Ellington Blog Post #4

Victoria Ellington

Blog Post #4

12/01/14

Unity Through Competition

I had never really thought about the concept of soccer specifically explaining the world, but I have often been told that sports apply to every aspect of life; teamwork, perseverance, hardship, etc.  However, I had never really thought about how sports apply to the broad picture.  Soccer is the perfect example because it is the most popular international sport and brings the whole world together, yet simultaneously divides us.  This exemplifies international relations perfectly.  Soccer in many ways proves that globalization may be good in theory and the world may even be routinely becoming more “globalized” but, human instincts will always prevail and divisions and loyalties will remain.  However, the global soccer landscape has become an industry and more and more profit driven as opposed to goal driven (no pun intended).  This idea relates back to international relations because states have gotten more and more economically driven as technology has advanced and trade has become more fluid and efficient.    Barcelona, as explained by Foer, is the exception to this trend.  They refrain from having sponsors displayed on their jerseys and being money driven.  Just as a nation would punish a citizen for committing treason, “when the highest paid players in the world demonstrate insufficient enthusiasm for the cause, Barca and its fans turn on them” (Foer 196).  Barca’s sense of pride and protection of their name, as well as drive to be the very best, is akin to the nationalism felt by any nation, especially when their name or unity is threatened.

While Foer’s version of how soccer explains things on a global scale is incredibly rational, it raises a different series of questions when the United States alone is studied.  Football is a uniquely American sport, and the sport itself provides the country with an overwhelming sense of pride and passion, yet each Sunday we are a nation divided.  In the same way that soccer divides the world, but also brings it together, football puts Americans at odds with one another, yet each competition begins with the national anthem, celebrating our great nation.  Most importantly, both soccer (on a global scale) and football (on a national scale), prove the effectiveness of competition in order to bring about a sense of pride for ones team or state, but ultimately to unite all the players and teams across the world or the country.