Contemporary Issues in Sport and Leisure - Essay Example

THE SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE GLOBALIZATION OF SOCCER IN THE UNITED S Through an extensive review of related literature, the present study intended to investigate the sociological aspects of the globalization of soccer in the United States. The key findings are as follows: 1) poorer countries suffer from “leg drain” over the richest soccer clubs, including those of the US, indicating the imperative for an international authority to implement non-commercial rules and help address the harshness of those which are exclusively for commercial purposes; 2) the seeming lack of enthusiasm in the sport has also been taken to mean as apathy or indifference – interpreted in parallel with the US’ approach to pressing modern-day issues; and 3) the globalization of soccer has been presented as a reflection of interdependency and unity among audiences, and among nations. Review of Related Literature The 202 Soccer World Cup has been acknowledged as the “greatest show on earth”, and it is said that the number of people who watch the event exceeds that for any other event (Sportsprof.com, 2005; Finance Professor.com, 2005; The Globalist, 2002; The Missouri Review, 2005). Moreover, it is a record-setter, establishing new breakthrough records every time it is staged every four years. However, only a handful of Americans will be among this number. The 2002 event will all the more boast of a large audience since Asia is among one of the most populated regions in the globe. The Globalist (2002) has estimated that for that year, pegging China at 350 million television sets, the total number of viewers may be just a little less than 3 billion. In the Sub-saharan region, there are only about 67 million television sets for a populace of around 530 million, but the zest with which Africans feel for the game would compel them to be tuned in to their radios instead. This passion for the game of other races and regions is placed in stark contrast against that of Americans, who have placed themselves in voluntary exclusion. It is interesting to note that soccer has been taken as a mirror of politics, where the US has taken a similar stance of apathy. It is said that soccer is more than just a game, but rather is a “microcosm of life itself”, along with its emotions and parallelisms. Further, some authors assert that this indifference indicates a more profound truth about world politics; that is, the United States has wilfully chosen to isolate itself in several critical areas, such as the struggle against global warming. The present study intends to assess the sociological aspects of the globalization of soccer in the United States by discussing its implications on poorer countries, parallelisms of the game to other issues of the day, and its ability to promote unity and cross-cultural interaction. Context to the Study The contemporary issues of increasing returns to scale, the transfer of technology, and endogenous skills have received considerable attention from growth literature. The objective is to demonstrate how some neo-classical violations might cause the focus of both capital and labor in the most progressive regions of the globe, or the most developed portions of the country (Coleman, 2004; Easterly, 2001). An almost perfect instance that may demonstrate these and other social and cultural issues would be soccer. Soccer, or football in non-American jargon, may be quite easily considered the most globalized among all sports; that is, if globalization is to be defined as the capacity of players to move between clubs and countries (Finance Professor.com, 2005; Sportsprof.com, 2005). While globalization is always applicable for soccer, it has progressed tremendously as the number of foreign soccer players in its primary market, Europe, has been lifted. The concentration of high quality soccer players in a top few clubs is only one among the many sociological aspects of soccer and globalization which are discussed in the paper. Scope and Delimitations The present study aims to investigate the social impact of the globalization of soccer in the United States. Moreover, the country in focus is the United States, in so far as soccer’s cultural and sociological implications are concerned. The study mainly utilized secondary data to accomplish this task; thus, a quantitative method was not used. Another limitation would be the fact that most of the sources are opinions, commentaries or features; as such, there may be subjective views that need to be validated further through empirical studies. Review of Related Literature Of US Sports and Globalization The globalization of sports is worth studying; for instance, baseball to a significant degree has failed together with softball as it had been excluded from the Olympics. While it is played in several countries including The Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia and Canada, it can and has not reached as much scope (The Globalist, 2002; Sportsprof.com, 2005). Thus, it has not become popular or has not even reached countries such as China or India in the same manner that soccer has arrived in the US. Nevertheless, the offshore impact has been notable. On the contrary, while soccer has not developed to become the United States’ national past time, it has adopted soccer adequately to qualify the country for the World Cup (Sportsprof, 2005; Conolly, 2005). The US has not exported its sports more effectively than it had imported other countries. For instance, while soccer is played in Florida, baseball has not amassed as much popularity in Shanghai