The World's Game
Despite the incredible success soccer has had in establishing itself as the premier sport around the globe, there is one corner of the world where it has failed to ignite the same passion and devotion that it has in most countries: the United States. For years, scholars and soccer aficionados have been trying to explain this mystery, and numerous theories have been proposed accounting for Americans' seeming indifference to the game. Michael Mandelbaum, the author of The Meaning of Sport, wrote in Britain's The Observer newspaper in 2004 that, "the cultural, economic, and psychological space available for sport is limited and that space is already taken" (1). Andrei Markovits, soccer correspondent for The Boston Globe, echoed similar sentiments when he wrote that, "America filled its own sports space with three games (plus the Canadian import of ice hockey) thus crowding out soccer's chances of becoming part of America's sports culture" (2). Journalist Steven Warshawsky has a different take on the reason why soccer has not taken off in the States, attributing it to the lack of scoring relative to other American sports. Writing in The American Thinker, Warshawsky comments that,
"This isn't boring, but it is deeply unsatisfying to Americans. My theory is that Americans have neither the belief system nor the temperament for such a Sisyphean sport as soccer. We are a society of doers, achievers, and builders. Our country is dynamic, constantly growing, and becoming ever bigger, richer, and stronger. We do not labor for the sake of laboring. And we like our sports teams to score. Scoring is a tangible accomplishment that can be identified, quantified, tabulated, compared, analyzed, and, above all else, increased. This is the American way. That soccer may be "the most popular sport in the world" speaks volumes —— but not about America's lack of sporting knowledge or sophistication, as soccer aficionados like to argue. Rather, I think it reflects the static, crimped, and defeatist attitudes held by so many of the other peoples on earth. The day that soccer becomes one of the most popular sports in the United States is the day that American exceptionalism diminishes in our souls" (3).
This last sentiment expressed by Warshawsky, namely that hatred of soccer allows for the preservation of a sense of American exceptionalism, is precisely what the author Franklin Foer attributes American's reluctance to accept soccer to in his book How Soccer Explains the World. In a chapter entitled "How Soccer Explains the American Culture Wars," Foer argues that soccer has come to epitomize that liberal, elitist, Euro-centrism that is so reviled by mainstream Americans. He writes that, "In every other part of the world, soccer's sociology varies little: it is the province of the working class. [America] inverts the class structure of the game. Here, aside from Latino immigrants, the professional classes follow the game most avidly and the working class couldn't give a toss about it." (4). Consequently, according to Foer, those Americans who do embrace soccer are seen as traitors, having turned their backs on America's pastime in favor of a European socialist sport. Proponents of this belief view soccer as representative of the lax European work ethic and moral relativism that they feel is threatening to the American way of life. As Tom Weir wrote in the pages of USA Today, this anti-soccer lobby believes "that hating soccer is more American than apple pie, driving a pickup, or spending Saturday afternoons channel surfing with the remote control" (5).
"This isn't boring, but it is deeply unsatisfying to Americans. My theory is that Americans have neither the belief system nor the temperament for such a Sisyphean sport as soccer. We are a society of doers, achievers, and builders. Our country is dynamic, constantly growing, and becoming ever bigger, richer, and stronger. We do not labor for the sake of laboring. And we like our sports teams to score. Scoring is a tangible accomplishment that can be identified, quantified, tabulated, compared, analyzed, and, above all else, increased. This is the American way. That soccer may be "the most popular sport in the world" speaks volumes —— but not about America's lack of sporting knowledge or sophistication, as soccer aficionados like to argue. Rather, I think it reflects the static, crimped, and defeatist attitudes held by so many of the other peoples on earth. The day that soccer becomes one of the most popular sports in the United States is the day that American exceptionalism diminishes in our souls" (3).
This last sentiment expressed by Warshawsky, namely that hatred of soccer allows for the preservation of a sense of American exceptionalism, is precisely what the author Franklin Foer attributes American's reluctance to accept soccer to in his book How Soccer Explains the World. In a chapter entitled "How Soccer Explains the American Culture Wars," Foer argues that soccer has come to epitomize that liberal, elitist, Euro-centrism that is so reviled by mainstream Americans. He writes that, "In every other part of the world, soccer's sociology varies little: it is the province of the working class. [America] inverts the class structure of the game. Here, aside from Latino immigrants, the professional classes follow the game most avidly and the working class couldn't give a toss about it." (4). Consequently, according to Foer, those Americans who do embrace soccer are seen as traitors, having turned their backs on America's pastime in favor of a European socialist sport. Proponents of this belief view soccer as representative of the lax European work ethic and moral relativism that they feel is threatening to the American way of life. As Tom Weir wrote in the pages of USA Today, this anti-soccer lobby believes "that hating soccer is more American than apple pie, driving a pickup, or spending Saturday afternoons channel surfing with the remote control" (5).
Members of the U.S. National Team
And yet, despite these virulent anti-soccer attitudes affecting some in the United States, the future may yet be bright for soccer. American viewership of soccer is on the rise, helped in no small part by ESPN's prominent coverage of the World Cup, the European Championship, and the English Premier League, as well as the increasing availability of soccer-only channels such as Setanta, GOLTV, and Fox Soccer Channel. In addition, more kids are playing soccer today than ever before. Already millions more play soccer than basketball, baseball, or football. As this generation comes to maturity, soccer will have its greatest opening in years to expand its role in American sports culture. Only time will tell whether or not Americans can truly come to appreciate the World's Game.
Additional Links of Interest
"Why America Hates Football"
"Why Americans Don't Like Soccer"
Interview With Franklin Foer
(1) Mandelbaum, Michael. "Why America Hates Football." http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1270849,00.html. 1 August 2004.
(2) Markovits, Andrei "Soccer Remains Foreign Concept to Most Americans." http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2006/06/05/soccer_remains_foreign_concept_to_most_americans/. 5 June 2006.
(3) Warshawsky, Steven. "Why Americans Don't Like Soccer." http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/06/why_americans_dont_like_soccer.html. 25 June 2006.
(4) Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization. 2006. Pg. 238-239.
(5) Quoted in: Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World. Pg. 240.
Additional Links of Interest
"Why America Hates Football"
"Why Americans Don't Like Soccer"
Interview With Franklin Foer
(1) Mandelbaum, Michael. "Why America Hates Football." http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1270849,00.html. 1 August 2004.
(2) Markovits, Andrei "Soccer Remains Foreign Concept to Most Americans." http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2006/06/05/soccer_remains_foreign_concept_to_most_americans/. 5 June 2006.
(3) Warshawsky, Steven. "Why Americans Don't Like Soccer." http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/06/why_americans_dont_like_soccer.html. 25 June 2006.
(4) Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization. 2006. Pg. 238-239.
(5) Quoted in: Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World. Pg. 240.
