Most Americans would agree that watching football on the weekends and rooting for their favorite team is an integral part of Americanism. Therefore, it is not surprising that popular sports writing in the United States usually covers American football or baseball as stated in Don DeLillo’s famous prologue “The Triumph of Death” to his novel Underworld.
Franklin Foer breaks this tradition by introducing soccer to an American audience. Foer’s book has been quite successful, as ESPN ranks it among the top four books written on the culture of soccer (Caple 1). Foer does not only discuss sports, but he also journeys from stadium to stadium around the globe to provide new insight on today’s world events. He uses the globalized medium of soccer to explain political, economic and social occurrences.
In this essay, I will look at chapters seven and nine in which Foer’s argumentation is political. Therefore, this can be considered both sports, as well as political writing.
How Soccer Explains the World is organized into ten chapters, which can be read as three different parts with regard to content. “The first third of the book explores globalization’s failure to erode the game’s great rivalries and the hatreds they can produce” (Young 1). Foer then elaborates on the role of soccer in politics and economics when he explains the rise of the oligarchs and the corruption that was included in this process. In the last part of the book, the role soccer plays in preserving nationalism and for returning to the idea of tribalism is looked at in-depth.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Style/Language
3. Foer’s Argumentation
4. Soccer in the United States
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This essay evaluates Franklin Foer's book "How Soccer Explains the World" by analyzing his stylistic choices and the validity of his central thesis that soccer serves as an effective lens for understanding global political and economic phenomena.
- Journalistic style and use of semantic fields
- Globalization as the central theme in the context of soccer
- Critique of the author’s tendency to generalize local phenomena
- The role of soccer in political and social change
- Reception and cultural relevance of soccer in the United States
Excerpt from the Book
Style/Language
Foer who works “as a political journalist in Washington” (Foer 2), knows his craft and his way of writing can, without a doubt, be considered decent journalism. He “took six months off from his job […] to tour the soccer capitals of the world” (Mandle 1), which shows his dedication to this project.
In terms of language, Foer is not a great stylist who plays with language to convey meaning. His journalistic background is clearly visible as his intention is not to leave people in awe over his language skills. He rather wants to illustrate the importance of soccer for world events.
He uses an adequate mixture of well-researched facts, e.g. the histories of Juventus Turin and AC Milan, and personal accounts. Stating “with this damning image in mind, it wasn’t a promising development when AC Milan kidnapped me” (Foer 177) or “I anticipated that we would have a coffee or sit down in his office. Now […] I was unsure of our destination” (Foer 178), makes the author appear very present in his work. This also lends more authenticity to the content, because he experienced this first handedly. In addition, this shows his personal interest for soccer and its surrounding developments.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the significance of the book in popular sports writing and sets the focus on analyzing chapters seven and nine regarding Foer's political argumentation.
Style/Language: Examines Foer's journalistic approach, noting his blend of personal narratives and factual research, and discusses his use of accessible language to reach a broad audience.
Foer’s Argumentation: Critically analyzes the author's central thesis on globalization, questioning the extent to which soccer truly accounts for political outcomes and challenging his generalizations.
Soccer in the United States: Discusses the limited success of Foer’s attempt to increase soccer's popularity in America, citing cultural differences and the "imported" nature of the sport.
Conclusion: Summarizes that while Foer effectively highlights the omnipresence of globalization through soccer, his title remains misleading as the sport serves more as a motor of globalization than an exhaustive explanation for world events.
Keywords
Globalization, Franklin Foer, Soccer, Politics, Economics, Journalism, Sports Writing, Cultural Phenomena, Tribalism, Nationalism, Corruption, United States, Narrative, Argumentation, Social Change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental subject of this paper?
The paper is a critical review of Franklin Foer’s "How Soccer Explains the World," analyzing how he connects the sport to complex global political and economic issues.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The core themes include globalization, the impact of soccer on national identities, the role of political corruption in sports, and the cultural reception of soccer in the United States.
What is the primary objective of this analysis?
The objective is to evaluate the strength and validity of Foer’s argument that soccer can act as a lens to explain international political and social occurrences.
Which scientific or analytical method is applied?
The author uses a qualitative literary analysis, focusing on stylistic devices, argumentation structure, and a critical comparison of Foer’s claims with external sources and interviews.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body examines Foer's journalistic style, his specific arguments in chapters seven and nine, his reliance on generalization, and his failure to reconcile his thesis with economic realities.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Keywords such as globalization, political journalism, sports culture, and critical analysis define the scope of this paper.
Does the author consider Foer’s journalistic style successful?
The author acknowledges Foer as a capable journalist whose writing is accessible, though notes he is not a "great stylist," prioritizing factual illustration over literary flair.
Why does the author conclude that the book's title is misleading?
The author argues that while soccer is a clear "motor of globalization" through its international appeal, it does not possess the capacity to fully explain all global political phenomena as the title suggests.
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- Jannis Rudzki-Weise (Autor:in), 2010, Globalization in Foer's "How Soccer Explains the World", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/163361
