How Soccer Explains the World
Encyclopedia
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Terrorism (also published as How Football Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization) is a book written by American journalist
Franklin Foer
. It is an analysis of the interchange between soccer and the new global economy.
The author takes readers on a journey from stadium to stadium around the globe in an attempt to shed new insights on today’s world events, both from political and economic standpoints. Soccer is here the globalized medium that seems to lend itself to explaining the effects globalization has on society as a whole.
.
, the President of [both] Italy
and the AC Milan club".
and the United Nations
may attain structural prominence, but underneath the veneer of these structures, vibrant sub-cultures and tribal loyalties remain, and may even be strengthened by modern communications like the Internet. They may thus foreshadow not the hope for unity sought by globalized bureaucratic and political elites and corporate oligarchs, but increasing fragmentation and national/ethnic conflict within outward facades of globalized unity.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer
Franklin Foer is an American journalist and editor-at-large for The New Republic. Foer is a 2012 Bernard L. Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation as of Sept...
. It is an analysis of the interchange between soccer and the new global economy.
The author takes readers on a journey from stadium to stadium around the globe in an attempt to shed new insights on today’s world events, both from political and economic standpoints. Soccer is here the globalized medium that seems to lend itself to explaining the effects globalization has on society as a whole.
Failure of globalization
In the first part of the book, Foer tries to explain "the failure of globalization to erode ancient hatreds in the game’s great rivalries", commonly referred to as football hooliganismFootball hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
.
Rise of corporate hegemons
In the second part of the text, the author uses soccer "to address economics: the consequences of migration, the persistence of corruption, and the rise of powerful new oligarchs like Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
, the President of [both] Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the AC Milan club".
Persistence of nationalism and tribalism
In the final part, Foer uses soccer "to defend the virtues of old-fashioned nationalism", as "a way to blunt the return of tribalism". The book thus challenges theories that a universal, globalist philosophy will subsume local nationalisms. Overarching structures such as the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
may attain structural prominence, but underneath the veneer of these structures, vibrant sub-cultures and tribal loyalties remain, and may even be strengthened by modern communications like the Internet. They may thus foreshadow not the hope for unity sought by globalized bureaucratic and political elites and corporate oligarchs, but increasing fragmentation and national/ethnic conflict within outward facades of globalized unity.
Reception
The book received positive reviews in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Critics for The San Francisco Chronicle and The Boston Globe praised Foer's portrait of the soccer world while dismissing his larger arguments.See also
- The Last Save of Moacyr BarbosaThe Last Save of Moacyr BarbosaThe Last Save of Moyacyr Barbosa is a book by Darwin Pastorin, describing the life and times of the Brazilian goolkeeper of the 1950 World Cup, Moacyr Barbosa...
- Among the ThugsAmong the ThugsAmong the Thugs: The Experience, and the Seduction, of Crowd Violence is a 1990 work of journalism by American writer Bill Buford documenting football hooliganism in the United Kingdom....
- GlobalizationGlobalizationGlobalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
External links
- How Soccer Explains the World interview with Foer about the book in Mother JonesMother Jones (magazine)Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
- How Soccer Explains the World on MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...