I could write another BOOK as to why this tome should NEVER have been written.
For all those who understand my title caption of the review,no more needs to say. For the USian uninitiated to world football, you can look up the concept of 'relegation' on internet, no problem and you will understand what I mean by this title.

1st , a side note, if you really want an educated and informed story of the HISTORY of futebol* (*fútbol, calcio, fussball....PLEASE no call it 'soccer', hahahahaha!), read the englishman David Goldblatt's remarkable book "the Ball is Round" (or as we say , "A bola é redonda"!).

Em Breve, Mr Foer is a newcomer to the beautiful game, and has NO historical background for it.

Mr Foer writing a book on futebol can only be equalled as a supremo absurdo , if , por ex. Madonna (the singer) wrote a book on Cabala (Jewish numerical mysticisms that she experimented , and well documented by the USA "news" media, ih!!).

Or Michael jackson writing a manual on, say " how to romance women in ten easy (moonwalk) steps" would be another humorous(?) way to view this ???

Either way, Mr Foer has not the background , even with the research he did (and I commend him for that), he has no "muscle memory" regarding great moments of futebol both distant and recent past.


How can he describe how ,ex.~ in 1982 , Rossi's THREE gols destroyed one of the best seleção brasil even appeared on a pitch, what it meant to Rossi personally in his life,italia and brasil em geral...How can he know, futebol did not even exist for him in 1993, alone 1982!

He can research it, but can he feel this in his bones , not only as an italian or brasilian can, but almost ANY longtime football fanzaço do/did?? I am STILL torn between my admiration for the seleção and my beloved Azzurri of the impact of Rossi's momentary brilliant light that Copa!

NO, because he is from USA where futebol is STILL out of favour, even if milliards and milliards of immigrants and children of soccer moms play futebol daily at their neighborhood pitch, the sport gets minimal press, and is denigrated regualr basis by these sportstalks show idiotas, more/less!

A note-- Mr Foer is editor of a center-right journal in USA.

I had hoped this would have minimal influence on his "new love for the game" when he writes this book (which for reason unknown, is found in the POLITICAL SCIENCE section of local book stores!!!???)

,That this book is in the Poli Science section seems to denegrate political science discourse, as Mr Foer's book is a "lightweight" and more belongs to ficcion than poli-sciences.

Mr Foer's futebol "worldview" seems to be that of a partisan right winger/ super patriot (pun intended, obvious I mean his political preference), and this premeates the book perspective.



The first chapter, he rehashes what he has READ from futebol books written in Engleesh,after this "lesson" about futebol, he is to make right wing politics out of each passing chapter, including a chapter where he berates "soccer moms" as being "left wing" and goes on the attack! (??)

Personally,it seems that most USian "mammas" become very CONSERVATIVE after having children, and I make a guess more than a few these women voted BUSH as for the "opposition", no??

(I think there is even a study-report that "liberal" people become more conservative in USA once with child/children, no??)

If I remember, and I believe it so as it got me quite angry at time I read this book, Mr.Foer also attacks liberal parents in the book,I not impressed by that at all to publish derogatory comments about one's famiglia.

Sad sad, as I see it.

Again, Mr Goldblatt's book is poesia (or romantic prosa), a loving and THOROUGH history of the beautiful game as well as very non partisan overview of the world as applies to each country he "visits".

Mr Foer's book, sacanagem puro!

He cannot possible show how "soccer explains the world", futebol does NOT "explain" the world, but is an integral part of it (as , again, Mr Goldblatt's wonderful book indicates).



To sum, Mt Foer has an axe to grind, I have seen some of his political writing, and it is even worse than what is contained in this book.
As David Zirin has written, Mr Foer seems a proponent of the Freidman school of globalisation, and this is BAD BAD for everyone on the planeta, save the few elitistas in USA who profit from this arrangement.

In Italian football terms, this book is barely "C-2" division as a football book, as a political book, it not worth to use the pages to wrap fishbones..


