It is undeniable that soccer is a popular game. It is not easy to think of a place in the world where you cannot find soccer fans. It goes by the name football in places where it is extensively played whereas in the United States where it is not so popular it is identified as soccer. The jubilation and merry that is evident during the topmost soccer challenge in the world commonly referred to as FIFA world cup is testimony to the immense love that fans have for this game as well as the huge number of fans that this game has. The first FIFA world cup was played in 1930 (Freddi, 2006).Since then; many similar events have taken place. The world cup is a moment for the best in the game to show the world all that they know. Besides the FIFA world cup, there are regional and national country tournaments for soccer competitions. The ones that are well known are the European and Latin American clubs. The reason for this is not that they are the best. It is because the governments of these countries are willing to support this clubs.
The religious following that star soccer players have is enviable. Most of them are known more than our famous Hollywood stars and national politicians. For example it is very possible to come across a young man from Zimbabwe correctly identifying Ronaldinho or Thierry Henry as members of the Barcelona football club,( Derbyshire,2006) but hard for this same young man to name the president of neighboring Uganda. When a country has outstanding soccer players, the citizens normally unite behind their team and make it a necessity to appear in all the competitions that it takes part in so as to give it support. A number of people take this a sign of the uniting force that soccer is and go ahead to claim that soccer has the potential to foster national identity among people in a certain nation. In this research paper, I will provide research findings or evidence to support the claim or thesis that soccer does not foster national identity more than any other game.
What happens when the time for the world cup is past and the wait is long to the next? Soccer fans look left right and center and identify clubs that they think are in possession of the soccer qualities that they strongly identify with and then begin supporting them. Does this happen only within the confines of a certain country? The answer to this question is no. For instance, it is no surprise that Arsenal, one of the top clubs in the English Premier League has a huge following outside of the UK, (Spurling, 2004), and especially in the African continent. There have been cases of fans beating up their colleagues for supporting rival clubs such as Manchester United (Tyrell & Meek 1996); which is also a top club in the English Premier League (Murphy, 2006). Where does national identity feature in this scenario? It does not appear anywhere. People follow the game just for the love of it. These fellows are not even within the European Union block of countries so as to claim that they are part of the European identity, and therefore they are supporting these clubs as a sign of national or even regional identity. They are Africans who have chosen to ignore their own underperforming football or soccer clubs so as to watch the game that is played in the way they think is appropriate.
The above point gives us the view that when the nationals of a particular country come together and watch their national team playing, it is not necessarily a function of national identity. They rarely even care about their national identity when they watch the game. The feelings that come with losing do not last long and shift of support to the rival team that displayed a better game normally happens very fast. This is therefore a solid ground to lay the argument that these fans may be doing this just for the love of the game. It is not meant to show that they strongly or loosely identify with their country. Remember as noted above, nationals of distant countries spend several hours in their living rooms with their eyes fixed on their flat screens as they watch young men and women of far away countries kick the ball. These people who are watching the game are not displaying national identity with the players they do not even know and may never meet. They are just enjoying the game.
Other than the love of the game that draws supporters even from other countries, the celebrity culture that has engulfed modern society has not spared soccer. It used to be too much identification with movie stars and musicians but this is not the case anymore. It is not uncommon to come across young men bearing the Thierry Henry hair cut or the Wayne Rooney walking style. This is a unique type of identity that borders on hero worship, but is more about appreciating the talent demonstrated by the person being imitated and silently wishing that he or she had it too. This is more about personality issues and not national identity. It is therefore possible to find millions of young men watching the local team playing soccer and mistaken their presence for a strong feeling of national identity when in the real sense, the local team has one particular individual who is highly appreciated by these youngsters. This appreciation makes them to show up at games where he is playing as a demonstration of their connection to him or her. We often hear people on our television sets openly claiming that they wanted to watch a particular game simply because a certain player was part of the team that was to take part in the competitions. Therefore, it is not correct to state that soccer has a strong connection with national identity.
