How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization (Paperback)

by Franklin Foer (Author) "Red Star Belgrade is the most beloved, most successful soccer team in Serbia..." (more)
Key Phrases: football revolution, beloved club, Red Star, World Cup, Real Madrid (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The global power of soccer might be a little hard for Americans, living in a country that views the game with the same skepticism used for the metric system and the threat of killer bees, to grasp fully. But in Europe, South America, and elsewhere, soccer is not merely a pastime but often an expression of the social, economic, political, and racial composition of the communities that host both the teams and their throngs of enthusiastic fans. New Republic editor Franklin Foer, a lifelong devotee of soccer dating from his own inept youth playing days to an adulthood of obsessive fandom, examines soccer's role in various cultures as a means of examining the reach of globalization. Foer's approach is long on soccer reportage, providing extensive history and fascinating interviews on the Rangers-Celtic rivalry and the inner workings of AC Milan, and light on direct discussion of issues like world trade and the exportation of Western culture. But by creating such a compelling narrative of soccer around the planet, Foer draws the reader into these sport-mad societies, and subtly provides the explanations he promises in chapters with titles like "How Soccer Explains the New Oligarchs", "How Soccer Explains Islam's Hope", and "How Soccer Explains the Sentimental Hooligan." Foer's own passion for the game gives his book an infectious energy but still pales in comparison to the religious fervor of his subjects. His portraits of legendary hooligans in Serbia and Britain, in particular, make the most die-hard roughneck New York Yankees fan look like a choirboy in comparison. Beyond the thugs, Foer also profiles Nigerian players living in the Ukraine, Iranian women struggling against strict edicts to attend matches, and the parallel worlds of Brazilian soccer and politics from which Pele emerged and returned. Foer posits that globalization has eliminated neither local cultural identities nor violent hatred among fans of rival teams, and it has not washed out local businesses in a sea of corporate wealth nor has it quelled rampant local corruption. Readers with an interest in international economics are sure to like How Soccer Explains the World, but soccer fans will love it. --John Moe --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Foer, a New Republic editor, scores a game-winning goal with this analysis of the interchange between soccer and the new global economy. The subtitle is a bit misleading, though: he doesn't really use soccer to develop a theory; instead, he focuses on how examining soccer in different countries allows us to understand how international forces affect politics and life around the globe. The book is full of colorful reporting, strong characters and insightful analysis: In one of the most compelling chapters, Foer shows how a soccer thug in Serbia helped to organize troops who committed atrocities in the Balkan War—by the end of the war, the thug's men, with the acquiescence of Serbian leaders, had killed at least 2,000 Croats and Bosnians. Then he bought his own soccer club and, before he was gunned down in 2000, intimidated other teams into losing. Most of the stories aren't as gruesome, but they're equally fascinating. The crude hatred, racism and anti-Semitism on display in many soccer stadiums is simply amazing, and Foer offers context for them, including how current economic conditions are affecting these manifestations. In Scotland, the management of some teams have kept religious hatreds alive in order to sell tickets and team merchandise. But Foer, a diehard soccer enthusiast, is no anti-globalist. In Iran, for example, he depicts how soccer works as a modernizing force: thousands of women forced police to allow them into a men's-only stadium to celebrate the national team's triumph in an international match. One doesn't have to be a soccer fan to truly appreciate this absorbing book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (July 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060731427
• ISBN-13: 978-0060731427
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,141 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #9 in	Books > Nonfiction > Politics > Globalization

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars oh dear, November 12, 2004

By	Stephen Herlihy (Bristol, Uk) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization (Hardcover)

I picked this up when in the States; a football loving Brit who watches games around the world wanting to read a 'yank's' take on the beautiful game.

The author writes well. It is a fun read, but since getting back to England I've gained many cheap laughs by reading excerpts out loud.You have to trust an author when he states something as fact, but whenever I came across something I had personal knowledge of he gets it wrong.

His chapter on Ukrainian racism ends with him saying the racist abuse of black players there is not as bad as in England.Racist abuse was bad here 30 years ago, but disappeared many years ago.He talks of Iranian players `emigrating to play in English football- there's not one. He refers to the 1998 World Game, Germany v Iran, and says the`stadium was full of pro democracy Iranians. It was not. I was at that game . The stadium was full of Germans. And as for his`piece on Tottenham- someone was clearly winding him up.

This might seem picky, but instances like these made me suspect what he was saying about things I knew nothing about. If you want to read about football, pick up Simon Kuper's book 'Football against the enemy',David Winner's ' Brilliant Orange' and Pete Davie's brilliant 'All Played Out'. This book explained nothing

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is very familiar ground, July 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization (Hardcover)

Foer is an excellent writer, and for those who aren't familiar with the history of the sport this is an excellent introduction. For those who are already well-read on football, much of this will be too familiar. The religious and political context of the Celtic v. Rangers rivalry, the laughable corruption of Brazilian football, and basically every other story in this book has already been covered by other writers. Though the globalization theme tries to bring a new perspective to these old stories, it just feels gimmicky. If you've already read Simon Kuper's FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY you'll regret spending your money here. If you haven't read Kuper's book, but you're interested in the sport, buy it immediately. This is light reading designed for those who know nothing about the sport's history. For those looking for more depth and more entertainment, skip this and go straight to Kuper, David Winner's BRILLIANT ORANGE, and Alex Bellos' FUTEBOL: SOCCER, THE BRAZILIAN WAY. All three are excellent, entertaining, and provide more insight into the topics Foer touches on. To summarize: the typical American reader with limited soccer knowledge will enjoy this, those with real interest in the subject would do well to move on to more meaty fare.

41 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Page Turner. , June 23, 2005

By	Bernard Chapin "Ora Et Labora!" (CHICAGO! USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization (Hardcover)

Let me just say that, like the author Franklin Foer, I am a huge fan of international soccer and really love watching the World Cup every four years. It's a far more entertaining month, in my mind, than The Olympics. That's why I gave this book a chance. As far as soccer goes, the book is fantastic. The politics subplot left much to be desired, however, but that wasn't why I bought it in the first place.

Each of the chapters tells a different story about soccer within a different area of the world. Europe is, of course, represented heavily. An inside look at teams like Red Star Belgrade would make anybody twice as happy to be a United States citizen. Our sports have Holly Hobby characters by comparison. The rivalry between the two Glasgow teams, the Protestant Rangers and the Catholic Celtic, is unlike anything that we have in this nation. It makes the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry look like a Soap Box Derby. The intensity of these matches and its meaning for the fans is something that Foer excels at describing. One can practically see the Tottenham supporters and their emblems of their philosemitism in the stands, and that chapter, in particular, is brilliantly written. It is ironic that a sport, referred to in one editorial as "a slum sport played by slum people" can produce so much grandeur and memory.

The story of Brazilian team soccer, and its rule by top hats, is rather depressing. It appears that the entire league is hopelessly corrupt, which may be a reason that so many of their superstars play elsewhere.

The only problem that I had with Foer as a narrator is that he seems completely infected with political correctness. He goes in search of finding a team to support and chooses Barcelona, but is dedicated to avoiding teams with a past history of racism or fascism or whatever -ism happens to be trendy at the moment. The problem with this is that what transpires on the pitch has little to do with the thoughts that race through each supporters' head. You cannot vouch for the sanity of your fellow fans, and you cannot blame team ownership for what former owners did before their individual births. Soccer is a noble game; let's not reduce it to the level of politics or worry about a past that those of us in the present had zero control over.