Triumph in the middle of nowhere: The most 1980s underdog story of the 1980s

“If you put Harrison Ford, Sting, and Andy Chapman in a room together in Kansas in 1981, the girls of Kansas would have trampled the actor and the rock star in an effort to get closer to the charismatic young soccer player.” – Rolf Potts

In this essay episode of Deviate, Rolf talks about the iconically 1980s sports phenomenon known as Major League Indoor Soccer, and how the league came about (5:00); his childhood fixation with the Wichita Wings, and how the presence of the pro soccer team and its players affected his mid-sized Kansas hometown (11:00); and the most famous game in MISL history, which pitted the Wings against the St. Louis Steamers, and what became of major league indoor soccer — and its legacy –as the 1980s wound down (23:00).

God Save the Wings (@GodSaveTheWings) is a feature-length documentary about the Wichita Wings, an indoor soccer team of European party boys who went toe-to-toe with all major markets in the crazy 1980s. Its latest screening is April 12-18, 2021 at Kansas City FilmFest International.

Tim O’Bryhim (@WichitaStory) is the producer of God Save the Wings, and co-author of Make This Town Big: The Story of Roy Turner and the Wichita Wings.

Notable Links:

• Wichita Wings (indoor soccer team)
• NASL (American outdoor soccer league)
• Henry Kissinger (politician and diplomat)
• Pele (Brazilian soccer player)
• MISL (soccer league)
• Show, Sex, and Suburbs (Sports Illustrated article)
• Norman Lear (TV producer)
• Green Bay Packers (NFL football team)
• Krazy George (professional cheerleader)
• Andy Chapman (MISL soccer player)
• Nolan Ryan (baseball player)
• Tony Dorsett (football player)
• St. Louis Steamers (indoor soccer team)
• Slobo Ilijevski (MISL soccer player)
• Mike Dowler (MISL soccer player)
• New York Arrows (indoor soccer team)
• ESPN (sports TV network)
• FNN-Score (sports TV network)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at [email protected].