It doesn’t take a genius to see the popularity of the World Cup (and soccer overall) increasing in America, and it could not be any more awesome. In fact, the top four most watched soccer games in America’s history were the games that the US played in this year’s World Cup. Also, it is a pretty nice luxury that US team is better than it has been in recent memory.
By now, just about everyone has heard about Ann Coulter’s article bashing the game of soccer. If you haven’t heard about it, then I strongly urge you to read it, because it might be the funniest thing you’ll see all day. But to summarize her main points, she believes that not only is soccer un-American, but it will also help in dissolving the moral fiber of the United States.
Although Ann Coulter’s thoughts have absolutely no significance to me, it got me thinking about one main thing. My initial thought is that soccer is significant enough for a well-known political pundit to make a comment on its effect in American society. She takes every argument to an outrageous level, but some of them make sense at their core. For example, one of the points she makes is that a large number of immigrants from around the world watch soccer. She takes her argument a little further by saying, “One can only hope that, in addition to learning English, these new Americans will drop their soccer fetish with time.” Of course, that statement is absurd, but she has a point with the high popularity of soccer among immigrants or first-generation immigrants. It is definitely more popular among the more “ethnic” crowds than the “pure-blooded American” crowds, but I believe that is rubbing off more and more on the average Joe. Years ago, soccer was seen as more of a foreign sport. Now, we see it as an international sport that we can embrace as well. Soccer is globalization at its best, and it is awesome.
The first time I watched the World Cup was back in 2006, when Italy played in the final against France. I remember seeing the streets of Rome after Italy won and thinking to myself, “Man, I wish they did that in America.” Fast forward eight years, and it’s happening. There is at least one public projection screen showing the game in every major city now, and the streets are packed. Americans are catching on to what everyone in the world has known about for a very long time, and as an Arab-American, I feel proud that immigrants helped this grow in the United States. Get excited America. The growing interest in soccer is going to be awesome.
Coulter’s entire column is bizarre, reflecting her skewed view of the world and herself in it. A new book suggests we should Never Trust Ann Coulter – at ANY Age, available as a free download at http://www.coulterwatch.com/never.pdf.