AFC Richmond had Trent Crimm.
The University of New Mexico had Ryan Swanson.
Like the fictional “Ted Lasso” journalist, the UNM professor spent a season embedded in a soccer team. Both chose significant years: a push for promotion, and the final fall for a storied program.
Yet unlike the fired Independent writer, Swanson actually produced a book that can be read.
“A Beautiful Shame: One Team’s Fight for Survival in a New Era of College Sports” details the Lobos’ 2018 season, months after officials announced the men’s soccer program would be discontinued. The decision — following the first rumblings of major disruptions in college sports including the transfer portal and NIL, and Title IX directives — caused a statewide uproar.
Key players transferred from Albuquerque. The squad struggled. Swanson was there – at training sessions, matches, and off the field. All along, he took notes.
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