To be charitable for Mr Foer's entusiasms for the world game,and a passable first chapter for all USian football "new boots", I allow the one star to be kind for a ZERO stars offering

o mundo gira é a bola rola

PS in the spriti of full disclosure, Eduardo Galeano's delightful (an partisan, so call me a hipocrite!) football book is translated inglés, "Football in Sun and shadow" , and takes a delightful PROGRESSIVE worldview, and of course,

Sinhô Galeano is an 'aplicado discipulo' of the world game since a boy in uruguai. A MUCH better choice also than this book, a "classic" of futebol literature.

I could write another BOOK as to why this tome should NEVER have been written. For all those who understand the title of the review,no more needs to say. For the USian uninitiated to world football, you can look up the concept of relegation on internet, no problem.

1st , a side note, if you really want an educated and informed story of the HISTORY of futebol (fútbol, calcio, fussball....PLEASE no call it 'soccer', hahahahaha!), read the englishman David Goldblatt's remarkable book "the Ball is Round" (or as we say , "A bola é redonda"!).

Em Breve, Mr Foer is a newcomer to the beautiful game, and has NO historical background for it.

Mr Foer writing a book on futebol can only be equalled as supremo absurdo , if , por ex. Madonna (the singer) wrote a book on Cabala (Jewish numerical mysticisms).

Or Michael jackson writing a primer on how to romance a woman would be another humorous(?) way to view this ???

Either way, Mr Foer has not the background , even with the research he did (and I commend him for that), he has no "muscle memory" regarding great moments of futebol both distant and recent past.


How can he describe how ,ex.~ in 1982 , Rossi's THREE gols destroyed one of the best seleção brasil even had on the pitch, what it meant to Rossi prsonally,italia and brasil em geral...


He can research it, but can he feel this in his bones , not only as an italian or brasilian can, but almost ANY longtime football fanzaço do/did?? NO, because he is from USA where futebol is STILL out of favour, even if milliards and milliards of immigrants and children of soccer moms play futebol daily at their neighborhood pitch!

To be as brief as possible one can be , Mr Foer is editor of a right wing journal in USA. I had hoped this would have NO influence on his "new love for the game" when he writes this book (which for reason unknown, is found in the POLITICAL SCIENCE section of local book stores!!!???) ,THat this book is in the Poli Science section is to denegrate political science discourse, as Mr Foer's book is a "lightweight>

but basically, Mr Foer's futebol "worldview" , that of a partisan right winger (pun intended, obvious I mean his political preference) premeates this book. He cannot help himeself, much in the manner that ridiculouse USian announcer say last Copa Mundial , that Iran did not belong their due to the ______________(political right wing terrorista blablabla),a sad moment in one of the saddest english language coverage of futebol I ever hear, but I digress......

The first chapter, he rehash what he as READ from other futebol books written in Engleesh,after this "lesson" about futebol, he is to make right wing politics out of each passing chapter, including a chapter where he berates "soccer moms" as being "left wing"! (??)

Personally, I imagine that most USian "mamis" become very CONSERVATIVE after having children, and would guess more than a few these women voted BUSH as for the "opposition", no?? (I think there is even a study that "liberal" people become more conservative in USA once with child/children, no??) If I remember, and I believe it so as it got me quite angry at time I read this book, Mr.Foer also attacks liberal parents in the book,I not impressed by that at all.

Sad sad, as I see it.

Again, Mr Goldblatt's book is poesia (or romantic prosa), a loving and THOROUGH history of the beautiful game as well as very non partisan overview of the world as applies to each country he "visits".

Mr Foer's book, sacanagem puro!

He cannot possible show how "soccer explains the world", futebol does NOT "explain" the world, but is an integral part of it (as , again, Mr Goldblatt's wonderful book indicates). The absurdo is contained in the very TITLE of the book,as I see it.

To sum, Mt Foer has an axe to grind, I have seen some of his political writing, and it is even worse than what is contained in this book.

In Italian football terms, this book is barely "C-2" division as a football book, as a political book, it not worth to use the pages to wrap fishbones..


To be charitable for Mr Foer's entusiasms for the world game,and a passable first chapter for all USian football "new boots", I allow the one star to be kind for a ZERO stars offering

o mundo gira é a bola rola

PS in the spriti of full disclosure, Eduardo Galeano's delightful football book is translated inglés, "Football in Sun and shadow" , and takes a delightful PROGRESSIVE worldview, and of course, Sinhô Galeano is an 'aplicado discipulo' of the world game since a boy in uruguai. A MUCH better choice also than this book, a "classic" of futebol literature.

