Us and Them: U.S. Ambivalence Toward the World Cup and American Nationalism

Analyzing media coverage of the men’s World Cup of soccer, this article explores the characterization of the United States relationship to this event as a form of national myth making. American journalists emphasized to their readers that the importance and meaning of the tournament domestically pal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sport and social issues 2012-05, Vol.36 (2), p.135-154
Main Author: Buffington, Daniel Taylor
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Borders
Identity
Journalists
Males
Media
Media coverage
Men
Narratives
National Identity
Nationalism
News Coverage
Soccer
Soccer (football)
Sports
Tournaments
Tournaments & championships
United States of America
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Summary:Analyzing media coverage of the men’s World Cup of soccer, this article explores the characterization of the United States relationship to this event as a form of national myth making. American journalists emphasized to their readers that the importance and meaning of the tournament domestically paled in comparison to that found outside its borders. Previous scholars have used the concept of “American exceptionalism” to interpret this type of media narrative as a reflection of the sport’s low cultural valence. Alternatively, the author argues that this characterization constitutes a form of “boundary-work” wherein American national identity could be specified in more concrete terms by representing the United States as both internally unified and different from all other nations through its ambivalence toward soccer.
ISSN:0193-7235
1552-7638
DOI:10.1177/0193723511433861