The Soccer Scope: A Media Toast

Two figures in America invested in modern media travel to Europe to evaluate why soccer hadn't become a real democracy-cross in the USA.

I really couldn't refrain myself from offering up one last pro-media vignette about the democracy-imagery of modern world soccer, and this yarn was inspired by the film Invictus (Matt Damon).

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"Two figures in American media, a radical Internet-blogging self-proclaimed 'democracy-defending vigilante' named Ajay Satan, and a Hollywood (USA) movie star named Matthew Marshal, were expressing ideas in public regarding the surprising lack of appeal of professional men's soccer in America. After the US women's national soccer team won its whopping 4th World Cup title, society 'figures' such as Ajay and Matthew thought soccer would become a big hit in America, but it remained mostly popular at the high-school and college levels. This was true, despite the fact that men's soccer had become a global phenomenon, producing legends such as Maradona (Argentina), Baggio (Italy), and Pele (Brazil). Ajay and Matthew were concerned that American fans lagged behind the rest of the world in soccer cheering even after the victories acquired by the US women's national team. Ajay and Matthew wondered if baseball/football had somehow made sports-fans in America myopic, and these two symbolic Americans became pensive about new age athletics marketing."

"Of course, Americans were quite laissez-faire when it came to cultural expressions of celebrations of social activity. Americans heartily celebrated Christmas and almost religiously watched the Super Bowl NFL championship on TV, but mostly, following a sport like it was a ritual was considered too bizarre! However, in Europe, soccer fans religiously watched pro-club teams in stadiums and on TV, and the UEFA Champions League tournament became an annual festive event of monumental proportions! Why were Americans more laid back when it came to social activity festivities? Were Americans content with college spring break and Thanksgiving Day Parades on TV and didn't feel compelled to make a social activity a 'religious' experience (like Europeans were doing with UEFA soccer games)? Were Americans content with comic book oriented expressions of 'lyrical' heroism in the public domain?"

"Since Americans loved movies and costume-parties, however, Ajay Satan decided to dress up like a scarecrow for some blogs about what explained the popularity of boys' and men's club soccer teams at the youth, high-school, and college levels. Ajay ('Scarecrow') explained that soccer remained a prestigious social activity from kids' clubs through colleges but then waned when it came to investments culturally in US men's national soccer or professional club soccer (Major League Soccer USA) teams! Ajay/Scarecrow characterized this irony by comparing it to America's disproportionate lack of interest in alternative journalism in a democratic nation otherwise catering to all kinds of journalism-oriented activities and stories. Hollywood (USA) even made movies specifically about journalists! Ajay/Scarecrow showcased his own youth-league soccer team trophy in one of his photo-complemented blogs about the strange contradictions in American society between dollars...and design."

"Ajay was correct. There was much marketing potential in world soccer and men's professional/club soccer. Potentially, fashion-models would be recruited to showcase street-styles compatible to the aesthetic elegance of soccer and its sportsmanlike beauty! Soccer was sometimes referred to as the 'beautiful game' by many of its great players. A sports-marketing mogul in America might use a fashion-model (male/female) to showcase some IZOD clothing worn by soccer stars or even fans hoping to embrace the finesse and style of soccer through the markets of public trends! Why hadn't soccer become a great deal as it had become in European nations such as Spain, Italy, France, and England?"

"Ajay decided to travel to Italy to watch the Serie A league games during the UEFA season. He met Hollywood (USA) movie-star Matthew Marshal there and they became fast friends! Ajay and Matthew watched various Juventus club-team games in the Serie A league and followed the team as they stormed into the UEFA Champions League tournament, which invited the very best club teams from England (e.g., Liverpool), Italy (e.g., Juventus), and Spain (e.g., Barcelona) to compete in a final series of games. Ajay and Matthew were overwhelmed by the feverish fans and huge storms of energy in the packed soccer stadiums at Juventus and UEFA games that season in Italy/Europe. They realized that to Europeans, men's soccer was a form of high art and not simply a glorious 'delightful' pastime."

"Ajay and Matthew noted how the soccer uniforms/jerseys of the Juventus (Serie A) team were striped black-and-white, resembling the uniforms/outfits of sports referees! They wondered if the Juventus team 'philosophy' was to encourage a form of sportsmanship and teamwork intelligence that referees would be cheering. They also wondered if men's soccer in Europe had become sort of 'idolized athletic heroism' that made soccer-stars like Baggio (Italy) and Ronaldo (Portugal) seem like 'big brothers' of human athletic aspirations. They wondered if Juventus, with their referee-like team uniforms/jerseys somehow symbolized the overall friendship sentimentality inherent in the human spirit, a quality that would potentially help civilization get over the anti-globalization hurdles of dirty terrorism."

