How Soccer Explains the World

Book #20 (yes, that's right - the big 2-0! I'm thrilled to be even half the reader that my dear Rain King is...) was How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer. Mr. Foer's book is a bit travelogue, a bit social commentary, and a bit "history of soccer." (Tellingly, my book jacket says to file this under "Current Events/Sports" - no doubt with the likes of the Stephen King book on the Red Sox and other errata).

The book is really interesting - Mr. Foer travels to 10 different soccer cities/sites and explores each of them by a theme related to globalization. For example, Mr. Foer goes to Italy and explores the oligarchy that runs the two most popular soccer teams. He goes to the Ukraine and explores the racism that newly imported African players experience in that culture. He goes to watch a game in DC (our very own DC united team) and talks about the American culture war between the suburb-middle-class centric American fandom for soccer compared to the more working class fan base of European and Latin American clubs. The topics are really interesting and the writing is clear and lucid.

Having said that, I would recommend having a basic understanding of soccer before picking this one up. I know nothing about soccer. That's not hyperbole, that's not exaggeration - I literally know nothing about soccer. And, frankly, you should know something about soccer to read this book. When I did know something about what Mr. Foer was talking about, I found the book far more interesting then 95% of the time when I did not. For example, thanks to my love of all things kitschy and pop-culture, I know who David Beckham is. Mind you, in my world he's Posh Spice's husband and not a soccer-god, but it was really helpful when reading his name to know who he is. On the other side, not knowing anything about different countries and their national style of play (Italians, more defensive oriented; Brazilians known for aethetically pleasing offense - if Mr Foer is to be believed) was a real handicap.

The chapters on hooliganism in soccer are straight up fascinating. Frequently the only image one has of soccer and its fans is the hooligan side. Hearing all of that soccer-related violence explained in context of the globalization and national politics of the game was extremely interesting.

Net net - if you're a soccer person, I'd highly recommend the book. Lucid, interesting, and a travelogue to places you've probably heard of and are interested in. If you know nothing about soccer, be prepared for a bit of an uphill battle against terminology and ideas that you never really end up grasping.