Soccer Lands In U.S. With A Clunk

When I first saw Mass. Ave.'s lightposts bedecked with colorful banners, I admit that my first thought was, "It's that annual bike race. I thought I missed it." But no, these were the first sniffles of World Cup fever, now unevenly sweeping the United States.

I was in England during the last World Cup, in 1990. I was spoiled by the uninterrupted television coverage and the stories of hundreds of British fans (goons) being arrested on the streets in Italy. This mania could never reach the States, I thought, despite the fact that so many kids play soccer.

And, truthfully, it hasn't. I've seen the commercials cut in at exactly the 45:00 mark in games, before injury time begins. I've heard Al Trautwig's absurd commentary seep to below-Olympic-skiing levels. I've even listened to a foreign teaching fellow talk about his trip to Shay's bar to see a game: "The bar was really crowded, but all the good seats by the television were empty!"

However, soccer has not been met only by gloom and ignorance. My roommates and I have been watching avidly for the return of Cameroonian star Roger Milla, who at 42 was placed on the team by government orders because of his immense popularity. We started kicking a ball around at the Business School with graduate students on weekends. And, yes, we watch Univision, the Spanish channel. They show all of the games and all of the injury time. Sure, the play-by-play is completely incomprehensible, but we just know that it's better than Roger Twibell's nonsense. On what other station can you scream, "GOOOOL!" for a full minute along with the announcer?

Univision's coverage is proof that soccer has a definite place in this country. The mere fact that the Spanish-speaking network, unlike ABC or ESPN, has decided to show all the games in a non-pay-per-view setting shows what kind of following soccer already has here. Thus, we should all boo and hiss as we see a local area sportscaster mocking the earnest Univision play-by-play man on the 11 o'clock news. Clearly, he doesn't understand what the World Cup excitment is all about.

It's a good thing that the U.S. team includes a cast of caricatures, I mean characters, who are a publicist's dream. From Alexi Lalas, whose face could launch a thousand insane asylums, to slick Tony Meola, who wants to be an actor in his next career, the team is ripe for fan interest. They're not particularly fast, or experienced or graceful, but they have performed credibly so far. It goes without saying that they've also made it into their share of promotional campaigns. It's fitting that these athletes, who have devoted as much of their lives to sport as any professionals from the NFL, NHL, NBA, NL or AL, are reaping some of the same benefits. Of course, I still have only a vague understanding of how people manage to earn millions of dollars for kicking a ball.

The games themselves have been rather incredible. Fans of any sport should be able to appreciate the deft footwork necessary to shield a ball from three attackers, or the agile kick that propels a ball on a perfect are to the far post of the goal. Soccer is, after all, just another game that asks for an object to be moved from one side of the field to another. Its mechanics are little different from football, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, polo and many others. Americans should have no trouble watching soccer avidly, when they spend so much time watching men move other projectiles around for fabulous amounts of money.

The only possible problem with soccer watching is the paucity of goals scored. I can remember hearing Dan Rather moan on CBS Radio the day after the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers played a 7-3 game on a Monday night. Americans watching soccer will now identify that game as a fantastic defensive battle. Why not, when 1-0 baseball games are hailed as 'monumental pitchers' duels' and such? Why not, when New York Knick Anthony Mason's sole intelligible comment during the NBA Finals was, "I luv [sic] defense"? Television watchers will begin to enjoy the phenomenal passing, dramatic corner kicks and shots missed as much a shots scored.

Plenty of fans have shown up in person at the games, mostly in tribute to this country's multinational heritage. Not many people were rooting for Romania in the U.S.'s last game--say five percent of a packed stadium--but then again, the U.S. is the home team. Even when thousands of Argentinians tramp out to the stadium from their charter flights at the airport, they bring millions of tourist dollars that the economy sorely needs. These Argentinians are the same ones who have a nasty habit of throwing little pieces of paper all over the playing field. It's somehow supposed to simulate the atmosphere at their stadium back home, for the benefit of their players. But we can forgive them. They're not buying Chevrolets and soybeans to take home, but they are supporting small and large businesses in the cities they visit.

The World Cup also gives the U.S. a reason to clean its streets, improve its public transportation system, and cut down on urban violence. True, our stomachs churn when despotic nations put their best foot forward (while using it to stomp on the populace) for an event like this. Nevertheless, a little national spirit and good behavior can't hurt the U.S.'s image abroad.

Unfortunately, not all of the news from the World Cup has been good. The U.S. team's shining moment came in their 2-1 win over Colombia. Immediately, the game became the subject of controversy. First, we heard that drug lords in Medellin threatened to kill one team member if a substitute did not start (he started). Next, the coach was fired directly after the loss. Finally, rumors have claimed that Colombian gambling syndicates bet heavily against their national team and promised bloody reprisals if they didn't throw the game.

This kind of ridiculous posturing and exploitation of a sporting event does not belong in our country or in international society. After two preliminary games--the North Korea-South Korea and Iran-Iraq matches--ended peacefully, one would have thought that the worst was over. We had little reason to worry about goons; American sports fans are remarkably well-behaved, except for a basketball championship or two in Detroit and Chicago.

Reports have recently come in about rioting in Mexico City in the wake of Mexico's 1-1 tie with Italy, but the U.S. has no control over sports fans abroad. Who knows, though, what might happen if he U.S. is suddenly eliminated by Brazil in the team's next match? Are U.S. soccer fans crazy enough about the sport to go out into the streets in rage? Probably not.

The purpose of an international sporting event has long been for peoples of the world to come together without regard for petty politicking. World War and Cold Wars have justifiably cast their various palls over sports with boycotts and protests in tow, but those times and games are safely behind.

This World Cup has to succeed in the U.S., since the country's second Summer Olympics in as many decades is right around the corner. There is no Nazi party behind the scenes as in Munich, no superpower rivalry as in Moscow and Los Angeles. In fact, it's almost surprising that no groups, national or international, have taken the opportunity of the World Cup's international press coverage to make some major political statement.

As it stands, young and old can watch the Cup purely for the art and athleticism of soccer. Crowds rivaling those that assemble for Big Ten football games have jammed themselves into stadiums all over the country. Hopefully, all those fans will slap their rears into new seats in Atlanta in 1996.