Perhaps a bit of dimestore psychology to pass the time? Sure, why not.
Meet George. He writes for a blog called "Chicago Pain", which is part of a site called Chicago Now. I'd never heard of either before today, but then again I don't live in Chicago.
George has a problem with soccer fans. He thinks they're smarmy, arrogant elitists with fancy foreign cigarettes and holier-than-thou attitudes.
You know the type. He's the guy who had the little patch of hair under his lip in college, who later was the first to shave his head as an expression of style. He's the guy who drove a Volkswagen Jetta because of it's efficiency. He's the guy who always had some obscure answer to the "What's your favorite song?" question, and he's the guy who smoked Dunhill cigarettes, but only when he didn't have the time to roll his own.
And now, with the World Cup in full swing, he is -- for once -- an authority on sports.
Ouch, George, ouch.
First, George is generalizing, something I usually take offense to. I've never had a soul patch (well, not just a soul patch anyway), I've never smoked Dunhills, and I've never driven a Jetta. I've also never corrected someone for saying "Two-Nothing", as George describes a soccer-loving friend of his as doing.
But George has a point. Too many soccer fans are elitist jerks, always ready to correct a neophyte's lingo or scoff at someone's lack of in-depth knowledge. As the game becomes more popular here, which unfortunately for George it will continue to do, there is an onus on these know-it-all fans to tone down their act. You're not special because you're an American who happens to know a little soccer. You're not special because you know the clever nicknames they use for players on Merseyside, or that Juventus modeled their kits after Notts County. You're certainly not special if you call it "football", and if you take offense at the use of the word "soccer", you're nothing but a pedantic ass.
If you know your soccer, that just makes you a little more informed; if you take the tack of teaching rather than telling, you'll be doing the game a lot more good than if you choose to play the snob.
The sport isn't supposed to a secret club meant only for people too good to slum with the general sports masses. Anglophilia need not be a prerequisite. It's okay for other people to like it, for ill-informed fans to yell about it, and it's okay that they say things like "field" instead of "pitch", "nothing" instead of "nil", and "soccer" instead of "football."
But, again unfortunately for him, George is not innocent in this little dilemma. He clearly brings biases to the table, and as I said before, generalizes to a fault. If he doesn't like soccer that's fine; but George is making a mistake if he's rejecting an entire sport because of a few individual fans. It makes me wonder if he's already a fan of MMA or if he's inclined to become one - holding that sport to the same standard as soccer should result in a similar rant. I know it would from me, if I was at all like George and judged mixed-martial arts by a few annoying "experts."
Here's the rub, though: George's issue isn't really snooty-soul-patch guy. George's issue is the "force-feeding" of soccer to the American people, as if the media companies are attempting to create a market where one doesn't exist. To wit:
For the millions of casual sports fans across the country, the World Cup can be an exciting event. Enjoy the competition, the traditions, and the sound of bees. It makes for some great entertainment.
For the thousands of American soccer "diehards" -- enjoy your time as an expert. Smoke your Dunhills, wear your colorful jerseys with the royal embroideries, and listen to The Smiths.
But, please -- for the love of the Queen -- stop trying to force-feed it to the rest of us. Once the World Cup is a memory, obscurity will once again reign over the soccer world.
The chances of it becoming what you have forever envisioned it being are, well, "nil".
George puts the onus on the "soccer die-hards", claiming they're the ones doing the force-feeding. But unless George is being dragged to soccer bars by packs of Jetta-driving, Guardian-reading, scarf-wearing super-snobs, held at gunpoint and told it's watch a soccer game or be shot, he's not being "force-fed" by the die-hards. It likely that George's problem is really with ESPN, the traditional mainstream media that has embraced soccer for the summer, or other outlets that previously showed little interest in soccer. If that's the case, I have a message for George.
It's not "force-feeding" if there's a market. There are millions of people inclined to the game, George, and it's in the best business interest of sports and news outlets to cover it. It's also not "force-feeding" if people can opt out, which unless ESPN et al are doing the gunpoint scenario mentioned above, everyone can. George seems to be unwilling to accept a changing sports environment, and is lashing out at soccer. It all comes off a bit sad.
As for the generalizations George makes, let me just hip him to a few facts. There are millions of soccer fans who reject the elitism. There are millions that don't care what you call the sport or whether you say "nothing" or "nil". There are millions that would love to take you to a game and buy you a beer, letting you fall in love with the sport on your own and without pressure. There are also millions that don't care if you ever learn the game, care about the game, or even watch a game. Amazingly, it's almost like it's just any other sport. For a lot of us, it's really just one of our passions. We like other sports, too.
Drop the "force-fed" canard, George. Oh, and get some new soccer-loving friends. Yours are obviously jackasses.
