How FIFA the game is popularizing soccer in America
On June 11, the world’s biggest event will commence. Hundreds of millions will bear witness simultaneously and the majority of the planet will unite for one moment in time. This is the World Cup.
Yet if you live in America, most of the people you know won’t give a shit.
It’s the world’s biggest event featuring the world’s biggest sport. Except here, where we just don’t give a fuck. We even call it “soccer” instead of the name “football” used by the rest of the globe. We’re just too cool for school.
But soccer has been slowly rising in the United States as a spectator sport lately. This uptrend of popularity has baffled analysts. Most take the popular scientific approach and blame it on the Mexicans. I, on the other hand, still believe the Lil Wayne rule applies: you’re not really popular unless white people like you. What has really been raising interest in soccer in the US and will continue to do so are EA Sports’ FIFA games. If they keep going at their current rate, I see soccer becoming a top three sport here within the next ten years.
See, the problem we Americans have with soccer is that it looks slow as shit at first glance. We’re a nation of flash and dash. A sport which people can run around for 90 minutes and not score bores us. We can’t see that it is impossible to appreciate the sport until your mindset makes the switch from “when will they score, oh my good jeez” to “ holy shit these dudes can score at any moment” and the suspense that comes with it. More than any of EA’s other sims, the FIFA games play faster than the actual sport. The player being in control instead of watching and just natural gamer tendencies (“Hold sprint button GO, GO, GO”) make FIFA play a good deal quicker than the real thing. It’s still a simulation and the mechanics and tactics are the same, they’re just sped up and videogame-y. Perfect for us impatient Americans with our shiny lights and constitutions.
Soccer is awesome, though. I love the rest of the world’s “football” almost as much as our own. Players, strategies, teams, leagues; I converse with English soccerheads all the time no problem. But I don’t watch much soccer. I catch the big finals matches and most of the US National team’s, but they don’t show much soccer here without cable subscriptions and I’ve never been to a soccer match. My love for soccer completely spawned from playing FIFA and it’s still the main source of my knowledge for the sport. It’s a primer for The Beautiful Game; you soak up a great deal information without even trying. After playing with the US team for just a little bit I had learned most of their names because the commentator won’t shutup after every pass. I figured out the best way to get goals naturally, what the fuck the offsides penalty meant after the game broke it down for me, and I started to learn opponents. Strategy just came naturally from having fun and trying to score goals.
Watching soccer after getting into FIFA is a completely different experience. I began to appreciate the athleticism and the constant strategy of the sport. I got it in a way I never did before. Players who I liked in-game became idols on the field. As it did for me, FIFA breaks down the barriers that keep the modern American from getting into soccer.
This past semester two games dominated my college dorm hall: Modern Warfare 2 and FIFA 10. Out of everyone who played, one guy was on the soccer team and 3 had played when they were kids. Most didn’t watch much soccer either and just played a lot of FIFA for no other reason than that it was a fun, and they knew about the players and the teams because of it. I was straight shocked; I came in ready to get my Madden on and FIFA was the big game for everyone. When we did catch real live matches on TV there was just as much buzz as on a NFL Monday night. This is definitely not the norm across the country, I wouldn’t dare claim that, but it’s very promising for the state of soccer in the US. Hell, I don’t see it as even possible five years ago. The idea of soccer being a big deal right now might seem like a stretch, but hit me up in ten years when your buddies invite you over to watch a match with some beer. I’ve already got my “told you so” all lined up. I’ll be at the DAMNLAG Penthouse.
***The book Sport and National Identity In the Post-War World says “black players in Scotland were greeted with bananas thrown from the crowd and a barrage of ‘monkey grunts’. Jaleel is here to end that shit. Check back for more Combo Breaker every Friday.***
About the Author
Jaleel is an editor on The DamnLag and author of "Combo Breaker". A video game journalist since 2004, he's had to churn out every cliche article imaginable. Combo Breaker is his initiative to inject real, investigative journalism into the industry. Just don't ever tell him he's wrong (he probably wouldn't believe you anyway).
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