What I’m Reading: June 17 2007
American soccer fans were overjoyed this week as they read Steven Wells’s piece in the Guardian headlined Americans are soccer-savvy … and that scares little Englanders. In the article, Wells argues that Americans know more about the beautiful game than those across the Atlantic care to admit and that fear of us becoming better than the English scares them. “Why are we scared? Because as a nation we have a desperate need to feel superior to the vibrant barbarian culture that’s replaced us as top global ass-kicker.”
Alexi Lalas celebrates after scoring the second goal in the US national team’s 2-0 victory over England
The number of comments posted in response to Wells’s piece shows the depth of feeling it inspired. From Americans saying “thank you” to Scandinavians pointing out they also notice English arrogance with a few English nay-sayers thrown in, the article brought out an impassioned discussion among readers.
While I have criticized Wells in the past for over-generalizing about American soccer based on his interactions with a few people, I think this piece is spot on. There are more and more Americans with a sophisticated knowledge of soccer (and quite a few Englishmen and women mired in blissful ignorance). And in a country of 300 million people, not everyone has to be in to soccer to make the sport successful. If only a percentage, say 60 million, become knowledgeable soccer fans, that will be more than the entire population of a small island nation called England.
With soccer a relatively established sport in the US today, it’s easy to forget the days when it wasn’t so. Nowadays, I can watch games from leagues across the world, but it wasn’t long ago that I was forced to record World Cup games and watch them over and over for the next four years because they were, literally, the only soccer on TV. Further evidence of how far American soccer has come can be seen in an article by Clive Toye, former president of the New York Cosmos. Writing in Soccer America, Toye focuses on the business aspect of the game, pointing out that companies sponsored soccer during the NASL days simply because their owners were soccer fans, while companies today do so out of much more selfish – but ultimately self-sustaining – desires to reach potential customers. Much as we might like to see soccer as just a sport, it will only make progress long-term with the support of corporate sponsors.
Everywhere soccer in this country develops, it retains a unique local flavor. Much as FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake might choose their names in an attempt to connect with distant teams and traditions, American soccer will always be identifiably American. Real Salt Lake announced last week that it would host friendlies against two historic teams, Everton and Boca Juniors. Yet even while the Utah team attempts to draw in true fans with these prestigious opponents, it also offers a nod to the Mormon population which makes up most of the state. The two friendlies are being promoted as part of Pioneer Day weekend festivities. For those not familiar with this Utah holiday, Pioneer Day celebrates the arrival of Brigham Young and other Mormons in Utah after being forced out of their previous home in Illinois. No word on whether Jello will be sold at the stadium.
Tim Vickery writes in his BBC column this week about the value players in South America put on playing for their national team. Vickery makes the point that, in South America, representing one’s national team is considered a far greater honor than in some European countries. He gives the example of David Bentley, who recently turned down the chance to represent the England U-21s (he says, “a youngster from Brazil or Argentina would be looking for any opportunity to make his name”). This difference may be due to the fact that, for many in South America, “[The national team] shirt is the most potent symbol of the nation. It is the form through which their country appears in front of the whole world for positive reasons.” Says 1970 World Cup winner Tostao, “”It’s through football that our people feel avenged - it’s like a message that’s saying you might be the First World in other things, but we’re better at this.”
As I wrote last week, FIFA’s decision to ban international matches at high altitudes has brought many protests, most from Bolivia. The media coverage of these protests has been enormous (see the New York Times Week in Review piece), Evo Morales is, if nothing else, extremely media-savvy and the pictures coming out of his protest matches atop mountains are stunning.
Finally, the most disturbing story of the week came from the Observer. Dan McDougall wrote last week about a new slave trade, involving young West African boys recruited under murky pretenses by agents who hope to sell them for profit to European teams. Writes McDougall
An investigation by The Observer in Ivory Coast last week found that Lebanese businessmen in Abidjan, an entrepreneurial community once preoccupied with diamond and timber smuggling, are turning their attention to football, establishing illegal training schools across the country in an attempt to farm the best talent out to some of the Middle East and Europe’s largest clubs.
Though technically illegal, these businessmen find ways to smuggle young boys from Africa to places where clubs might snap them up (and pay their agents a hefty fee). FIFA’s attempts to limit this – they made it illegal for players under 18 to play for European teams – have not proven successful and the scale of the problem is so large that NGOs have gotten involved.
The murky details surrounding the transfer of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to West Ham have rightfully brought up many questions. But any transgressions in that affair pale in comparison with what appears to be going on in Ivory Coast.
