With dozens of teams, hundreds of players, and tens of thousands of spectators, the Metropolitan Soccer League was one of the most successful radical alternative to bourgeois sports in U.S. history.

‘Growth of Metropolitan Soccer League Booms Workers’ Sports’ by J. F. Senyal from the Daily Worker. Vol. 5 No. 104. May 3, 1928.

“The Metropolitan Workers” as it is called in short by many of the soccer players and fans who are connected or acquainted with the league, has shown that there is a real basis for workers’ sports. In the six months of the existence of this organization it has grown from a group of seven teams to an organization now comprising some thirty-two teams.

About two months before the soccer season several soccer players got together and discussed the possibilities of forming a workers’ soccer league. With the opening of the season, the league had about nine teams in two divisions. Before very long, these nine teams swelled to 17 teams, and already the members of the executive committee were discussing the advisability of forming a third division. This was done.

Today the Metropolitan Workers has 32 teams in its ranks. These teams are members of some 20 organizations. In these 32 teams there are over 550 soccer players. Today there is no more room for the acceptance of more teams, not even in the third division. This is due to the speedy growth of this organization. These teams who have been recently accepted have joined with the understanding that they play friendly games this season and scheduled games in the following season.

Many will ask the question why this unprecedented success of the Metropolitan Workers. This can be contributed to several things, the two outstanding of which are, first, the purpose of the league and secondly its method of functioning. The purpose for which the Metropolitan Workers was built was primarily the development of workers’ sports which would be free of many of the evils and shortcomings of many soccer leagues in the city. We had noticed that in the past there was a great deal of discontent with the methods the other leagues used.

Then again there was lots of kicking about several people up on top in these other leagues, running the organization to suit themselves. Often it could be seen that the individuals concerned were not interested in promoting sports, but only their individual business interests above the interests of the league, and, of course, as is to be expected, their decisions on many disputed points were made accordingly. There were also many soccer teams which continually felt the abuse of the ruling clique because of their foreign-born origin.

In the Metropolitan Workers it costs a team between $4 and $7 a game. Instead of making the home team pay all the expenses as is done by other leagues, the Metropolitan divides these expenses equally. Schedules are made up and sent to the teams each week. The teams receive a copy of the league’s standing along with the schedule. This helps to stimulate considerable interest in the league’s activity.

Popularize Workers’ Sports.

Because of our methods we have been able to popularize workers’ sports among many soccer players and fans. We expect to, due to these methods, see many teams join the ranks of the Metropolitan Workers very soon. In fact, it is agreed by all that the Metropolitan Workers’ Soccer League in the coming season will be second to none among the amateur leagues in New York City. The successful growth of the Metropolitan Workers’ Soccer League should bring encouragement to the workers’ soccer teams all over the country. The Metropolitan Workers’ Soccer League will gladly furnish information to whoever requests it. J. F. Senyal, 945 Fox St., New York City, is secretary.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1928/1928-ny/v05-n104-NY-may-03-1928-DW-LOC.pdf