Prime Minister David Cameron, President Barack Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Jose Manuel Barroso, and others watch the overtime shootout of the Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich Champions League final during the G8 Summit
On the premiere show, I’m discussing the American perception of soccer as being a “sport for liberals.” Is there a perception of soccer as a “sport for liberals” in the United States and has that perception, if true, hurt the sport’s perception and popularity around the country? Additionally, why have conservatives such as Glenn Beck and Marc Thiessen targeted soccer for their ire?
Please post any thoughts on the subject or questions for the guests in the comments below. I will read the best and most interesting ones on the air.
UPDATE: Podcast now available. To listen or download, click here.
Test comment.
in the podcast you said in regards to the USWNT gold medal win that females were making it political by thanking Title IX but do you think we would even have a USWNT without Title IX or a team good enough to win Olympic medals and World Cup trophies?
Soccer transcends race, nationality, religion and gender. Definitely doesn’t sound conservative to me.
That’s the standard line from soccer fans and FIFA alike, but why do you think soccer has come in for so much criticism from American conservative pundits, radio hosts, etc.?
Sigh
Soccer isn’t inherently liberal, it just attracts people who are more international in their outlook, and willing to accept a sport where the US is far from dominant. From a strictly political perspective I’ve always wondered why the conservative media in the US would object to any sport where fans cover themselves in the flag and curse at Mexicans at least twice every four years. Remove the match and you’ve got the Republican national convention.
Speaking from personal experience, a lot of my friends (and myself) who like soccer are in post-Bachelor degree education (law school mostly). There’s a tendency (and some evidence) to associate more degrees with more liberal views. I would not say it’s completely true in my scenario, though. There’s a wide-ranging spectrum, but we never associate one political view with soccer. We just like some footie.
Soccer in America has exploded in popularity among YOUNG people. Younger Americans tend to be far more liberal than society as a whole, therefore the perception becomes that it is a “liberal” sport. Ridiculous if you ask me.
In america atleast, I believe there’s an indirect correlation between liberals and fandom of soccer. I don’t believe there’s a direct connection, but there’s plenty of data that shows this current young generation of americans list soccer as our 2nd favorite sport. And its also proven that young people tend to be more liberal. In summation, young people=tend to be more liberal.. and liberals like soccer becausea more young americans are liking soccer.
Its a foregin sport, and the right wing in an attempt to make liberal= socailist= foregin have attempted to latch liberal with soccer. I have even heard people go as far as calling it a communist sport. This was actually the topic of my final undergrad paper.
I’m a staunch conservative with a master’s degree and have loved soccer since 1998.
So why do you think so many conservatives single out soccer for disdain?
Aaron, when you say so many, please specify. Beck was joking while discussing it. Again, Rome says far more damaging things about soccer than any pundit does and fans listen to sports pundits over political pundits
I know i’m in the minority as a conservative soccer fan, but I don’t think the perception of soccer being a liberal sport keeps conservative fans away. It’s a generational issue.
As someone who listens to Beck, he jokingly mocks it, it’s sports casters like Rome and other local snobs who do far greater damage by their ignorance.
To think this is a political topic is laughable. It’s generational. I have many friends on both sides of the political spectrum that hate soccer. The next generation is finding more fans an that will increase. I know I hated soccer 8 years ago, now I love it and I will pass that love to my 4 kids.
Soccer isn’t split on ideological lines, it’s split generationally. I know many who are on both sides of the political wall who hate soccer and many on both sides that do like soccer.
The split is age. Younger folks are getting more access to the sport and are becoming fans. I am conservative and didn’t like soccer until 8 years ago. I didn’t like it because of political leaning but because of how I was raised.
Now I love it and have 4 kids that will grow to love it as well since it’s on in my house almost 24-7 (or they will grow to hate it because it’s on 24-7).
I was looking forward to this show but seeing labels wrapped around here so easily makes me hesitate. I don’t need someone talking about how they think I believe because I say I’m conservative.
IN regards to Beck, again, it’s generational, not politics. Jim Rome and local sport talkers and papers do far more damage hating on soccer than Beck ever would. Maybe I should search to find a liberal pundit who hates on soccer as well to equal it out.
Conservatism by definition includes preservation of the best of society and opposing radical changes. Progressives by definition advocate change or reform, and oppose the status quo.
In order for soccer to gain popularity in America, it must necessarily involve a CHANGE in fans’ perceptions about the ranking/popularity of their current favorite sports (American football, baseball, basketball). Since change is inherently a more progressive ideal, and resisting change is inherently a more conservative ideal, then those that have been more readily adopt soccer in America in the past decade will have more progressives among them.
In Europe and South America, where soccer is most popular, it is the Club team that makes the fan, not the national team. If America wants intense fan following, it must have Club teams that are worth watching, following, and cheering for. The US Men’s National team simply cannot be strong enough in the current generation to sustain a big enough tide of fan support beyond the World Cup and a few tournaments.
In my opinion, few MLS teams play well enough to generate loyal followings about the quality of the play or the players. There is too much standing around and resting in MLS when compared to European footballers. The Seattle and Portland markets have done well on fan support, but the other MLS franchises have a long way to go. Keep improving MLS, but that’s not enough.
