2. I eat fast food at least three times a week.
3. I can't wait to see "Paul Blart Mall Cop" at my local 20-plex.
4. When I stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon, I call friends on my cell phone and announce to all where I am.
5. I don't care about soccer.
The first four statements are false; the fifth is true. But numbers 1-4 would seem to dictate the fifth, and complete the stereotype of self-centered ugly Americans who don't know or care about things outside our borders. However, here's something I've learned: it's okay not to like soccer, because resisting the world's game doesn't make you an ignorant person.
I wish I were psyched about the Seattle Sounders. They're a new major-league team in a city that has had precious little good sports news recently. They have an established, successful coach and some local players. Clearly, expansion means MLS is becoming more popular. The thing is, I just don't care. I wish I did, but I don't. I plan to attend a game or two, and maybe I'll change my mind. But let's not pretend the arrival of the Sounders makes up for the loss of the Sonics.
Yet soccer appears to be a sport that the PC set in Seattle can really get behind. I've always felt a certain amount of condescension among soccer players and fans toward people who don't follow the sport. Things like, "It's the world's game and it's too subtle for Americans," and, "Look at the way soccer brings warring countries together on one playing field." I get that; there's truth in those statements. Plus, no doubt soccer players are some of the best athletes in the world. Just spare me the attitude when I say I don't follow soccer. I'll do the same when you say you don't like baseball or football.
I'm rooting for the Sounders to do well here. If Kansas City, Columbus and Salt Lake City can support franchises, why not Seattle? I hope my first game will undo my indifference toward the sport. I just fear the motives of new fans. I hope I don't see crowd shots of latte-drinkers sitting quietly in their seats who think going to a Sounders game is akin to protecting salmon. I hope they remember that just because number 5 is true, that numbers 1-4 don't necessarily follow.
1 comment:
I've been living in Europe for 4+ years and I still pretty much don't care about soccer. But I'm pretty sure it's only because I don't have a 'team'. The local soccer team sucks. They don't even get to compete with the real teams. If they were first Budesliga or Championsleague I'd probably be a huge fan. I have to admit the World Cup rivaled any sporting event I've seen including NFLplayoffs/Superbowl or March Madness. And that's purely from my enjoyment/excitement/thrill level. Not some philosophical measurement of what the greatest sport is.
But I'm not tuning in to day to day matches, not because I don't like the game, but because I simply don't care who wins, not having grown up with the teams. I think it will take a long time for Americans to get into soccer for just this reason. It's nothing inherent about the sport, Americans love sports too much. Plus, your stereotypical soccer fan in Europe may well make your typical American NFL or MLB fan look sophisticated. There is certainly not a condescending high-society mindset of soccer fans in Europe or the rest of the world, that's mostly douchebag Americans or Europeans living in America.
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