"Soccer was truly glamorous in Europe, and magazines featured gorgeous models showcasing fanfare styles and uniforms of various popular or iconic club teams. Soccer was therefore a rich market for marketing in Europe, even though it was considered a 'pedestrian' sport in America! Ajay and Matthew wondered why soccer movies never really became popular in America, as compared to big-budget Hollywood (USA) movies about football (NFL) and baseball (MLB). They wondered if America's lack of marketing investments in soccer would make its rivals more competitive in the world of sports-merchandising and media presentations of world sporting events. Americans were competitive at the Olympics, so why weren't they in-tune with the diarism of soccer deals like Europeans?"

"Ajay and Matthew watched a key UEFA game that season between Juventus (Italy) and rival Real Madrid (Spain). Juventus featured great talents, but Real Madrid was led by the prolific Portuguese scorer-striker Ronaldo. Ronaldo represented a new generation of European soccer-stars keen on making fans cheer about the general thrill of on-field athletic acrobatics. Ajay and Matthew realized that Ronaldo of Real Madrid was to Europeans what Tom Brady (superstar NFL quarterback of the New England Patriots) was to Americans, but Ronaldo had become a 'doll' and not really a diplomat. What was lacking in American culture that made sports-fans tune off the spirit of socioculturally shared ballet seen in those packed UEFA stadiums in Europe?"

"Ajay decided to buy a fancy pair of soccer-sunglasses for his American girlfriend to take back with him. He showed the purchase to Matthew, and his new Hollywood (USA) movie-star buddy remarked on the iconic quality and aesthetic fun of the soccer-sunglasses. He joked to Ajay and suggested that perhaps his girlfriend might appreciate his own personal successes in youth-league soccer growing up in America. Ajay wondered if the lack of interest in women-in-sports contributed negatively to Americans' lack of interest in world soccer even after the triumphs of the US women's national soccer team. Had Americans become 'chauvinists' in the area of socialized rituals?"

"Ajay and Matthew observed all the gorgeous female soccer fans at the UEFA games, and they came from everywhere (Spain, Italy, France, Germany, etc.)! They compared these attractive/attracted fans to NFL cheerleaders, proudly showcasing team/national colors of patriotic spirit and showing off their physical charms. Ajay and Matthew wondered how the new age of anti-capitalism terrorism (e.g., 9/11) had somehow 'sullied' humanity's views on shared media activities such as the Olympics."

"In the new age of media and Internet, anyone could access world soccer games conveniently on their laptop! This was the age of public activity access, after all! It was darn tooting easy to find a fun Euro-club soccer game on the Internet and stream it online on one's laptop. This was a great advancement in the technologies and infrastructure devoted to globalized networking and social activity. Ajay and Matthew wondered if this sort of 'virtual friendship' contributed to American youngsters enjoying soccer video-games in America such as EA Sports' iconic FIFA-Soccer series of video-games. Americans certainly loved graphics."

"When Ajay and Matthew returned to America with all their rich notes, they decided to make contact with the eco-active Hollywood (USA) celebrity/movie-star Leo DiCaprio who was currently planning a new film project about the eco-superhero Captain Planet. They approached Leo and asked him if his Italian heritage made him interested in European/Italian soccer, and Leo confessed he'd only just been to one English soccer game while traveling in Europe with a friend. Leo was more concerned about the global attention paid to modern environmental issues such as global warming. They asked Leo to make a fruitful 'plug' in his Captain Planet movie about the anti-terrorism symbolism and democratic marketing of modern world soccer. Leo said he'd pass the idea onto his 'democratic' screenwriters/producers. Ajay and Matthew kept their fingers crossed!"

AJAY: Soccer will never shine in America the way it does in Europe.

MATTHEW: That's probably true, Ajay, but we can keep working with media!
AJAY: Yes, anti-terrorism dialogue should be on the minds of anyone working in media now.
MATTHEW: World sports have always encouraged democracy and peace.
AJAY: At least there's a movie about Olympics terrorism now (Munich).
MATTHEW: I saw Munich (starring Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush).
AJAY: It was stellar, man.

MATTHEW: Maybe Juventus (with their referee-colored team jerseys) will be diplomats!
AJAY: Yeah, streaming Juventus games online in America represents modern global networking.
MATTHEW: Maybe Juventus soccer-stars are the modern equivalent of opera-singers.
AJAY: Why not?
MATTHEW: Soccer is so huge in Europe that American apathy is irrelevant.
AJAY: Yeah, well, we don't want critics of America to say we don't care about women's soccer!
MATTHEW: Right; we want the world to believe we invest in our women's national team (at least).
AJAY: Sure; just think --- the women's national team wins the World Cup and Americans don't even care!
MATTHEW: It's odd that college-soccer in America (teams like Georgetown) are incredibly respected.
AJAY: Americans simply don't follow professional soccer teams like they do in Europe, man.
MATTHEW: At least terrorists can't say Americans don't explore the resources of modern media.
AJAY: Right; Americans (and American kids too!) liberally use the Internet to scope global entertainment.
MATTHEW: Media can still save the world...

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