Besides personality issues, most of the games played in the current world of soccer are sources of revenue. The clubs are owned by specific individuals who have hired competent managers, coaches, and other business people who understand that the whole venture is supposed to be focused on profitability. This means that any game played has to be advertised accordingly as a way of ensuring that a sufficient number of fans show up and pay entrance fee in order to gain access into the stadia and watch the game. These massive campaigns always lead to huge crowd turn outs regardless of the pace where the game is played. A soccer club from Spain can play against a team from England in France and still get huge numbers of fans coming to watch the game and supporting either of the teams. Is there any trace of national identity in this? There is no national identity in this kind of undertaking. The intense campaigns that are carried out by the business minded owners of the teams or clubs always leads to huge turn outs. These huge turn outs of fans can be mistaken for national identity promoted by soccer when it is a home team that is supported by huge numbers of fans. The possible reason for this is the intense media campaign that is carried out as a way of getting as many people as possible to buy tickets and generate profits for the owners of the clubs.
Far from media campaigns that send the fan numbers high, there is a serious question that we need to ask ourselves when we get to the allegation that football or soccer promotes national identity. How come some countries have a long history of standard football, and yet they lack a strong sense of national identity? Nigeria in African is a typical example (Segun, 2009). This country has always had strong soccer. It has won the African cup of nations a number of times and it is always part of the teams that represent Africa in the world cup. Ironically, it is one of the countries with people who are never ready to have a strong attachment to their country. Contrastingly, some countries that have fared badly in soccer have citizens who have a strong sense of attachment and belonging to their countries. They cannot meet you and let you go without disclosing to you that they are from such and such a country. An example of this is the United States of America. Americans will always want to let you know that they are from the United States of America; even when you are too tired to listen. The same applies to Kenyans; who cannot miss a chance to name their country. Both the United States and Kenya have poor history in soccer and their teams do not do very well in leagues, tournaments, and other soccer competitions. What does this mean? This means that there is something else that is responsible for a strong national identity among the people of a particular country and this aspect is not football.
The other possible reason as to why fans fill soccer stadia to watch soccer is the rise of the culture of luxury. It is not a popular trend to find young people planning to attend certain functions during their free time as a way of making use of this uncommitted or unoccupied time. These people decide to spend this time watching a soccer game between the local team and the rusty group o f players from the other side of town. Such a decision is not made based on a strong sense of identification with the country. It is a decision that is made with personal concerns in mind and selfish and individual planning that has little or nothing to do with the nation or country. The numbers of people who wake up from their houses to go and support a team because it is from their country and they therefore feel obliged to be there is small. Life is busy and people are more focused on dealing with private issues.
Still on fans, what is the common thing that we can observe among soccer fans? Soccer fans are able to connect easily even when they are not from the same country. The same kind of friendly disposition I will have towards a fellow American or a fellow Briton who is watching soccer with me is the same type of disposition I will have with a Mexican or South African watching soccer with me. This tells us that the closeness that we see in our national stadia during local tournaments is not an express indication of a strong sense of national identity that emanates from soccer. The fact is the same connection that we witness at the local level is also replicated at the international level.
Leaving the fan area a side, the men and women who pay soccer also have their space in this research. Are they affected in any way by the whole question of soccer and national identity? The observations made on the ground point in the opposite direction. What is the characteristic of a patriotic soccer player who has a strong sense of national identity? This kind of player stays in his or her country and struggles to sharpen his or her skill from there. Then he or she plays for the national team in any competition and participates in the training of more soccer talent. Is this what we see in the world of soccer today?
The answer to the above question is no. Most of the talented soccer payers have shown that they lack national identity just like most ordinary people. As soon as they realize that they can kick the ball in a nice way, they begin looking out for rich clubs that can pay them huge sums of money. This is especially true for African players who their fear of challenging economic conditions is more than their love for their countries. These men, who mostly play for European clubs can miss regional tournaments involving their countries so as to play a friendly match involving their European clubs. All they want is to ensure that their pay for the day is recorded. If national identity is a function of soccer, then we would be seeing a different case. These people would be putting their nationalities first and playing for their countries first before following the money. For clarification, this type of behavior is not restricted to soccer. It is commonplace in western countries in games such as golf, tennis, basketball, and baseball whereby the players are not out to do because of the country. They are doing it because of themselves. They want personal glory and individual wealth. Tiger Woods keenly makes the magic shots with his millions of dollars in mind. Serena Williams does her thing too; not for the United States but for Serena Williams. Kobe Bryant makes the wonder three pointers for the paycheck and not for the United Sates. The country comes in as a side consideration.
