Unlikely is right. Soccer doesn't explain the world, nor does this book explain anything very convincingly. Foer tosses casually in to the mix assertions like: "Critics of soccer contend that the game inherently culminates in death and destruction". Do they really? No evidence or examples are presented. Perhaps some theorists enjoying this brand of Left Bank style generalisations, merrily detached from practice or praxis may contend thus, but Foer doesn't achieve anything much by theorizing in that spirit. That vented, however, I should acknowledge that some of the tales related here from the soccer world (the scope of his examples is wide and diverse) are interesting, and make for good reportage.
Still, there's not much about the game of football itself, or how it is played, which ought to be a subject of some interest, one would think. The tribal identification and passions it inspires are of interest, sure, but don't they sometimes obscure what ought to be the heart of the matter? ( )

Too American. He calls kick off, game time. Even worse he calls football, soccer. He thinks capitalism and globalisation are good for football. And apparently Pre-Sky, Pre-Premiership football grounds were only inhabited by hooligans. ( )

I read this book based on Jeff and Brooke's recommendations as they are avid soccer fans and players. It made me look at the sport in a new way. ( )

Foer’s thematic essays take on many aspects of the beautiful game and much of the ugliness that manifests itself or attaches itself to sport as a way of exploring globalization. Each of the essays is fascinating and insightful, and if they do not fulfill the unlikely theory of globalization, they do make for an excellent read.

How soccer explains…

1. the Gangster’s Paradise – a frightening look of how gangs of soccer supporters and even the team organizations themselves propagated the ethnic warfare in the Balkans of the 1990’s.
2. the Pornography of Sects – examines the Old Firm rivalry of Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers, a seeming aberration of sectarianism in a modern Scotland prolonged by fans of the clubs.
3. the Jewish Question – tells the history of a pre-Second World War Jewish soccer club in Austria, and a modern Hungarian team with Jewish history as well as non-Jewish teams that have adopted a Jewish identity in half-tribute/half-mocking way akin to American sports teams naming themselves for Indians.
4. the Sentimental Hooligan – an interview with an aged Chelsea hooligan looks back proudly on his violent past and helps train a younger generation amid the yuppification of English football
5. the Survival of the Top Hats – despite dominating the world football scene, Brazillian football clubs play to near-empty stadiums caught in a morass of corruption that even Pelé cannot overcome.
6. the Black Carpathians – the clash of cultures as top African footballers are signed to play on Ukranian clubs, with touches of colonialism as well as sadness for a soccer backwater.
7. the New Oligarchs – comparisons of the old guard football powers Juventus to the nouveau riche of AC Milan and how they symbolize a corrupt, capitalist control of Italy. A nod also given to the socialist leanings of Inter Milan supporters.
8. the Discreet Charm of Bourgeois Nationalism – the story of FC Barcelona as an outlet for Catalan nationalism as well as symbol of purity in an increasingly commercial soccer world. “Critics of soccer contend that the game inherently culminates in death and destruction. They argue that the game gives life to tribal identities which should be disappearing in a world where a European Union and globalization are happily shedding such ancient sentiments. Another similarly widespread thesis holds that the root cause of violence can be found in the pace of the game itself. Because goals come so irregularly, fans spend far too much time sublimating their emotions, anticipating but not ever releasing. When those emotions swell and become uncontainable, the fans erupt into dark, Dionsyian fits of ecstatic violence. Barca redeems the game from these criticisms, by showing that fans can love a club and a country with passion and without turning into a thug or terrorist. (p. 197) “There’s no reason that nationalism should inherently culminate in these ugly feelings. To blame the Croatian and Bosnian wars on excessive love of country drastically underestimates the pathologies of Serb culture. Besides, in theory, patriotism and cosmopolitainism should be perfectly compatible. You could love your country – even consider it a superior group – without desiring to dominate other groups or closing yourself off to foreign impulses. And its not just theory. This is the spirit of Barca.” (p. 199)
9. Islam’s Hope – the liberalizing effect of football in Iran, where women risk execution disguising themselves as men to attend games.
10. the American Culture Wars – soccer is disliked in the United States because it is associated with the upper class and carries an air of snobbishness. On a greater scale soccer’s a symbol of globalization hated by many with isolationist feelings. “Multinational corporations are just that, multinational: they don’t represent American interests of American culture. Just as much as they change the tastes and economies of other countries, they have tried to change the taste and economy of the United States… No other country has been subjected to the free flows of capital and labor, so constantly remade by migration, and found its national identity so constantly challenged. In short, America may be an exception, but it is not exceptionally immune to globalization. And we fight about it, whether we know it or not, just like everyone else.” (p. 248)
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Absolutely loved this look at both globalization and the beautiful game. I must admit, the author got to me by the end. BARCA BARCA BARCA! Ha! A very good book I would reccomend to anyone interested in the game. Also some good insights into the Balkan wars, and a little history about the Northern Ireland Conflict. ( )

Not so boring that I couldn't finish it, but most of the attempted connections between globalization and soccer seemed like stretches.

It seemed more like this guy wanted to write about hooliganism, Barcelona, and soccer in the U.S. ( )

This book started out strong, but it fizzled after the first two or three chapters. In fact, I didn't even read the last two chapters because I was beginning to find the reading to be somewhat of a chore. I had the feeling that the author really wanted to write a book about soccer and he constructed a weak thesis to sell the idea to a publisher. This book is at its strongest when it explores the peculiarities of local soccer culture.It becomes much less interesting anytime the author attempts to impose his globalization theories. ( )

The book is divided into chapters that are essays in amongst themselves. Each essay describes a how soccer explains Political and religious tensions around the world. It also explains how soccer explains both sides of the globalization debate. ( )

A fascinating look at globalization through the frame of soccer around the world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. ( )

...the author attempts to either prove or disprove various facets of Globalization, using selected situations and anecdotes from around the soccer globe. The book suffers from a lack of a coherent thesis...

Read the rest of my review of How Soccer Explains the World on my blog, The Nerd is the Word.

http://nerdword.blogspot.com/2006/07/... ( )

I am football mad and as soon as I saw this book, I had to read it. Using vignettes/reportages, the author attempts to shed light on the world and globalization through the prism of football. What he finds – the shrinking of the footballing world, violence, contending identities, social and class fault lines reflected through allegiance to football clubs and hope in the redeeming value of the game – makes for some powerful and entertaining reading. I especially found the chapters on Barca (where the Spanish Civil War still resonates), Chelsea (where we meet a Jewish reformed hooligan) and the Old Firm clubs (where football fans from Northern Ireland recreate sectarian violence through their support of either Glaswegian clubs) utterly compelling – but at the same time lacking because I wanted more. This is my problem with the book: it felt too much like a piece of journalism, with some vignettes stronger than others, and I could not find an overarching thesis/idea to tie all these disparate elements together and offer an answer as to how football explains the world. ( )

Interesting book worth reading, discussing football and politics.
The author is somewhat biased - the chapter on judaism and soccer equals modern scepticism about how Israel handles the Palestina-issue with antisemitism. And as he is a devout fan of FC Barcelona he imagines their fans as more pure or worthy than others when in reality it doesen't matter if the violence stems from greed, warmongering, unemployment or stupidity - it hurts either way. ( )

Absolutely loved it. Great journalism, good insights, wonderful research. Very fun read. ( )

Interesting and suprisingly robust comparisons between soccer and politics. Somewhat dry political discussions. ( )

Really more about soccer than globalization. Nonetheless, provides a good feel for how soccer is regarded around the world and what an outlet it is for political, religious and general tensions. ( )

http://www.allconsuming.net/entry/vie... ( )

Fun and informative. ( )