America is built on the set of beliefs that highlights the fact that as American’s, we can always do better. The idea of exceptionalism in America has had both positive and negative results such as the space race and the Cold War. These ideas magnify the mythos surrounding the establishment of Soccer as a mainstream sport in the United States. The American public, tired of being the laughing stock of the world, decided to bring the World Cup to America. The deal put into place to secure such a monumental event was a contractual obligation to institute a soccer league in America. Major League Soccer still has not caught on in America. Even after decades of attempting to make the game more mainstream in America the American public still maintains
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A common theme through the progression of American soccer is the inherent inferiority and disdain it is shown compared to more major American sports. Similarly to how some Americans attempt to write off soccer, the rest of the world does the same to “America’s Game,” football. These two circumstances work to strengthen the underlying theme that American exceptionalism is an explanation for the sports gradual spread. The American people’s expectation of superiority clashes with the sports current inferiority to rivals such Germany and England, which is contrary to the popular and dangerous belief that the United States is inherently unquestionably the best in every foreseeable way. Europe’s disinterest in football is a relatable example of why the popularity of soccer has not been as astronomical as sports like football because it shows that most people do not inherently like new traditions, or adopted cultural practices of others. This belief is confirmed through the US adaptation of soccer to be more exciting to their populous. Major League Soccer, after its birth in 1996 was struggling to gain and …show more content…
These accomplishments can be seen through the rise of youth soccer as well as looking at an iconic American period that shares similar characteristics to those of soccer in America. Ryan Sealock’s observations of American growth show all the American ideals and the vision of early founders finally being recognized. Sealock writes, “I don 't have to tell you how far MLS has come in its short existence…In just 16 years, the sport of soccer itself along with MLS has really taken off. Popularity is growing. Quality of play has vastly increased from the early days. Revenue, sponsorship, merchandising, and TV coverage are all up and readily available. New television deals are being signed.” This illustration shows all the positives that come with American exceptionalism. Through the rise in popularity, it can be seen that the competitiveness and drive of the founders exemplified fundamental American ideals of commercialism which led to a gradual acceptance of the world’s favorite sport. Similarly to the space race in the 1960’s, a few motivated individuals led American to the forefront of space exploration. Dale Carter summarizes this thinking in his book “The Final Frontier” writing about how society during the Cold War was a powder keg for ideas as well as nationalism. His writing goes on to talk about the few influential leaders in the government that spearheaded this quest to be
A common theme through the progression of American soccer is the inherent inferiority and disdain it is shown compared to more major American sports. Similarly to how some Americans attempt to write off soccer, the rest of the world does the same to “America’s Game,” football. These two circumstances work to strengthen the underlying theme that American exceptionalism is an explanation for the sports gradual spread. The American people’s expectation of superiority clashes with the sports current inferiority to rivals such Germany and England, which is contrary to the popular and dangerous belief that the United States is inherently unquestionably the best in every foreseeable way. Europe’s disinterest in football is a relatable example of why the popularity of soccer has not been as astronomical as sports like football because it shows that most people do not inherently like new traditions, or adopted cultural practices of others. This belief is confirmed through the US adaptation of soccer to be more exciting to their populous. Major League Soccer, after its birth in 1996 was struggling to gain and …show more content…
These accomplishments can be seen through the rise of youth soccer as well as looking at an iconic American period that shares similar characteristics to those of soccer in America. Ryan Sealock’s observations of American growth show all the American ideals and the vision of early founders finally being recognized. Sealock writes, “I don 't have to tell you how far MLS has come in its short existence…In just 16 years, the sport of soccer itself along with MLS has really taken off. Popularity is growing. Quality of play has vastly increased from the early days. Revenue, sponsorship, merchandising, and TV coverage are all up and readily available. New television deals are being signed.” This illustration shows all the positives that come with American exceptionalism. Through the rise in popularity, it can be seen that the competitiveness and drive of the founders exemplified fundamental American ideals of commercialism which led to a gradual acceptance of the world’s favorite sport. Similarly to the space race in the 1960’s, a few motivated individuals led American to the forefront of space exploration. Dale Carter summarizes this thinking in his book “The Final Frontier” writing about how society during the Cold War was a powder keg for ideas as well as nationalism. His writing goes on to talk about the few influential leaders in the government that spearheaded this quest to be