The Popularity of Soccer - Essay Example

Informative Synthesis Essay. American football is much more a man’s game, than soccer, which in the United s at least, is seen as a game for children and those too weak to stand up to the rigors of a truly physical contact sport. We teach sport to our children and we participate in sport as adults, whether actively as players and coaches, or more passively as supporters of our favourite team. For many people sport is part of their national and local identity and it provides a great deal of enjoyment. In recent years the American sports scene has been changing, and the traditional sports like American Football and baseball are now in competition with the increasingly popular European game of soccer. Leonard P. Oliver (Text 1) in a book chapter of 1986 argues that “soccer is here and none of us will ever be the same again” Allen Barra, (Text 2) in an online article of May 24, 2002, argues the opposite opinion that soccer will never “break through in America.” Opinion on the subject of soccer appears to be divided, and most people hold quite strong views either in favour of soccer or against it. One of the key factors in this debate is the “Americanness” of particular sports. In reading these two articles it becomes clear that some parts of society, but perhaps not all of them, value home grown sports more highly than sports which appear to be “foreign.” This could be seen as slightly illogical, since so many American citizens are descended from European or South American based families. Brazil, Argentina and many other South American nations have no difficulty in accepting soccer, not to mention many African nations. Nevertheless, it seems that both articles are arguing that America’s ambivalence about soccer is tied up with a negative attitude to the former colonial masters in Europe. Oliver P. Leonard reports upon of the introduction of soccer into America at all levels. He begins with some facts and figures about the phenomenal rise in soccer’s popularity, claiming that “soccer is the fastest growing high school sport in the nation.” He notes also that despite the financial failure of the National American Soccer League (NASL) soccer is still growing as a school sport. Barra observes the same trend but portrays soccer as a sport requiring little talent. He says it is ideal for kids who are not good enough to play American sports: “What the hell, it’s the reason I liked playing soccer so much. I wasn’t tall enough for basketball, nor strong or fast enough for football, and I didn’t have the arm or hand-eye co-ordination for baseball.” The two authors have different attitudes to the sport, but both demonstrate how popular it is at school level. The influence of social class is also a factor in football’s popularity but whereas in England soccer is a working class sport, played on street corners and in public parks, in America it has become a middle class white sport. Leonard P. Oliver speaks of “over coaching” in which parents interfere too much with the way that children learn to play. This is not helped by the fact that most parents have never played the game themselves, since they grew up with all American sports experiences. Barra maintains that American parents want their children to have a successful experience without the competitive achievement of physical contact sports. Both authors agree that soccer is milder, and less aggressive than, say, American football, and Oliver P. Leonard even points out that it is a game his daughters can play along with the boys, at least until teenage years when they tend to be in separate leagues. The international appeal of soccer is one of its main attractions for Leonard P. Oliver. The great spectacle of the World Cup that arrives every four years is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of different national styles. He lists the different national styles that have developed in other countries, like the joyous “poetry in motion” of the Brazilians, the “Dunkirk style” of the English, the systematic “ten robots alongside Rumenigge” style of the Germans and the “technical soccer” of the Soviet Russians. The media do not promote soccer in this exciting and picturesque way, he argues, and so it does not flourish as a business and it does not attract the huge spectator following that occurs in other countries. Allen Barra, in contrast, resents this hidden agenda of multiculturalism when he says “some people want us to feel guilty for not paying enough attention to soccer.” He does not hide his contempt for the idea that this is a world class sport which Americans have been slow to appreciate: “Yes, OK, soccer is the most ‘popular’ game in the world. And rice is the most ‘popular’ food in the world. So what?” For Allen Barra the egalitarianism of the World Cup, where small countries can defeat much larger countries, is something he does not enjoy, but he feels pressure from public opinion. He thinks he should at least pretend that he does enjoy it. For him soccer is like an “edifying but boring” article and people who like soccer feel in some way morally superior to “self-centered Americans”. One important reason for the imbalance between younger and older fans of soccer in America is the lack of infrastructure for the professional game. Leonard P. Oliver notes that there are far more children playing soccer than adults and that the talent pool is like a pyramid, with very few good players at the top, and a lot at the bottom, in the junior leagues. This means that there is little success at national level, and players have nowhere to go. Allen Barra looks at this from the other end, observing that as soon as any American soccer players demonstrate ability, they are bought by foreign teams. He argues that this is bad for American football, because World Cup success means a talent drain at home. When reading these two articles it is very clear that both of the authors agree on the main trends in schools, and the failings of the professional game. There is insufficient money for big teams to buy and keep good players playing for America and there is no proper league infrastructure either. Soccer teams do not have the huge stadiums that they see in Europe, and their supporter numbers are not large enough to ensure commercial survival. American news reporting focuses attention on violence, and winning and not on the skills and nuances of the game. Each author uses a different set of points to explain why this should be so. Pro- American attitudes, and a belief that America is better than other countries may account for the bias against soccer. The reason for Leonard P. Oliver’s enthusiasm may lie in his relatively recent ties with British culture: “I grew up with soccer in the streets of Philadelphia, taught by an immigrant Scottish father.” Individuals who have experience of other cultures, through their family backgrounds, or even through travel and international contacts, are generally more open to soccer, and more keen to enjoy the talents of non American teams, and even to follow the fortunes of American players who go on to play for foreign teams. The British still followed David Beckham’s career, for example, when he left Manchester united to play in Spain and America. For Europeans, soccer is a truly international experience, and they can define their national affiliations in flexible ways. This is difficult for Americans, who like to dominate the sports they have invented, and seem unwilling to engage in a global playing field where they are the new boys, and not the experts. In conclusion, therefore, both authors argue that the popularity of soccer in schools is likely to grow, because values of internationalism and teamwork, rather than American nationalism and individual excellence, are currently fashionable in the middle class society which determines school policy. The media, dominated by an older generation, currently favours the American sports, and this is the reason why soccer will gain in popularity with older people. The lack of infrastructure and finance is also likely to be a long term problem, since the national deficit does not allow for major new investments on non-essential agendas like sports center diversification. The hypothesis that America resents the superior skills of foreign, and especially European soccer teams is therefore largely true for the present, at least, There are grounds for hope, however, that this may not always be the case. When today’s children grow older, and when media are more fully available on a self-selection basis, for example from international and web-based sources rather than from American television channels, then the pro-soccer attitudes of younger citizens may well turn the tide. The change has already started, and it is just a matter of time until its effects are fully known. Those who have international heritage and experience are the first to detect it happening, and American has not yet learned how to approach things from this angle and this makes it hard for America to join the global soccer community with enthusiasm and commitment, rather than its customary suspicion and ambivalence. Although the two authors cite different evidence to make their point, they agree that soccer and its international culture has not yet broken through at adult and national level. References Barra, Allen. “Soccer may be the world’s sport, but it will never be America’s.” Online article, May 24, 2002. Available at: http://www.salon.com/news/sports/col/barra/2002/05/24/worldcup/ Oliver, Leonard P. “Cultural Implications of the Soccer Phenomenon in America,” in Bernard Mergen (ed) Cultural Dimensions of Play, Games and Sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc., 1986. Available at: http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/culture.html Read More