Soccer vs. Football, and Why Humility Wins
Am I the Only One Who Thinks This World Cup Feels Different?
Have you been watching the World Cup? My family and I have, and it’s been a blast. In fact, I think this is the first World Cup where I’ve watched so many games, even when neither of my countries’ teams played. We’re currently rooting for Norway.
Go Vikings! Go Haaland!
(I wrote this before the Norway vs. England game but didn’t post it in time. Sorry, Norway, but we DID cheer for you.)
Yesterday, as we settled in to watch Spain vs. Belgium, I was inclined to root for Belgium. Nothing against Spain. My ancestors on my father’s side were from Belgium, so I planned to root for my roots. (Sorry. Bad pun, and yes, intended.) Then I discovered some things that changed my mind.
Having grown up in the Brazil of Pelé, Zico, and Sócrates, I have always cheered my heart out for Brazil. Soccer is in the blood of the Brazilian people—maybe even more so than it is for many Europeans. Ironic, considering the game originated in Europe.
In the United States, soccer hasn’t traditionally carried the same weight it does in Brazil or much of the rest of the world. We have our own “American” football, which is nothing like soccer, plus baseball, basketball, and a handful of other sports competing for our attention.
Because soccer wasn’t as central to American culture, it never bothered me when the U.S. didn’t go far in World Cups.
That changed this year.
The current U.S. Men’s National Team has done a lot for the sport in this country. Maybe hosting the World Cup has helped, too, but plenty of Americans have invested time (and sacrificed their throats) cheering. More importantly, I’ve seen a humility and genuineness in these players that impressed me. When they huddled after each game for Mark McKenzie to lead them in prayer…well, I lost my heart.
To be honest, I didn’t expect the U.S. to win the tournament. But I really wanted to see them move on to the finals.
Brazil losing to Norway was a letdown, but we liked Norway. And Haaland. And the US was still in the tournament.
When Winning Isn't Enough
We settled in on July 6 (my birthday!) to watch the United States face Belgium.
From the opening whistle, the Americans weren’t playing their best game. The Belgian team was fierce. They played better, and when they won 4 to 1, we were disappointed, but we accepted it. They earned the victory.
Then, despite their loss, the U.S. team huddled on the field and did what they have done since the start.
They prayed.
I had tears in my eyes. In that moment, they were winners in my book. This would not be America’s year to win the World Cup, but that spirit of humility and dependence on God, something that will stay with them long after their athletic skills fade, is what really matters.
Belgium, unfortunately, left a different impression.
Instead of being benevolent victors, the Belgian team posted on their social media account, “reverse that,” mocking the reversal of Flo Balogun’s red card from the previous match. Their goalkeeper also allegedly posted, “And it’s football, not soccer.”
More about THAT in a minute.
The Belgians were already miffed that Balogun’s red card had been reversed, allowing him to play. Before the match, they had requested FIFA to reinstate the suspension. Why? In my opinion, because Balogun is one of America’s best scorers. Sounds to me as if they were a little afraid of him.
I could understand Belgium’s frustration if the red card had been deserved. But many observers—and not just fans—believed the call was unfair.
If you’re not familiar with soccer, a red card is a serious penalty. It immediately removes a player from the current game and also suspends him for the next match. It’s generally reserved for deliberate, dangerous conduct.
Emphasis on deliberate.
The replays showed Balogun going for the ball, and the opposing player approaching from behind…where Balogun wouldn’t have seen him. So…an accident. A yellow card might have been understandable since the other player was injured.
Belgium won fair and square. No one here is arguing that.
But just as nobody likes a sore loser, we like a “sore” winner even less. So on July 10, when Belgium faced Spain, I cheered for Spain. And woot, wooted when Spain sent Belgium home.
And we took on Norway as our favored team.
Even though they sent Brazil home.
What was different? The Norwegians weren’t arrogant afterward. Haaland was gracious and humble in his interviews, and I admire that. Most of America, North and South, seems to. At least according to all the memes and social media posts.
The Name of the Game: Why Americans Call it Soccer
As for the name…
Americans are taking an awful lot of grief for calling it soccer instead of football, especially from Europeans. I’ve scratched my head over that for years because both the game and the word came from…England. A European country.
So I did what any historical fiction writer would do.
I researched.
Here’s the short version.
Britain originally had two kinds of football: rugby football and association football. In typical British fashion, they shortened the terms. Rugby football became rugby, and association football was shortened to assoc (hard c on the end), which eventually evolved into soccer.
Other English-speaking countries, including the United States, embraced the term because they also had their own versions of football.
And if you’ve ever wondered why rugby football and American football are even called football when players spend much of the game carrying the ball…
Originally, football wasn’t named because the ball was kicked. It was named because the players played on foot instead of on horseback.
Whoa. Mind blown!
(That also explains why soccer is an everyman game. All you need is a ball and some mates.)
Around the middle of the twentieth century, Britain shifted back to calling the sport football, while other English-speaking countries changed more slowly. Even today, the Australian team is dubbed the Socceroos despite football being the preferred term.
But, alas, only the U.S. seems to receive criticism over the issue. Europeans in particular treat soccer as though Americans invented the word. But if they would just do a little digging, they’d discover that the term came about in their own backyard.
So...Soccer or Football? A Rose by any Other Name
Most Americans don’t seem to care. We’ve heard the soccer-versus-football jabs for years and brush it off.
But we have had a lot of fun hosting soccer fans from all over the world and watching many of them discover that Americans can be welcoming—even to people who are giving us grief about terminology.
So Belgium (and anyone else keeping score), we know it’s called football. But it’s also called soccer. After all, a rose by any other name…