While soccer tactics and style still show a picture of a nation’s culture, globalization has made the picture given far less clear. The first example of this can be seen in the Brazilian national team. In the past few World Cups their defense has been their strongest asset. Players like David Luiz and Thiago Silva have become not only popular, but widely celebrated as great players, almost more so than players like Neymar. In Germany the lack of flair has been challenged by players such as Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil, neither of which were born in Germany. Ozil has said that his style combines Turkish flair with German perseverance. Sam Borden wrote in his New York Times article about Klinsmann's plans for the future of the US national team …show more content…
Wilson agreed, writing in Inverting the Pyramid that “as cross-pollination among different soccer cultures increases, so national styles become less distinct”(Wilson, 385). Nevertheless, there is still a representation given by style. The fact that players such as Ozil are a part of national teams simply means that the style is a representation of a new culture, a blend between two traditional cultures. Wilson continued “globalizing impulses are thought to be diminishing the significance of national identity in general. . .although the process known as globalization has clearly had an effect on them, the relationship between sport, national identity, and nationalism remains as strong as ever”(Wilson, …show more content…
Jonathan Wilson, writer of Inverting the Pyramid, writes “as cross-pollination among different soccer cultures increases, so national styles become less distinct.” This cross-pollination partially increases due to the availability of information on the internet. It is impossible for tactics to be hidden on any large scale, and so they are copied if successful. This means that sometimes regardless of country the same style will be implemented. Wilson writes, however, “we are not yet homogenized and will probably never be, but the trend is in that direction.” Style also changes due to politics, as is shown by soccer during fascism. Regardless of globalization, some styles remain constant. Brazil still attacks with flair, as is shown by the Barcelona and Brazil striker Neymar. Neymar won the Puskas award (awarded for the best goal of the year) in 2011, proof of incredible skill. Germany is still incredibly efficient, very technical team, with no real star, just like they were in 1954. In the US style has never had any real chance to become constant, for there has never been a national style. Klinsmann has begun to work towards it, but it still has a long way to
As he stated, Brazil is known culturally as a footballing (soccer) nation and as a nation of fun, the lifestyle of the Brazilian people is one of leisure and pleasure, which was intergraded into the way they play soccer. This showed how the game can be impacted by the culture of the people and how that might the global scale of the sport. If you take a look, at the United States, you will see that soccer has long struggled to be relevant. We can argue that soccer irrelevance in the United States is not just due to the popularity of other sports, such as football (American) and Basketball, but it is also due to the different cultural that lies in the
Franklin Foer the author of How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization is an important contributor of the small topic of the how soccer is related to the world. Foer from the New Republic who writes from time to time in the well known newspaper of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal had traveled around the world especially the continent of Europe, Asia, North and South America. Going from the topic of why the Islam religion, Islamic law, and religious paramilitary militia prohibits the passionate, die-hard Islamic women fans; from attending and/or watching soccer games and then partying hard like the men after the game if their country or favorite club wins. To the topic of how America relates to soccer when the middle class accepted this sport because of the little violence that they thought the sport contained and to how some Americans support writers such as Tom Weir from USA Today’s “that hating soccer is more American than apple pie, driving a pickup, or spending Saturday afternoons channel surfing with the remote control” (Foer 240). The majority of Americans that support this quote are the lower class, liberals, majority of sports reporters, and narrow minded Americans. These topics and/or chapters really show how soccer is creating more globalization around the world especially with Islamic women getting rid of their traditions and trying new things such as showing their passion for soccer. In addition, America is trying to pass its apple pie and watching American Football on a Sunday to watching beautiful game of soccer. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization is really divided into three groups; the first being the rivalries between clubs and human beings, sec...
This is where the two cultures actually clash: the difference between the perception of the game is something that has to be overcome. For instance, Yardley ironically speaks about his perception of Brave Dragons assistant coach training technique: “I asked about his strategy for motivating players. From observing practice, I assumed it was to tun them to death.”2 The strictness of Chinese strategy of training sharply contrasts with the American attitude towards the players, who are given more freedom to be creative. These two separate concepts highlight the general cultural differences between the West and the East, demonstrating how the mix between the two has a potential of improving the
...arez is an example of how the skill level of players and the game of soccer grew more intense year after year.
Since football is a form of sport that allows creativity, the use of certain styles like swerving shots and chips separate the champions from the learners. Players like Messi, Neymar, and Christian Ronaldo are some of the most celebrated soccer stars today, thanks to their ability to combine talent and creativity. It is no wonder that they have scooped awards interchangeably, year after year.
