Lauren RabainoGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL! The FIFA Women’s World Cup ended a few weeks ago in Beijing to little fanfare, especially here in the United States.
Had you watched the World Cup you would have seen Germany win their second straight cup title, a player named Marta (nicknamed by her Chinese hosts as “Magic Marta”) steal the Brazilian show and the United States score a goal on itself. Ouch. Now where else do you find gems like that?
When it comes to soccer, or football or whatever you want to call it, Americans are oblivious. It continues to amaze me how the United States seems to have isolated itself from the world’s most popular game. Without soccer we lack a connection to other countries that the rest of the globe shares. Brits, Germans, Iranians, Chileans, South Africans and Croatians all love soccer. Their players continue to inspire, their teams continue to awe and their fans continue to entertain. If the rest of the world seems addicted to the sport, aren’t we even a little curious to try it out ourselves?
United States soccer promoters have tried, but tearing Americans from their own beloved sports is easier said than done. It didn’t help that our most recent exposure to soccer, the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, left us a little disappointed. The U.S. men were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Ghana. They did, however, tie Italy a game prior, a team that would go on to win the entire tournament and bask in the global spotlight until 2010 when the games begin all over again in South Africa.
As for the women, the national team even enlisted the acting of Rainn Wilson (more commonly recognized as Dwight on NBC’s “The Office”) as “PR manager” for a number of Nike commercials that aired during the recent tournament. Nike deemed them “The Greatest Team You’ve Never Heard of” and they were right. The last time most Americans even noticed the women’s national team was in 1999 in a bra-baring moment when Brandi Chastain tore off her jersey after scoring a penalty kick that gave the United States the World Cup title.
The most-watched sport in America is football, closely followed by NASCAR. Nothing against NASCAR, but doesn’t a team sport that attracts billions of fans globally each year have a one-up on racing cars in a circle? If NASCAR can attract 75 million fans nationally and hold 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the United States, then surely soccer can make a footprint in the American sporting arena. Maybe not.
Oddly enough, most of us participated in youth soccer as children. We all donned bright uniforms, played for teams with names akin to the “Bumblebees,” “Sparkles” and “Sharks.” Our parents brought out folding chairs and got a little too involved with the referee’s calls and we all drank Sunny Delight during half time. But somehow most of us, myself included, eventually lost interest.
Not to fear, soccer fans. Like a penalty kick in the last five minutes of play, there is hope. Soccer is gaining momentum in the states, especially following the red carpet welcoming of David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy field. Come 2010, the men’s national team might have enough support behind them to make some international headlines and, who knows, maybe win the World Cup title for the very first time.
Taylor Moore is a journalism senior and a Mustang Daily columnist.