drew carey is not as dumb as he looks

In an article for ESPN the Magazine, Austin Kelley wrote "Drew Carey, part comedian, part owner of the Seattle Sounders, said recently that his team would like to emulate FC Barcelona. As the MLS season starts tomorrow, with the Sounders hosting Red Bulls New York, American soccer fans must smile at such sentiments. Imagine the attacking panache of the Catalan side -- Messi's dazzling runs, Xavi's ingenious passing, Eto'o's sneaky finishing -- taking root in the Pacific Northwest.

But Carey wasn't talking about Barca's style of play. Nor was he talking about their commitment to charity (FC Barcelona's shirt sponsor is UNICEF. Sounders FC's is X-Box). Carey wants to copy the Spanish club's system of fan participation -- sort of. Sounders fans won't actually own the club like the Catalan fans (Carey & co. are taking care of that), but they will get to vote the general managers in and out, like Barca fans do."

Drew Carey's idea of having the leadership of a sports team in the hands of the fans who support the club is not an original one. Not only does FC Barcelona involve its fans, but Real Madrid, another world class Spanish league team, has also elected their team President in this fashion for years.

What if, the Detroit Lions fans got to elect who would take over their team? What if the millions and millions of Yankees fans got to elect who would control the future of the squad? It only takes a yearly fee to be a member of the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid election process. Drew Carey is looking to bring this interesting concept to American soccer with the Seattle Sounders.

Whats next? An American team paying a charity, like Unicef, to wear its logo on their shirts like FC Barcelona did in 2006.