statements, keep them in proper context, and realize that I'm not simply being sexist.

I apologize for the length and the tone, but there was really no other approach to this post that made sense.

Hopefully most of you will allow me this one departure from the norm and stick with me as I return to more idle subjects.

Does anyone get what I'm saying here? Dissenters, make your voice known.