This TIFO is the BBC’s response to accusations of sensationalism in its documentary ‘Stadiums of Hate.’ The BBC declared that the documentary was beneficial for soccer in Eastern Europe, as it was enough of a gut check to spur leagues in Poland and Ukraine to take action.
I enjoyed this article because I felt it touched on several points that are salient to the study of global football. For example, the author in great detail elaborated on the influence that the media plays in the spread of global soccer more than ever before in the game’s history. It also delves into the 20th century advent of investigative journalism.
The media has incredible power over how audiences come into contact with sports. More than simply reporting, I believe the explosion of the mobile device era is equally as potent in information’s spread. I really give specific credit to the iPhone and iPad. The ease of using them, the accessibility of international news, and the almost uninterrupted internet connection makes them especially worthy of note. The iPhone popularized the smartphone craze. They are so widespread in the rich world. Even in the semi-peripheral tier of countries, Apple’s technology is influencing culture there.
Most significantly is the impact that globalized media wields over culture. Culture is being re-shaped and broken down. New trends and fads are materializing. I would say that soccer’s prominence in the United States is part of that materialization.
Lechner’s article focuses on the Dutch national team and their development of a “Dutch National Style” of football throughout the late 20th century. Lechner bases some of the Dutch resurgence in the late 20th century on the collective memory of earlier Dutch victories. It can be drawn from our discussion about national myths that the Dutch victories of ’74 and ’78 are part of the foundation of Dutch soccer. The Dutch as a team know they are capable of this greatness, therefore blocking one of the first hurdles of attaining a championship, the preconceived notions of a teams limitations. Tying this back to the article of American exceptionalism, I feel that it is this preconceived notion of limitations that is hindering America in adopting the sport of soccer. Continue reading
I found this article today and lists some more great examples of how Bayern Munich is using the player transfer market to dominate not just the German league, but all of Europe. By signing on any player from any other team in Europe, Bayern has effectively consolidated many of the best players in the game into their team. While this is a key element of Bayern’s success, other teams are left picking of the pieces after losing some of their best players year after year.
This TIFO is in response to an early TIFO I submitted, a documentary by the BBC’s Panorama program. After additional research I have found the documentary to be highly controversial, with many accusing it of being incendiary and fear-mongering. While my TIFOs turned towards highlighting the feat of racism at EURO 2012, particularly by Eastern European clubs, for the most part it was a success. Polish and Ukrainian fans, as hosts, acted accordingly and it was foreign fans who caused the majority of racist incidents.
The rebirth that the Dutch football team went through for the 2006 World Cup is interesting because instead of looking to the outside to help fix the team, the Dutch federation selected in-house talent. They decided that their team was going to become the best by being entirely Dutch instead of the now traditional model of having players and coaches from different countries form a national team. The joint commitment the team expressed about their “way of playing is more important than the result is” is an interesting philosophy in sports, especially for a team who was trying to return to their global dominance in the World Cup. The Netherlands wanted to be able to have a sense of nationalism and feeling of true Dutch unity. By using only in-house players and coaching, they sought to bring back a Dutch identity and answer the “who are we?” question.
After their loss in the finals of the 1974 World Cup to Germany, the Dutch team did not return home as losers but were welcomed home as champions. By defeating traditional powerhouse teams like Argentina and Brazil and making it to the finals with Germany showed the people of the Netherlands that their tiny country could compete on the world stage with the best of them. The 1974 team became a symbol of what the Netherlands could really do. Continue reading
This article demonstrates how the German Football League, the Bundesliga, is experiencing a similar problem to the Italian league’s beginning of a small number of teams holding all the best players. Right now, Bayern Munich is in that position of power and their rivals, Borussia Dortmund, who were right behind them last year have fallen to fourth place. A lot of Dortmund’s woes this year stem from injuries, but because they do not have the depth of highly skilled players like Bayern Munich, they are having a hard time staying on top.
This TIFO focusses on sporting events as a platform for ‘showing off’ a nation to the world. This piece in particular focuses on Poland as one of the host nations for Euro 2012. The piece argues that if Poland is to use the UEFA as a venue to broadcast its changes to the world, it must first work to eliminate the racism that surrounds its football teams. Germany was successful in using the 2006 World Cup to show how far it had come since the 1990 reunification. South Africa in 2010 showed the world how vibrant and accepting it had become too since its reunification. The 2012 Euro Cup was a stage for the reintegration of Eastern Europe, former Soviet states, into the EU area.
Franck Ribery’s third place finish in the competition for the 2014 Ballon d’Or is nothing to be taken lightly considering the first and second place finishers of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. From the start of him finding out he was one of the three being considered for the trophy, he remained humble and expressed that he finds just being in the top three of the world is an honor enough. Ribery also remarks that he “would rather win it all again with Bayern Munich and win the world title. That is what really matters. Of course, I would have liked to win the award, but what else could I have done than winning all trophies with Bayern?” This team attitude is part of what makes Bayern Munich’s success so stable.
This TIFO continues the theme from my last TIFO about racism fears leading up to the Euro 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine. Several weeks before the events the BBC released a short documentary highlighting racist and Neo-Nazi fans from several Polish and Ukraine teams. The documentary questions what will happen when British and European fans, many of whom are non-white, will enter Polish and Ukrainian stadiums.