_How Soccer Explains the World_ is an unfortunately misleading title; rather than explain the world, Foer uses soccer as a metaphor for globalization and the various reactions of parts of the world to it. He is only partially successful in this.

Evidentially the opposite of globalism isn't nationalism, but what Foer referrs to as "tribalism", as demonstrated by English (and Serbian) "soccer hooligans." How this has developed and been used by the likes of Slobodan Milosevic was an interesting premise, if a bit of a stretch. The global recruitment of soccer players - Nigerians playing for Ukraine, Brazilians playing for anybody, Dutch coaches working in the Near East - are cited as evidence of how soccer has become a "global marketplace" - with mixed results. The metaphor fits on one level (yes, it IS global - how 'bout that?) but fails horribly on another. (How can one make generalizations about the way a "nation" plays soccer?)

Foer also goes into great detail about the politics of the sport - I think he was on to something here, but the idea was only one of several that he persued, to its detriment. (In addition to the "national styles" of coaching and playing, Foer also discussed the sociology of the sport and its appeal - or lack of - in the United States, and its role as a social safety valve in Spain and Iran.) His would have been a stronger case had he pursued only one idea, rather than several.

As a soccer fan, I enjoyed his detailing the stadiums, the chants between rival teams, and (especially) his thoughts on soccer in America. Given his thesis, though, it only warrants 3 stars. An interesting book and there is much to like here - but the central idea, sadly, is very thin.

This was a well written book regarding soccer in the global community. I would encourage anyone who enjoys the game to read this interesting perspective on how soccer is influenced by religion and race and vice versa.

Franklin Foer is definitely onto something. Indeed soccer might ultimately explain the world. Unfortunately the National Best Seller he has written, "How Soccer Explains the World", does not. Yet Foer is a good writer. His chapters are nice introductory essays on the culture of soccer in it's many forms throughout the world. He stops well short of linking the many disparate aspects of multi-cultural supporter rivalry, prejudice, and greed into why the beautiful game is, in fact, such a phenomenon throughout the world. Soccer fans will enjoy this book for the insight into leagues they do not follow and for some historical trivia. Others might enjoy it just so that can laugh at the absolute freaks who show up to support their passion and sadly for the crimes against humanity committed in its name. But he does not explain, to the uninitiated, why soccer is the world wide beautiful game. Those of us who play or follow the sport, might think we know how soccer explains the world because we live it, it's a part of our lives, we feel it everyday. But the same is true for any other passionate human endeavor. If you are passionate about it, it is the undisputed answer to the world and holds the key to the meaning of life -- serious stuff. So a book claiming to actually know why, not just locally but globally, must stand up to it's title. There's a lot of competition out there and Foer fails to bring anything else to the table for a comparison -- but he could. Further, he does not link the fundamental building blocks of society into the game -- he touches on them, but does not link them into society -- I guess that's because he is an economist and not a sociologist or a theologist. However as an economist he really misses the big business that is soccer. Without a chapter devoted to the business of soccer he has ignored a very important link. If soccer explains the world than FIFA must be running the world, for example. There is no chapter on FIFA. And if soccer is akin to religion, while he did write a chapter about the King, he failed to mention God. Where is Diego Maradona? And if soccer is a social building block -- while he does mention yuppies in America, where soccer is the least stringent of societal glue, he does not mention the societies where soccer is one of the very few but incredibly binding influences. So to recap -- no elements of the beautiful game itself, no comparisons to other global influences, and no expansion into other phenomenon directly attributable to a functioning society. Foer wrote some nice essays after taking the opportunity to travel the world. I am envious to say the least. But he failed miserably to live up to the title of the book. Perhaps he should write a sequel and call it -- "How Soccer Really Explains the World". For now we must continue to wait for the explanation of what we already know.

Overall a pretty interesting look at the world. The author looks at how different countries treat soccer, and what that says about their culture. Due to the fact that soccer is a pretty much universal sport, it does act as an interesting way to compare cultures. In fact one could make the argument that he actually leaves a lot of material on the table in examining cultures and economies through sport.

