The 2010 FIFA World Cup begins tomorrow in South Africa, and although there is some tangible excitement in the air for the USA vs. England game this Saturday, there is simply not a unified love for soccer that equates to that of football, basketball, and baseball in the mind of the average American sports fan. In fact, there is still a portion of the US population that simply dismisses soccer as irrelevant, even as the rest of the world relishes in the greatness of the biggest sporting event on the planet. Going even further, I would argue that as a society, we tend to tune in to World Cup soccer and the MLS out of courtesy, not out of a true love for the game.
The basic reasons for the general lack of respect for soccer in the USA greatly revolve around old school nationalistic ideals and a fear of embracing outside ideas that aren’t made specifically in America, a form of unintended sporting protectionism. As big as our NFL Super Bowl is in the minds of the American public, there is simply no sporting event that comes even close to matching the nearly billion viewers expected to witness this year’s World Cup via TV, smart phone, online, and on radio. Simply put, by ignoring the significance of soccer, those who chose to blindly dismiss the sport are choosing to miss out on an opportunity to create a deeper bond with the global community.
This assertion may appear exaggerated on the surface, but when you consider the positive globalization of sports like basketball and baseball, the integration of sports into our relationship with foreign countries can serve as a source of unification between cultures that may otherwise not share any true common interests. Of course, team sport can never replace political relationships, but the chance to engage those whom we seek to know, but have trouble approaching, exists with an event like the World Cup that can provide a unique avenue to introduction and cordiality on a global stage. In reality, the inherent sporting protectionism present in American culture will never allow soccer to trump American football, baseball, basketball, or even Canada’s hockey, in popularity. But, there is no reason for us as a society to act like soccer is off limits to our kids and culture. Sure, we have the MLS, but the majority of the fans of these teams are only in their seats to see the best foreign imports from the European leagues, and not the next LeBron James of soccer.
The ultimate irony of the soccer phobia is that the very same anti-soccer contingent that hates on soccer whenever it comes up in conversation then suddenly expects our team to reach the final 16 of every World Cup. Even as they give the sport of soccer the shaft for the other three years of the four year cycle, these people, in the name of popularity, act as if they have a right to comment on the state of American soccer. It’s time for America to finally embrace the world’s sport. Maybe then team USA will take it to the next level. Till then, they will be as good as our support for the sport nationally.
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