Monday, December 1, 2014

The Causes and Effects of Sports on Culture


          In his book How Soccer Explains the World, Frankilin Foer addresses how soccer impacts the world in areas ranging from A Gangster’s paradise to the overall hope of Islam. The area of his book that was most intriguing to me was his ideas on the culture wars in America and its relation to sports. As a whole the United States is not a nation of soccer enthusiasts. Outside of the interest of the sport during the World Cup, soccer is given very little attention. The game takes the backseat to sports like baseball and American football. This is an obvious fact, but it wasn’t until now that I realized it is a result of both socialization and the idea of American Exceptionalism.

            As kids we play sports to grow as individuals, to build social skills, to make friends, and to engage in recreational activities. Soccer in particular serves as a fun less competitive environment, which makes it such a popular sport for young children. However, Foer discusses how people play the sports that they do as a result of it being “the fashionable thing to do (Foer 236).” He discusses how he grew up in a family in which his family played baseball, but given the location of his upbringing soccer was the sport seen as popular. This led me to think about why individuals play the sports that they do or act the way that they do. To me, this question is answered by the socialization of an individual and the environment in which the person was raised. These external factors shape who we are and what interests us. Personally I am not an avid soccer fan, and I never played on an organized soccer team. The reason I found this important is because it allowed me to look deeper into why this was the case. I grew up playing football, baseball, and basketball because my older brother played them and so did all my friends. It was the fashionable thing to do as Foer stated. This goes along with his point that we tend to fall into groups and follow the societal norms, which in my eyes come from socialization early in life.

            Additionally, Foer discusses why Soccer is not as prevalent in the United States in terms of class and race, but his best point is displayed in his explanation of American Exceptionalism. Foer states that many believe the history and form of government in the U.S. allows us to play a unique role as a world power and that we should not submit to international laws and bodies (Foer 245). While this may be the case, I think this is seen as a negative and given a bad connotation; however, I believe that in some ways it is a positive. We are a nation rich in history and tradition, and as a U.S. citizen I am genuinely proud to be a part of it. Traditionally, the United States is a country of football and baseball, hence the claim of baseball being “America’s Pastime.” However, I do agree that it can be a negative in terms of globalization and culture wars. A prime example of this is Jim Rome, an ESPN commentator, bashing soccer and stating that he would never let his son play the sport. He even goes as far as saying that he “hates” soccer.  While saying soccer threatens the American way of life is a bit dramatic, I do believe the rich traditions found in historically American sports have played an integral role in shaping the culture of our nation. While many nations critique this mindset and American culture as a whole, it is a bit hypocritical.  He mentions American Exceptionalism, but does not address the idea of a potential European Exceptionalism. This idea exists in many areas including sports. Clearly baseball is viewed as America’s pastime, so why haven’t Europeans adopted this? It is because national pride and tradition are prevalent, making cultural change a slow and difficult process. No matter where you live, the majority of people will likely follow the norms and possess this national pride and love of tradition.

            Overall I found this argument of sports and culture to be one of great merit and extremely interesting. While my ideas do not completely match those in the book, I believe it brought up a lot of good points especially through the counterarguments provided for many of the arguments. Across the globe, people have a large amount of national pride and are socialized to accept the culture in which they are surrounded. Sports play a huge role in the development of culture, and Foer does a good job of recognizing this. 

4 comments:

  1. I agree with the argument that what we are socialized with will determine what we uphold and enjoy. Our environment and the beliefs that we surround ourselves will impact how we react and work with others in our community. And sports definitely play a huge role. Sports reveal a lot about the human character and our need to be others like ourselves. In a sports team, we tend to be around those that hopefully enjoy the sport. The fact that you are on a team definitely creates pride and importance.

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  2. One aspect of your blog post that really resonated with me was your discussion of American Exceptionalism and the lack of a kind of European Exceptionalism. I like the way you discussed the fact that even though a certain sense of European Exceptionalism does exist, it is never mentioned by Foer or anyone else. Every area will have a different set of cultures, ideals and norms based on their own societies, not just the United States. I also liked the way you said that cultural change is a "slow and difficult process." I think this idea is relevant to not only soccer, but every aspect of globalization and outside influence.

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  3. I enjoyed this blog a lot. I understand how Max's arguments in the beginning of his blog transfer to his claims throughout. Put simply, as children we play the sports our parents choose for us. Looking back I wish I could have played other sports as a child, but by the time i was old enough to decide, I had already been invested in one sport for years. I was good at it and my time working to become good shouldn't have been wasted.

    Max does a good job explaining how this mentality can cause a country to resist any other form of sport than their national one. America does not want to begin the transfer tot soccer now that we have established ourselves as the powerhouse of three of our own sports. Of course we have little competition (its a bit silly to think we would be second in a sport we invented). So instead of training our kids to become soccer players to one day win a World Cup Tournament, we stick to what we know and play our American Sports. This analogy can be used for any other cultural norm as Max explains it so well in his blog.

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  4. I like how you looked at this book from a completely different angle than the rest of the blogs; it really made it stand out and kept me interested through the entire thing. I also like how you used personal experiences to help prove your argument. Along with this, I agree with your ideas and how sports can shape society as a whole. I also agree that sports can affect different levels of society. For instance, baseball is probably the most commonly played sport in America, so it plays a major role in our society. However, different states may play other sports (in the North, most people play hockey, etc.). In your specific case, you grew up in a family that usually played baseball, basketball, and football, because that was the "fashionable thing to do." Therefore, it is clear that sports and culture go hand and hand in the world we live in today.

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