Also, the famous soccer leagues and clubs are not famous for playing for their countries. They are known for playing for their clubs; which as it is identified elsewhere in this research paper, it is a money making venture. The players who play for Chelsea football club may be nationals of the United Kingdom, but they are not known for playing for the United Kingdom. Their jerseys do not bear the names of their countries at all. All that is visible on their jerseys are their names, their field numbers or positions and the names of the clubs they are playing for. For example Ronaldinho’s jersey will have his name, his number and the name Barcelona FC, which is the club that he plays for. When he walks through the streets of Brazil, his native country wearing his soccer jersey, he will not be identifying with his country. He will be identifying with his club which is based in a far away country. He will also be teaching young kids who look up to him as a role model to identify not with the country but with the club that e plays for. In this way, soccer ends up diminishing national identity instead of enhancing it.
A contrasting view to the evidence provided above is that soccer has the ability to foster a sense of strong national identity among people of a certain country. Like music or a certain type of food that the people of a certain nation identify with, soccer may be the only area that brings people together in some countries. In such a case, you will find that any time the national team is playing, the people are out in large numbers cheering and cherishing the whole moment. They feel a strong sense of belonging and proudly identify with their nationality. Such countries are characterized by the huge presence of people wearing garments that have members of their national soccer team or a popular national or regional stadium.
Also, some players who play for clubs that are outside their countries have the tendency of going home to their countries to participate in important tournaments. This is a display of national identity by these soccer players. They are driven by the talent that they have to go and give something to their country. Their identification with it is solid till they can put aside all other commitments so as to represent it in tournaments. There is evidence of a number of African players who play for European clubs going to their home countries to represent them during major games such as the African Cup of Nations as well as the World Cup.
It is also been said that sports of whatever kind creates connection among fans and players. Soccer is particularly famous for bringing huge groups of fans together. This kind of gathering can assist in creating national cohesion and promote a common identity among people of the same nationality. If it can work for people who do not share countries of origin, then it can work even better for people who come from the same country.
In conclusion, it is clear from the above that contrary to popular opinion, soccer, the popular game that is also known as football does not necessarily promote a sense of national identity in a way that other sports cannot do. The evidence for this include the enormous support that is given by fans to teams that are not from their home countries and the celebrity culture that has made young men and women work so hard to identify with players, a phenomenon that induces them to attend matches that have their favorite soccer player in the lineup. All they want to do is to watch their adored player kick the ball (Witzig, 2006). It is more of a personality issue. Also, soccer is a business venture. Enormous amounts of resources are spent in media campaigns in a bid to attract fans to flock the stadia and raise money for the clubs though ticket fee. The huge attendances that result from these vigorous media campaigns can easily mislead us into believing that the people like identifying with soccer when in the real sense, they have come to satisfy their curiosity due to the pestering advertisements.
The other piece of evidence given is that some countries have long histories of good soccer but yet they have poor records of national identity. This contrasts with other countries that are not known for soccer prowess, but still have a high sense of national identity. This effectively beats the argument that soccer promotes national identity. Then there is the culture of luxury that makes people to make arrangements to go and watch a soccer game, not because they sense a strong attachment to the nation because of soccer but because they need to spend their luxury time doing something that is either entertaining or taking less mental energy. These people fill the stadia making us think that they have been driven by a strong national identity when in the real sense they are passing time. The indiscriminate connection that takes place even between people soccer fans of different nationalities also warn us against thinking that seeing our fans together cheering our team signifies national identity. It is natural for soccer fans maybe. The capstone in this line of evidence is that players market the clubs they play for more than their countries and this is not national identity.
There is however the fact that some players always feel a sense of necessity to always play for their countries during major tournaments. This is a way of identifying with their nation. Also the rapid connection that takes place between fans of different nationalities can work even better for people of the same nation, thus enhancing national identity. But this counter-evidence is still weak. Therefore the thesis that football or soccer does not necessarily support national identity stands.
References
Derbyshire, O. (2006). Thierry Henry.London: John Blake Publishing Ltd.
Freddi, C. (2006). Complete Book of the World Cup 2006. London: HarperCollins.
Murphy, A. (2006). The Official Illustrated History of Manchester United. London: Orion Books.
Segun, I., S. (2009).Rebranding Nigeria For New National Identity. Web.
Spurling, J. (2004). Rebels for the Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club. London: Mainstream.
Tyrrell, T &; Meek, D. (1996). The Hamlyn Illustrated History of Manchester United 1878–1996. 5th ed. London: Hamlyn.
Witzig, R. (2006).The Global Art of Soccer. London: CusiBoy Publishing.