Mixing Glitz and Politics, Soccer Lands in America
Private money and public diplomacy lure the world's most famous athlete
Legendary soccer star Pele and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shown embracing at Giants Stadium in 1977. Kissinger played a diplomatic role in bringing Pele to the U.S.
In the early 1970s, the New York Cosmos were an unremarkable, semi-professional soccer club playing a game that most Americans never cared for.
Within a few years, the team became the…
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