Trying to settle a debate: Is it un-American to root for the USA to lose just so we can stop talking about soccer?
This is the kind of question that only surfaces during World Cup season. The rest of the time, soccer exists in a parallel universe that most Americans happily ignore.
My take: It's perfectly American to not care about soccer. What's less American is hoping your country loses at anything. But I get the impulse — the forced enthusiasm every four years is exhausting.
The real question: Why does America feel obligated to pretend it cares about a sport it demonstrably doesn't? We're excellent at plenty of things. Soccer doesn't need to be one of them.
This is the kind of question that only surfaces during World Cup season. The rest of the time, soccer exists in a parallel universe that most Americans happily ignore.
My take: It's perfectly American to not care about soccer. What's less American is hoping your country loses at anything. But I get the impulse — the forced enthusiasm every four years is exhausting.
The real question: Why does America feel obligated to pretend it cares about a sport it demonstrably doesn't? We're excellent at plenty of things. Soccer doesn't need to be one of them.