R.I.P. WSD

"It is easier to destroy than to create." --Steven Cohen's reaction to the racist abuse & violent threats he & his family received from Liverpool supporters, thus walking away from his show.

World Soccer Daily - you'll never know how much you meant to me, how important you were to shaping parts of me for the last 5 years. You were just as important to my daily activities as my morning coffee & always gave me something to look forward to. I am deeply saddened by the ending of the show & haven't quite yet figured out what I'm going to do. I suppose I'm hoping this is some cruel joke & you'll be back Monday.

Thank you for the countless hours of entertainment, education, conversation & overall "awesomeness". The two hours of football talk you provided me each day gave me with a sense of community that I feel will never be matched by any other medium. I remember driving & sitting outside of free wi-fi spots with my laptop, only to download that days show. I must have looked ridiculous doing it, but it was always worth it to hear Steven, Kenny, Nick, or Howard do impressions, tell jokes, decipher United's formation, predict Arsenal's early demise, give out "wanker of the week", or play Radiohead, Arcade Fire, & Arctic Monkeys tunes during commercials. (Queue waterworks)

After the first few months I really got to know a lot of the callers. They'd call up & I'd immediately be able to recognize their voices. This was the community that I'd always yearned for. Before wsd there was nothing & it will remain in my memory for years to come. As I cried yesterday driving down Nicholasville Rd. hearing these same people express the same heart-wrenching pain I was experiencing, my sadness grew into anger. Soon, the initial shock wore off & the realization that I was in fact listening to the last show incensed me.

To the Liverpool supporters in America that participated in the hate: you are worthless in every sense of the word. Your hate towards people that have a different opinion than you is not acceptable in this country. In America we have what's called free speech. If you don't like someone's opinions, don't listen. I respect your right to a boycott, but I don't respect your right of practicing racism or the violent threats towards family members & especially children. You should be utterly disgraced in your behavior & have given a terrible name to respectable supporters of your football club. This will come back to you one way or another. In this case, hate wins. But I guarantee you we won't give this fight up. This is just one small part in a bigger picture. You are all diseased.

Steven & Kenny: please consider a return. You have a responsibility to the soccer community in America. We need you. We look up to you. You will be missed. There is now a void, a small empty space in my life. My afternoon's will not be the same without you. I want to Thank You so much for everything you've given me over the years. I'll cherish these memories forever, & I know you'll be back in some form soon, I hope. That is all.

Jesse