Guest Rant By Jason
Bend it Like Bourdieu: The Habitus of American Soccer Fandom
American soccer fanatics like me do not just root for one team, we root for the sport itself, hoping to see it better received and understood. And about half of us (including me) root for MLS, our Major League Soccer. And we worry. We worry about what Americans might think if they are told one thousand times that David Beckham is invincible and, yet, his new team is crushed by Chelsea FC. That part went fine. Chelsea was better but only won 1-0 and the Galaxy bizarre scrappy defenses were pretty exciting. (Abel Xavier is fun to watch and not just for the foot-high bleach-blond afro.)
But why do we worry? We know that jackass commentators will bemoan a 1-0 score as if there is never such a thing in "American" sports.
We also worry about what the British will think when ESPN broadcast a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament even though the US team entered the semi-finals of the U-20 World Cup. I cringed hard when this channel interviewed Jennifer Love Hewitt DURING THE MATCH. She's B-list. But perhaps her analysis will surprise. "I've never been to a soccer game. It's superexciting. It's like a movie premiere!" What will the Guardian do with this?
The recent defeat of the Galaxy by the UANL Tigres of Mexico was already cited as evidence that MLS is not "real". They looked better against Chelsea than a few of the English Premiership teams have.
But why do we worry? English pundits will say no one cares despite four million youth players and high cable TV ratings. Let them be.
As for Beckham: He only had time for one excellent pass and a good corner kick. Once the rest of the team practices with him, these will start to look very good. Next year, they will be the favorite to win but, right now, they have about a 6-win deficit below the Houston Dynamo so they won win the "Supporter's Shield" for best season. The playoffs are relatively easy to get into and then they just might win the "MLS Cup". My team, the commie-monikered Houston Dynamo, would have beaten Chelsea last night and would be my bet for both Shield and Cup.
To quote Faye Dyer: "I got to see him warm up and run around." Sarcasm from unexpected quarters means the British papers surely won't hold back.
BTW-- the Chicago Fire will premiere their new star, Cuahtemoc Blanco, for whom many Mexicans have even more love than we saw with Becks. He is an incredible dribbler and one of the most ill-tempered players in the world.
Umberto Eco and Pierre Bourdieu noted that soccer fans cannot stop talking about the sport. There is something compulsive at work. I can't seem to prove them wrong but the sport rewards knowledge and talk.
For example, here in Muskegon, I recognized a guy's Hearts of Midlothian and asked him if he saw the Celtic play here. If you, as an American, can name one team from a guy's homeland they are impressed. Except ManU and Real Madrid fans who just presume you love them.