Franklin Foer wrote “From How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” which was published in 2004. The book talks about different aspects of globalization and “culture wars”. Franklin is an American journalist who used to work as an editor of The New Republic. He belongs to a family of writers as one of his younger brothers is a novelist and the other is a freelance journalist. In his book Franklin elucidated the impact of globalization on the society. He has used soccer to elaborate the main ideas in the text and because of this link between globalization and soccer, the book has fascinated several sportspersons. Furthermore, this chapter is branching out into three parts and each part scrutinizes a different aspect
Soccer differs in Spain and in America when it comes to attendances and passion for the sport, play style, and the way their players are shaped into professions. The United States is said to play a hybrid form of soccer compared to hispanic countries (Parrish). American soccer athletes are typically taught to emphasize conditioning and possession. Secondly, Americans and Hispanics’ passion for the sport are extremely different from one another. The people in Hispanic countries live for soccer, as they are devoted, passionate, and loyal to the teams. Contrarily in America, football, basketball, and baseball trump soccer making it only the fourth most attended and watched event. No matter how the sport is played or how many people attend the events, soccer is well liked in both the United States and Hispanic
Known as the world’s most popular sport, professional soccer has helped create and define different groups of people around the world for longer than a century. The hoopla surrounding teams, geographic areas fans dwell in, and political ideals associated with individual clubs have carved an identity for millions of supporters whose heart and soul becomes dedicated to their favorite players, stadiums, and coaches. Soccer teams and their fans can give us a window into how people can be divided and defined by their allegiances and ideals, and why those with similar views band together to create a familiar environment for themselves.
Kaplan, Daniel. "The Soccer Theory of Globalization." Aidwatchers.com. Aid Watchers, 15 July 2009. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.
Soccer has proven to be a notable sport throughout the years starting with its unique history. Soccer began all over the world tracing back thousands of years. The Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Ancient Greek, Persian, Vikings, as well as other nationalities all played a form of the game soccer. In China and Rome, games that were similar to soccer were played around 200 B.C. (Helmer and Owens, 5). People believe that soccer started more than a thousand years ago when villagers killed attacking pirates by cutting off their heads and kicking them around (Helmer and Owens, 5). As time went on, people in Europe also played a game similar to soccer during Medieval Times. In fact, soccer was used to prepare warriors for battles in Ancient Greece and Rome (Dilov-Shultheis). In later history, the English called the game “Football” because soccer was played by kicking the ball with the foot (Helmer and Owens, 6). The name “soccer” came to be when the American’s Association Football was shortened to assoc., and later to soc. Eventually in 1895 it was called soccer (Helmer and Owens, 9). By the late 1700s and 1800s, soccer was played in many universities, but the rules were not ...
The sport of soccer has overcome many changes through the years. In particular, women’s soccer compared to men’s soccer has gained much notoriety. The widespread knowledge of soccer has spread throughout numerous countries. Soccer began as primarily a men’s sport, but today soccer is considered a sport that both genders participate in. Women’s soccer has changed dramatically over the years with the increase in popularity as well as new style and rules of the game.
Looking back in history to the 19th century Europe, colonization and global expansion created a sense of competition amongst European nations. This sparked global rivalries over territories and was a catalyst to the age of nationalism in Europe. The competition between countries venture of manifest destiny was the leading catalyst in the rise of nationalism. It is no surprise that the nationalism and competitive nature of 19th century expansionism, created a platform for the rivalry and competition in modern sports (Bottenburg). Global rivalries in sports are played out in, major events such as the world cup and the Olympics. These events bring out the die-hard and the casual fan together in a global celebration of sporting and national pride. The World Cup of soccer is a great place to begin looking at the impact modern sports have on nationalism and national identity. Every four years 32 teams from across the globe come together in celebration of the worlds most popular game, in hopes their country wins the worlds most coveted trophy. Nationalism in this tournament comes in an array of positivity and negativity. The atmosphere, colors, flags, fans cheering and chanting songs shows the role of symbolism. On the other hand, hooliganism and violence amongst fans show us the negative aspect of attaching such strong nationalistic ties to a
No other country can compare to the great nation of Brazil when it comes to the beautiful game of soccer. Since their entrance as full member of FIFA, or Fédération Internationale de Football Association, in 1923, the country of Brazil has accounted for numerous trophies as well as individual awards for its players (“Brazil”). Brazilian futebol, or soccer, has reached international stardom because of its history consisting of ground breaking teams, revolutionary players, and winning performances in competitive tournaments.
..., and Stefan Szymanski. Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey and Even Iraq Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport. New York: Nation, 2009. Print.
Soccer is a game where it would take time to learn and accept the game. There are many rules to understand and heartbreaks to endure. But if we looked at the game as a whole, we would understand that the game is truly like all others. It’s a game that binds people together and brings peace to parts of the world. For many it is a way of life, and people go to their church, temple or mosque every Saturday or Sunday and even during the week. If Americans gave this game a chance, it would possibly become the most popular game in every nation. But until then, Soccer will need to take time to catch on. Only then can the world most popular sport truly become the Beautiful Game.