or Bombay (Conolly, 2005; Sportsprof.com, 2005; Digital Term Papers, 2005). The ‘trade balance’ of the United States in the globalization of sports seems to be a draw. The US has not exported either baseball or American football very well. In addition, NFL Europe has performed quite acceptably, while Canadian football remains to be but an interesting phenomenon. The US, on the other hand, has made a significant mark in ice hockey, because there are now numerous American-born players, whereas this cannot be said thirty years ago. While this sport is popular in several cold-weather nations, it is hardly a US export. For soccer, it has unseated Little League Baseball; moreover, the country has performed commendably on a global scale most recently. In other words, the US has imported better than it than it has exported baseball (ABC News, 2005; Conolly, 2005; Sayson, 2004; Sportsprof.com, 2005). There have also been forecasts of the fascinating globalization of sports in the years that lie ahead. In fact, China has been solidifying its athletic base to convey a message internationally for the 2008 Olympics, which it is hosting in Beijing. More than thirty years ago, the key players were the US and USSR, as the countries which brought home the most medals. In 2008, there is said to be a new daunting entrant – China (Conolly, 2005; Sportsprof.com, 2005; Weinberger, 2004). Given the burgeoning number of players, the resources, and the plain doggedness with which Americans are mastering the game, there is no reason to think the U.S. team cannot compete with the very best, even perhaps winning the World Cup in 2006 or 2010 (Weinberger, 2004; Sportsprof.com, 2005). Weinberger goes on further to say, “But at the same time, soccer in America will always be an acquired skill, a contrived love nurtured by necessity (the ultimate test of globalization?) rather than instinct. It will never run in the blood, even as the blood changes…And in doing so they will underestimate the degree to which soccer is indeed taking root in this country.” Globalization and the Soccer Divide Di Robilant (2005), in her review of How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, attempts to explain America’s culture wars in terms of the game. She has categorized two parties that were born after the US 9/11 – and is “cosmopolitan, shares values with Europe, opposes war in Iraq, and, presumably, is amenable to soccer; the other believes in American exceptionalism, views Europeans as lax and degraded, and regards soccer as "a symbol of the U.S. junking its tradition to get with the rest of the worlds program" (DiRobilant, 2005; Ford, 2004; The Global Game.com, 2005; The Globalist, 2004; Young, 2005). Noticing the wide array of ethnicities and nationalities on the soccer field has become commonplace (DiRobilant, 2005; Root, 2005). For instance, the French, Dutch and Brazilian players, just to name a few, can be seen on teams spanning the globe. Even Washingtons young D.C.-United has Ghanaian-born, 15-year-old Freddy Adu to thank for causing revitalized enthusiasm in the team (DiRobilant, 2005). The "buying" and "selling" of international soccer players is a gauge of how much smaller the world has become through progress in technology and transportation (Easterly & Levine, 2001; Holtzberry, 2004; Weinberger, 2004). Soccer is also symbolic for globalization (Foer in Vadehra, 2005). Speaking at the World Affairs Council on the relationship between the popular sport and globalization, Foer (in Vadehra, 2005) detailed how globalization can be seen in the cultural and social surroundings of the sport around the world (Young, 2005; Vadehra, 2005). He spent eight months examining how globalization has affected soccer and soccer fans. Specifically, Foer was intent at finding out whether soccer giants, like Manchester United and Real Madrid, and multinational companies global reach and corporate savvy were dejecting smaller, regional teams (About.com, 1998; Vadehra, 2005; Weinberger, 2004). There has also been an attempt to answer the following query through an analysis of the game: Is it the solution to the worlds problems as many proponents of the phenomenon argue or a system of exploitation and homogenization? The conclusion Foer made was that neither theory was completely correct. Reality lies somewhere in the middle with globalization creating both positive and negative effects for localities around the world. These effects can be demonstrated through Scotlands two soccer teams: the Celtics and the Rangers. The Celtics, a traditionally Catholic team, and the Rangers, a traditionally Protestant team, have had a long-standing rivalry rooted in religion. Despite the animosity, the Rangers have towards the Celtics, the team has recruited Catholics from around the world (Agger, 2001; Foer, 2001; Foer in Vadehra, 2005; Weinberger, 2004; Young, 2005). Globalization may have changed certain aspects of the Glasgow teams, such as the diversity mix of players, but the religious affiliations held toward the two Scottish teams could not be ridden off (Vadehra, 2005). Ultimately, the nation-state might turn out to be one of the big losers in this age of globalization. That is, as nations and national identity have lost their juice, people, in a lot of cases, have begun reverting back to older ways of identifying themselves. Soccer can also be used to explain the flow of capital around the world. For example, though Brazilian players are renowned for their skilled footwork, Brazilian clubs were struggling financially by the 1990s. Foreign investors, such as Parmalat, invested millions of dollars to prop up