Soccer is the World’s
Favorite Pastime
Every
four years the world comes together to enjoy a month of nail-biting, on the
edge of your seat, heart breaking, and exhilarating soccer. A month of sitting
with eyes glued to the television as the game and the magic of soccer happen
on the field. People of every nation, whether they be directly in the World
Cup, or watching just as a spectator who loves the game, soak in the talent of
the best soccer players in the world. Globalization has allowed for soccer to
become the world’s favorite pastime. An individual can choose to root for a
local team, or root for a team across the world because they have access to all
details of different teams through globalization and the spread of information,
ideals, and traditions. Spectators can be found wearing jerseys on their own country
or perhaps their favorite player’s jersey from another country. Integration of
international beliefs, capital, goods, ideas and people flow from country to
country during the world cup.
Franklin Foer’s
novel, “How Soccer Explains the World”, discusses how some people have
dedicated their whole lives to honoring and supporting their favorite soccer
team. The Red Star Belgrade said they would be willing to kill people (and they
actually have killed people) because they are against the Red Star Belgrade’s
team, “A Croatian, a cop: it doesn't make a difference. I’d kill them all.”
(10) This gang like behavior can be accounted for by globalization and the
passing of the idea of gangs across borders. A movie may come out in a
different country, and the Serbs may have seen these movies, gotten the idea of
a gang, and started a gang to support and defend their soccer team. Technology
allows for the integration of all these ideas across numerous borders.
Technology spreads information about anything and everything to everywhere around
the world. It has also allowed for the spread of soccer because now an American
can tune into games happening all over the world and vice versa. The impact
that soccer is able to have on nations due to globalization and technology is
that local and global beliefs of ideas are replacing national beliefs.
Soccer
has also promoted the growth of trade. Foer mentions that teams have recognized
the money that they can make by globalization, and try to spread their support
to other individuals in other countries to become fans and buy the soccer gear
for a specific team, “to convert themselves into international capital entities
and entertainment conglomerates.” (38) The best way to make money is to gather
supporters beyond the teams’ normal borders in order to sell more tickets and apparel.
Foer discusses how the Rangers team has expanded past its small area in the
Scottish Premier League in hopes of joining the British Premier League (39). Globalization
through soccer allows for these communities of supporters to have a voice that
they might not get elsewhere, and to spread beliefs and ideals on international
levels.
Football, as the rest of the more enlightened world call it, has been the most popular sport in the world for probably the last 100 years and spread with immigration and colonisation. The globalisation at work, therefore, was largely facilitated through transport rather than communication technologies. Today the reverse is true. What do you think the different effects of this could be? Also, it's the English Premier League, rather than British Premier League!
ReplyDeleteWhoops! I watch the English Premiere League also, I guess it slipped my mind when I mentioned the Scottish Premier League! I think technology has allowed for the widespread of technology. I am able to tune into English Premier League games, look up old games, get information about players, get the gear from the team, and so much more. Technology has allowed soccer to spread from the streets, and into our homes across the globe.
ReplyDeleteI think it's so interesting how much technology influences globalization, and you post does a good job at encompassing this idea. Because of the internet and television, people can tune into games across the world and support teams from cities they've never visited! For example, Gabriella, you mentioned that you watch English Premiere League games. Have you ever visited England?
ReplyDelete