The Euro 2004 tournament is almost over now, and seeing it while in England has been quite the eye-opening experience. This article from Salon.com really explains it well:

This final may not break most-watched records, but it’s historically significant. To appreciate this significance is to instantly understand a paramount reason why soccer has yet to claim the U.S. It won’t happen until this country can feel part of this centuries-old international drama of rivalry and envy, fate and willpower, generational grudges and karmic comeuppances. Ultimately, the international soccer fan is a different animal from any type of American fan because he brings to the game a stake in such larger narratives.

Here in England, the loss to Portugal was more than a shame. Tim Henman’s loss in Wimbledon was a shame, but England’s quarterfinal loss bordered on national tragedy. The papers were full of articles and in-depth analyses that were filled with all the seriousness of a major political discussion. In a way that was frightfully dissimilar from the United States, columnists were examining not merely the players or the team, but the soul and personality of England itself. They were echoing the feeling of the people, who recognized that England in some measure “deserved to lose.” There were of course, a few of the usual grumbles about the referees or David Beckham’s missed penalty kick, but ultimately, the blame nearly always came down squarely on English culture or on England itself, an introspective level that the American sports fan may never match

While in Portsmouth on Monday, I watched Tim Henman play at Wimbledon at a pub called the Admiral Drake. There, I asked a middle-aged, blue-collar man why England took its sports figures so seriously. He said that because there are so few of them, they’re directly tied into national identity. In contrast, the U.S. has so many great athletes that the average Joe scarcely pays attention to most of them.

At the time, it seemed to me a very humbling statement from a nation that ruled the seas and was the most powerful nation in the world for hundreds of years. It was certainly a step away from the usual snide, boastful humor that Brits like to use to talk about their country. But I think it says an awful lot about how Americans are perceived in England and throughout the world.

We don’t know how good we have it. That response may seem more likely from the developing world than from a Western European powerhouse. Like the U.S., England has many things going for it, including a high quality of life, a rich history, and a prominence in world affairs. But they’re willing to be frank, even introspective about it when necessary. Americans, in the British opinion, take their advantages for granted. Whether you believe it or not, Brits believe, by and large, that our lack of introspection indicates our lack of respect for our history, culture, and our other advantages. Nor do we understand how those advantages define and necessitate our role in the world. We don’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

And that’s why we don’t like football.

Posted on July 3rd, 2004 by Lee
Tagged: Cambridge, Politics, Studyabroad