the Brazilian teams (Young, 2005). However, capitalism failed. Corrupt practices, already in existence prior to investments, were deepened with more money coming in. On the positive side, international soccer can also bring the world together, just as proponents of globalization argue (Milanovic, 2001; Weinberger, 2004; Young, 2005). The effects of globalization are mainly economic; however, Harvey (2005) asserts that the effects of globalization on sports and recreational activities extend farther. “From the Olympics right down to the baseball diamond at the end of your street. Supranational organizations, such as the International Olympic Committee, are having a huge influence on national sporting regulations in various countries because these organizations, more often than not, finance sports featured in the Olympics. In addition, television and the Internet are exposing a much larger audience to new sports. Consequently, a homogenization of sport is emerging. Soccer for example, is considered international. (Harvey, 2005).” In Canada for instance, baseball diamonds are being replaced with soccer fields because of its progressing demand. Even hockey, long though-of as Canada’s national sport, is undertaking changes because of globalization. The National Hockey League regularly places European players and numerous NHL players ended up playing for European teams due to the league strike (Harvey, 2005; Weinberger, 2004). Apart from culture and history, Foer (in Harvey, 2005) likewise investigates economic-related issues – the outcomes of migration and the persistence of corruption, for example. He also cites some instances of anti-Semitism and racism related to the globalization of the sport (Harvey, 2005; Hilton, 2002; Weinberger, 2004). Apparently, the worlds most accepted sport is also a monument to role playing, with fans adopting multiple identities through their clubs (Harvey, 2005; Weinberger, 2004). Some of these can be very alarming: many hard-core European fan clubs are nationalist, even racist; Belgrades infamous Red Star fans, for example, formed the core of Arkans Tigers, a militia dedicated to ethnic cleansing. Majority of fans are not budding Arkans, and even soccer bigotry is often more part of the ritual of collective fan identity than a true call to violent action. That does not make it less disgusting, of course, but for a phenomenon to be understood, some lucidity is demanded. As author Tim Parks (in Harvey, 2005) wrote in his ode to Italian soccer, A Season With Verona (strangely absent from Foers bibliography, though he did interview Parks), for the soccer fan, "Identity is more important than morality. Extremism offers an excitement that moderation cannot afford." Perhaps, the most apparent way in which the growing interdependency of nations is reflected in soccer is the players. "You could see globalization on the pitch. During the nineties, Basque teams, under the stewardship of Welsh coaches, stocked up on Dutch and Turkish players; Moldavian squads imported Nigerians. Everywhere you looked, it suddenly seemed, national borders and national identities had been swept into the dustbin of soccer history (Foer in Harvey, 2005)." Fédération Internationale de Football Association is widely acknowledged as the "United Nations" of the soccer world, and has one of the largest global memberships internationally (Conolly, 2005). "FIFA has 205 members. It has more members than United Nations," Kevin Payne, president of D.C.-United said. Soccer has placed representatives of clashing countries into the arena. In 2000, political enemies Iran and the United States played against each other in California, two years after Iran beat the United States in a World Cup match (Ramsay, 2005). Despite on-field frolicking, the social outcomes of the event could be observed on the bleacher seats. “Many people in that stadium had the Iranian flag painted on one cheek and the American flag on the other. I thought is was a very graphic example that when people come together, engaged in something that is of common interest as opposed to governments, a lot of good can come from that (Payne in Vadehra, 2005). Vadehra, 2005)." Conclusions In conclusion, it may be noted that soccer has several far-reaching social implications. For one, it is reflects the “leg drain” suffered by poorer countries over the richest soccer clubs, including those of the US. This suggests the need for a global authority to implement non-commercial rules and help address the harshness of those which are exclusively for commercial purposes. If these more globalized rules were to be implemented, there shall be no reversal of the leg drain in poorer countries. The example of soccer demonstrates the “desirable type of globalization” where one reduces limits to labor mobility, increases the overall output through interactions with people, utilizing increasing returns to skill, while ensuring that some of the gains obtained are shared with those who have less economic power. Another implication of the globalization of soccer is the fact that it has began to progressively take root in the United States, and yet the seeming lack of enthusiasm in the sport has also been taken to mean as apathy or indifference – interpreted in parallel with the US’ approach to pressing modern-day issues such as global warming. Moreover, soccer has also been utilized to analyze the flow of capital around the world. Finally, the globalization of soccer has been presented as a reflection of interdependency and unity among audiences, and among nations. References ABC News. 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