Soccer Meets Politics-American soccer fans - Majority left of the political center?

nah - judging from this forum and people i know, i'd say there is probably a left lean but it's pretty close to 50/50

 

Nowhere near that simple an analysis; folks could love soccer and reject a "global" view, resting replete instead within nationalism, while still embracing the game...as many non-Americans do, in many nations, around the world, through world football.

That being said, I found it fascinating that soccer was the one thing played at such a high level around the globe, and thus was expressed in different ways, and took on different connotations and meanings, in each place. So I get your sensibility, but again, I know lots of so-called "right-wing" fanatics, who are whackos whether or not they're classified "right-wing" or not (many of whom I've "met" on this board", who simply love world football.

A more complex (comprehensive?) analysis is needed than the one you offer; conducting such analysis, I would guess, will lead you to such a multiplicity of reasons why various folk embrace world football as to be almost uncategorizable, if that's even a word, lol...

 

Yes, right up there with fine art, classical music, and theater. Soccer. <g>

 

Re: Re: Soccer Meets Politics-American soccer fans - Majority left of the political center?

Only in that they all are representative of the propagation of Western hegemony throughout the world, via mainly Brit imperialism during (with regard to football, at least) key phases of what McGuire coined "the sportisation process."

"World culture" is as about as useful and explanatory as phrase as "globalisation," and as wide-open to interest- and greed-based usage...

 

Re: Re: Re: Soccer Meets Politics-American soccer fans - Majority left of the political center?

Ok, Mel...

 

I would say that the safe money says the intersection of the sets "politically liberal" and "American soccer fan" is larger than that of "politically conservative" and "American soccer fan".

 

The average American soccer fan is definitely further left than the average American, I think that should be pretty obvious--not that there aren't conservative soccer fans, obviously, but we're far outnumbered. Usually isn't really a big deal, altho having our stands infested with PCism when the US is playing gets a bit annoying ("don't chant INS when we're playing Mexico, you'll offend the illegals!").

You know, Mel, the Internet is a Western invention that has advanced the economies of Western nations at the expense of 3rd world nations. You should protest this by boycotting the Internet.

 

He's absolutely right, Universal!

 

I definitely get Mel's point that a lot fans around the world are more conservative-minded and yet embrace the game. There are certainly places in Europe, South America and Africa where nationalism/politics are quite closely tied with the local club and/or national team one supports.

Certainly, though, you don't have to be left-leaning politically to be a soccer fan here in America. But you have to be progressive-minded enough to fly in the face of a stodgy, inward-focused American sporting culture which considers it a good thing when NBA teams open their season in Tokyo and NFL teams travel to Europe but frowns on kids playing soccer after age 10.

 

Indeed. I was thinking just of my own PSG, but you don't even have to get as radical as the Ultra Sur or the facists that support Lazio (along with regular "fans" who tolerate them) to see nationalism and regionalism rife throughout soccer support...

 

chicks want me, and by sunday morning, I am worn out.

does this mean then, Mel, that my John Thomas has suffered "greed based usage" during the weekend?

 

It does. It does indeed. But I can't get past your first claim to say any more than that...

 

True, but there are plenty of other posters (DocJones, Roel, Joe Pakovits) who can present a similar ultra-left ideology without being annoying jackasses who start 15 new threads a day.

 

Some of those you listed can be annoying jackasses without starting 15 new threads a day.

I think a more viable statistical link can be found between age and political leanings than love of soccer and political leanings.

 

Utah has a 70% Republican legislature, a Republican governor & a Republican supreme court.

But we also are the USL D3/PSL attendance leader (Yes, that is pretty much the same thing as being the best surfer in Wyoming) and I think that the 19,000 to see the USWNT here was one of the biggest crowds for one of their friendlies this year.

I am pretty sure that when the USWNT visited here in June, it was the first time they had ever played in front of a crowd that was mostly Republican.

A very unscientific survey of the parking lot after that game revealed cars (actually, not too many cars, mostly pickups & SUV's) from southeastern Idaho, northern Nevada, Wyoming and rural Utah; places where no one would support Real Madrid because they would consider Generalisimo Franco to be a bleeding-heart Liberal.

 

Here's my take:

"Other" team sports fans: definitely more conservative on balance

Soccer fans (in the U.S. at least): about 50/50

Non-sports fans: lean liberal/progressive

 

My theory, which is mine:

At this stage of soccer's development, you pretty much have to have some kind of individualist streak. So politically, the fans are going to trend outside the mainstream, in both directions.

As the sport gets more popular, this will probably go back towards center, especially because sports don't explicitly equal politics in this country. But right now, you'll get quite a range, for an allegedly "minor" sport.

 

Wow. I agree with Loney on something. It's the end of the universe!

 

I like soccer for a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with politics. That it's vaguely perceived as somehow subversively "un-american" (whatever that means) is simply gravy.

Now of course, when I go to Europe, I make it well known that in my country, this "football" thing they're so crazy about is a diversion for our women and children.

 

Re: Soccer Meets Politics-American soccer fans - Majority left of the political cente

How does this theory explain the frequent use of the term "Eurosnob" on this board?

 

Re: Re: Re: Soccer Meets Politics-American soccer fans - Majority left of the politic

Enjoy, Mel:

Big words with which to baffle and dismay!

Behaviourism - The belief that behaviour has causes which can be
understood through the study of science

Deconstruction - Taking something apart to see how it works, applied to
features of society

Discourse - A line of argument, a story, a narrative, a form of thought
which develops

Empiricism - The study of things observable to science

Epistemology - The study or the nature of truth
Essentialism The belief that research can reveal the essence or truth of
something

Ethnocentrism - The view that one?s own culture is superior and more
interesting than others

Ethnomethodology - Value free social science concerned with the details of
human interaction
Fallacy - A false belief

Fallible - Admits to the possibility of failure
Feminism - The definition tends to depend on the person using the
term, but generally any perspective which acknowledges
the existence and perspectives of women as an equal
gender

Globalisation - The world is becoming a single place, culturally and
economically. This is occurring because of media and
consumption patterns. There is a political dimension too.

Hermeneutics - The study of meaning