August 18, 2004
Soccer doesn't really explain much more than soccer
When I was in Europe, I found myself swept up in Euro 2004 fever. I found it odd that a sport I never before followed took so much of my attention. When I saw reviews of Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explain the World, I got a copy of it from my local library.
I just finished it, and, well, If soccer does explain the world, Franklin doesn't explain that to us. Really, it's just an excuse for Mr. Foer to travel all over the world, and where he has brought back stories of soccer in various places. There's actually a lot of good material in there -- he finds some interesting stories, and tells them well. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of FC Barcelona (aka Barca) -- the truly populist nature of the team reminded me of the Green Bay Packers. (I tend to think that only cities should own teams, not individuals.)
Anyway, a good book, but not really an exploration of "globalization."