Therefore, I believe that one of the best ways to get a friend interested in soccer (and supplement his previous sports preferences) is to introduce him/her to Spanish LaLiga or Barclay’s Premier League games. Have them pick a top team, like Barca, Real Madrid, Chelsea, ManU, or Arsenal to follow. Have them watch televised games in HD so they can see the players’ faces, get to know the stars, and learn the game, and appreciate the player skills, the team rivalries and experience the passion of a true supporter.
I think the best way to get somebody interested in soccer is to take them to games. Everytime I take a friend to an MLS match they have a great time. While they don’t become season ticket holders or anything they do want to attend future games.
Re: Generational Divide.
I read somewhere that the EA Sports video game FIFA 2012 (and its predecessors) is one of the most powerful ways for young people to get to know the top players and teams in the world.
The intensity of video game battles vs. friends and the ever improving artificial intelligence game engine, combined with the game’s pace of play (90 min game takes only 10 min) generates a lot of repeat plays and doesn’t require a kid to join a local league and have his mom drive him to distant fields in order to “get into the game”.
While plenty of parents, coaches, and teachers want their kids to play more soccer to get more exercise and fight obesity, it would be ironic if a video game was a driving force in the growth of popularity of soccer in America.
Why has soccer been unpopular among some conservatives?
1. US Men’s national team does so poorly at World Cups, contrary to US dominance in so many other aspects of world achievement where USA is used to being best. It’s very difficult to invest political capital in a sport that the USA doesn’t win at with regular frequency. Politicians want to be associated with winning, not losing.
2. To score easy political points. Want to offer “red meat” to a NASCAR fan in Alabama? Tell him to reject the “hipster Euro-weenie” stereotype and embrace good ole country boy Crimson Tide v Auburn rivalry stereotype. Cheap applause and money to follow.
3. Soccer has been introduced to many American families as a “first sport” to very little 5-6 year olds. Many of these leagues feature the recent wave of “everyone gets a trophy” mentality, which is decidedly more progressive (equal outcomes) than conservative (equal opportunity, let the merit/skills determine who gets trophies). Many conservatives see soccer as a “tool” of progressives to instill such “level playing field” mindsets, and therefore may be concerned that if soccer takes over American sports culture, that the “wealth redistribution” mindset will also take over American financial/political culture. Since soccer is seen as a European import, and European countries are more socialistic, then it makes sense for conservatives to “fear” such indoctrination. [while we still seem to be able to ignore the truths that NFL ownership is very socialistic and LaLiga is very capitalistic!]
4. High School Traditions. In America, we love high schools. Allen, TX just spent $60 million on a state of the art high school football stadium that seats 18,000! We have a tradition of the high school quarterback and the head cheerleader as prom king and queen. Literally, the royalty of the subculture. Where do the soccer players fit in? They are on the outside looking in. The geeks, nerds, dopers, band kids, and soccer players don’t get to sit at the “cool kid table” in most high schools. It’s tough to change these stereotypes, when we have parents trying to re-live their own high school days vicariously through their own kids in the next generation. Not many moms today dream of their daughters dating the soccer player, the primary dream is their daughters being popular enough to be a cheerleader and/or date a football player in high school. If you don’t think high school mentality still pervades American culture, just go visit a nursing home. The drama of high school relationships, who sits at who’s table, and popularity-as-currency is still alive and well and on full display even into our 70’s and 80’s. For a politician or pundit who is trying to be popular, he must know to appeal to the way Americans think & believe now and that includes high school stereotypes. Going against that reality is political suicide, at least within a single election cycle.
A couple more things. Americans hate diving. We prefer fair play and earning a victory, not being given a win by faking out the ref. Many NBA fans are turned off by the Manu Ginobli’s of the world diving. If soccer wants to make a sustaining market share in America, it must keep diving out more completely than Europe & South American soccer.
It’s difficult to understate the impact of fantasy sports on TV viewership of major sports in America. Fantasy (American) football is massive. This activity involves piling up statistical totals in various categories (yards, touchdowns, 100-yd games, etc). Fantasy baseball scores the competition by accumulating HR’s, RBI’s, stolen bases, etc. At the end of the season teams have THOUSANDS of stats to accumulate and compare against their friends and rivals, both in person and online. Studying the oceans of statistics is a huge part of the game.
Soccer has only a few goals per game. It’s almost impossible to find a goalkeeper’s goals against stats even today. Soccer gambling (as far as I can tell) is mostly about team scores by period (guessing like a lottery) not so much about player analysis and prediction. Soccer, being a low scoring sport, just doesn’t have nearly as much appeal to American fantasy sports fans as football, baseball, and basketball.
In order to overcome these liabilities, soccer must do even more to get fans and potential fans interested in the beauty of the game, the world class level of play, and that can be achieved first through TV broadcasts of the top European leagues, followed by steadily improving MLS and college level play with better coaching and player skills.
I’d be inclined to believe the gap is generational, and not political. C’mon, I heard the World Cup is popular enough among US military personnel to the point they even pay fees to broadcast the matches on the Armed Forces Network and other similar stations…. They also appreciate how such tourneys make their lives easier every four years in the trouble spots they are patrolling in!