Backgrounders and Fact Sheets

							           Quick Facts: Major League Soccer’s International Flair


•   MLS is a diverse athletic league with 144 players born outside the U.S.
    representing 52 countries.

•   As of Sept. 2008, there are 257 MLS players from the U.S.

•   Countries who have 10 or more players currently playing in the U.S. are
    Argentina (15), Canada (12), and Brazil (10).

•   There are 6 countries that have 5 or more players in the MLS: England (8)
    Columbia (7), Mexico (6), Jamaica (6), Scotland (5), South Africa (5).

•   13 African countries have citizens playing in MLS: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia,
    Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone,
    South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

•   One communist country is represented in MLS: Cuba

•   Carlos Valderrama, Marco Etcheverry, and Jaime Moreno were the first 3
    international MLS players.

•   Every continent in the world, excluding Antarctica, is represented in MLS.

•   21 percent of MLS teams have international minorities as presidents and/or
    CEO’s.

•   28 percent of MLS coaches are international minorities.




                                           ###
Philadelphia’s “Love Affair” with Soccer
The newest addition to Philadelphia professional sports is not a first for the City of
Brotherly Love. In fact, the beginnings of Philadelphia soccer began in the U.S. 124 years
prior to the announcement of Philadelphia’s new MLS team.

The American Football Association was the first governing body for soccer in the U.S.
formed in 1884. A year later, the first cup competition was held, and Philadelphia had
three teams vying for the championship.

Beginning in the 1920s, with the inception of the American Soccer League the
Philadelphia F.C. saw success within the league, winning 11 championships over the next
50 years.

This sports association helped develop soccer at the collegiate level, and although
professional soccer soon disappeared, the universities continued the soccer tradition,
which created soccer rivalries all over the country.

Eventually, lack of competition led the professional teams to disassociate, and semi-
professional and minor league teams sprouted up all over the world, especially in
Philadelphia. However, fruitless seasons led each franchise to collapse after only two or
three years. They continued passing the torch to another minor league team, and
eventually their unsuccessfulness caused the demise of Philadelphia soccer.

Professional soccer came to the forefront of the U.S. in 1996, and almost twelve years
after its inception, Philadelphia was granted their first MLS professional team. Their
kickoff season will be March 2010, and they hope to continue the tradition of
Philadelphia success.


Media Contact: Katie Moran, MLS Philadelphia. (610) 555-6482
The National Spelling Bee: Winning Words Over 10 Letters from the Past 30 Years


  •   1978: deification, Peg McCarthy from Topeka, Kansas


  •   1981: sarcophagus, Paige Pipkin from El Paso, Texas


  •   1987: staphylococci, Stephanie Petit from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


  •   1991: antipyretic, Joanne Lagatta from Madison, Wisconsin


  •   1994: antediluvian, Ned G. Andrews from Knoxville, Tennessee


  •   1996: vivisepulture, Wendy Guey from West Palm Beach, Florida


  •   1998: chiaroscurist, Jody-Anne Maxwell from Kingston, Jamaica


  •   2001: succedaneum, Sean Conley from Aitkin, Minnesota


  •   2002: prospicience, Pratyush Buddiga from Denver, Colorado


  •   2003: pococurante, Sai R. Gunturi from Dallas, Texas


  •   2004: autochthonous, David Scott Pilarski Tidmarsh from South Bend, Indiana


  •   2005: appoggiatura, Anurag Kashyap from San Diego, California


                                          ###
Who’s Behind the Bee: E.W. Scripps Company

The National Spelling Bee would not be possible without one business: E.W. Scripps
Howard Company. It all began in 1878 with Edward Willis Scripps who started a
newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio and eventually turned his self-titled company into a
revolutionary information powerhouse.

Scripps acquired or started over 30 newspapers in 30 years. His desire to allow
information to be at everyone’s fingertips helped spark this monumental establishment of
locally run newspapers. He was a firm believer in locals editing and managing their
media, as they know the area best.

After 130 successful years, Scripps operates daily and community newspapers in 15
markets mainly in Florida and Texas. They manage 10 broadcast TV stations, including
HGTV, the Food Network, and the DIY Network.

E.W. Scripps was passionate about information and the English language. His ardent
legacy remains, as the University of Ohio named their school of Journalism after him. His
journalistic success still continues to this day, and many students can attribute their love
for the English language to E.W. Scripps’ philanthropic endeavors.

The National Spelling Bee first began in 1925, sponsored by the Louisville Courier, and
was then acquired by the E.W. Scripps Howard Company in 1940. Today, it is the
nation’s largest and longest-running non-profit educational promotion. This educational
experience helps ensure students all across the world increase their vocabulary, improve
their spelling, and develop correct English usage that will help them throughout their
lives.

Media Contact: Katie Moran, Scripps National Spelling Bee. (202) 555 - 3409