Jesse Conklin

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

In Germany, a talented 14-year-old earns his club money. In America, his parents pay the club $15,000 a year.

That single inversion explains why "we will not" is the most accurate line ever written about US soccer.

FIFA built a global system for this. Training compensation and solidarity payments send a cut of every transfer fee back to the clubs that developed the player, from age 12 onward. Develop one future pro and your academy gets paid for a decade. Barcelona's La Masia, Ajax, every Bundesliga academy runs on this logic. The kid is the asset.

US Soccer refuses to enforce those rules. When Seattle's Crossfire Premier claimed its $60,000 share of DeAndre Yedlin's transfer to Tottenham, it got nothing. Claims on the Dempsey and Bradley transfers died partly because the federation couldn't even produce the youth training records.

So American clubs earn zero dollars when a kid turns pro. They earn when a kid enrolls. Which makes the parent the customer, and the product is whatever keeps the parent writing checks: travel tournaments, hotel weekends, $500 showcase events, private training at $100 an hour. Elite pathways run $8,000 to $20,000 a year. A comparable academy spot in Italy costs about 120 euros.

Follow the incentive one level deeper and it gets darker. A club dependent on fees can't cut its weakest paying players, so rosters optimize for retention over development. The scouting pool shrinks to families who can afford the cliff, which appears around age 11, exactly when development matters most. The country runs a talent filter sorted by household income instead of ability.

Every four years someone proposes fixing this. The proposal always requires the people profiting from the $15,000 model to vote themselves out of business.

They will not.

[Jerry Thornton @jerrythornton]

Yes, the Declaration of Independence was a big deal 250 years ago. But if it wasn’t for this speech by President Whitmore 40 years ago, we wouldn’t be here to celebrate it.

[Boston Radio Watch®️ @bostonradio]

Hot Dogs this weekend, Saugus Wings next..,..maybe the best‑conditioned athletes in human history, and that’s without Tums.

[Douglas A. Boneparth @dougboneparth]

Today, we remember Russell “Rusty” Casse, who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our independence.

[Hockey Hall of Fame @HockeyHallFame]

Welcome to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Patrice Bergeron.

#HHOF2026 #HHOF

[Matt Weaver @MattWeaverRA]

NASCAR is not allowed to use the power grid from the base. It has to generate its own power.

ABB has a Battery Energy Storage System that uses a traditional diesel generator for two hours a day but the BESSes otherwise power the footprint.

Its very sustainability focused.

[Bob Pockrass @bobpockrass]

Pete Hegseth will wave the green flag for the Cup race Sunday.

[Secretary Kennedy @SecKennedy]

Thank you, Tulsi, for documenting Dr. Fauci's central role in causing the COVID-19 pandemic — among the most consequential crimes in human history.

[Dan Kingerski @TheDanKingerski]

Can't tell you how much I love this. First and last entry...

[Matthew Leb @Leb_Zeppelins]

Red Sox fans: “FSG is worth $14 billion. Can we please have a competitive roster?”

FSG:

[Todd Spence @Todd_Spence]

A band called Cor64 plays Nintendo 64 video game theme songs live and their GOLDENEYE cover is fantastic 🔥

[▼ Kiel James Patrick @KJP]

If you want to hate America watch the news, if you want to love America drive across it. 🇺🇸

[Jesse Conklin @jconklin05]

@therealballgame there’s three levels of rich…

1. cutting your own grass

2. paying someone else to cut your grass

3. cutting your own grass

[Jesse Conklin @jconklin05]

@RaminNasibov SimCity 2000

[Jesse Conklin @jconklin05]

Yes

[Ferny @FernyOfficial]

@jconklin05 @MarioNawfal @GeoPWatch Hey @jconklin05, I am a reporter with Bellingham Metro News and I was wondering if I could use your video Un-exclusively on all platforms for Bellingham Metro News and Its sister companies?

[Jesse Conklin @jconklin05]

@MarioNawfal @GeoPWatch Here is my camera capturing the sound

[Jesse Conklin @jconklin05]

@sentdefender You can hear it on my doorbell cam

[Jesse Conklin @jconklin05]

@therealballgame 👆🏼