My biggest complaint is that it often becomes way too travel essay like. I am glad he likes the game and all, but frankly his enjoyment of the sport isn't interesting enough, I had never even heard of the author previously. Stick to the game.

My only real complaint about this one is the title, and it's hard to hold such a thing against the author since authors often don't title their own works. Foer does an admirable job using soccer to expand on such topics as the inherent racism of the European game, the effects of globalization that has weakened the Brazilian leagues into a feeder for the "real" clubs in the work, and a primer on the Italian game and why they dive so *(@#&$*(#@ much. The book is a quick read and gives exactly as much information as needed to catch many of the nuances of complex systems. Worth a read even if you're not a footy fan.

This guy has such interesting insights. The writing is just random enough to keep you always interested, but still packs in real info to help understand cultures around the world and the world of football / soccer.

This was, by far, the most disappointed I've ever been in a book. It's probably my own fault, but I was expecting stories of the cultural importance of soccer/football in different parts of the world. Instead, I feel I've gotten a poorly written set of stories about psychotic fans/owners/players, etc that take the game too far. So much so, in fact, that I'm afraid to go to a game overseas ever for fear that it's either fixed or that I'll be beat up for no apparent reason other than the fact I'm there.

To be fair, I don't think of politics a lot, so that doesn't interest me as much, but even the writing was sub-par. Many of the chapters ended as if the writer just ran out of things to say.

Very disappointed.

A great book that displays the link between soccer and culture. Sport, and its relevence to history is reflected on every page of this book. Truly a great read for those of us who like to see "the big picture" of sport, how it is influenced by, and how it influences, society

My 16 year old son lit up when he saw this book under the tree at Christmas (pretty good for a child who would rather do anything but read)...He is reading daily and absolutely loves it!!!! He has a list of friends and coaches waiting to read it next. A great find for any soccer player or athlete....

It looks like a pure and simple game but the owners, fans and players are far from simple and certainly not pure. This book may not explain as much about the world as the author claims but I doubt you will not come to view various soccer matches a bit differently. For example, you might start watching the referee's decisions in Milan and Juventus matchs like a hawk.

This book ain't bad; it just promises more than it delivers. Soccer is "the game" everywhere but the United States. Over the last 30 years, though, the sport has made enormous gains in the USA, but it still trails football, basketball, and (probably) baseball in popularity, but it is no longer a foreign sport. Franklin Foer of "The New Republic" promises to offer a theory on globalization through an examination of soccer, and that is certainly a new, creative way of looking at sport. At first, he seems to be doing this. In his prologue, he states, "Everywhere you looked, it suddenly seemed, national borders and national identities had been swept into the dustbin of soccer history. the best clubs now competed against one another on a near-weekly basis in transnational tournaments like the European Champions League or Latin America's Copa Libertadores" (p. 3) Instead of getting a window on the cross-currents of international interaction, we mainly get a series of travelogues, interesting travelogues to be sure, but nothing along the lines of what the author promises. He has a moment at the end, though, when he talks about anti-soccer sentiment in the United States as being a manifestation of a phobia about globalization.

I really enjoyed going through this book. Whie I wouldn't say that it's in any way definitive, nor that I completely agree with everything, his points were well put forth and argued. And it made me think. For Americans, it's a must read to see why the rest of the world cares so much about the game and we care so little. Pick this up and explore the world of football.

Just finished up this amusing set of essays about soccer and how it relates to "globalization." The book isn't quite what it promises to be on the cover -- I mean, no real "theory" emerges. It's more just a set of observations relating to this particular author's travels around the world experiencing soccer in different locales and writing about it. The transitions between chapters are usually smooth but this is really 10 essays that all have to do with culture and soccer.

But they're fun to read. The author covers:

* Soccer in Serbia and how nationalist fans of Red Star Belgrade formed the nucleus of the Serb paramilitary forces created during the Milosevic regime (and the ties between the most notorious Serb thug, Arkan, and soccer -- I had no idea he ran the Red Star fan organization and then bought a soccer club),
* Celtic vs. Rangers and how the two clubs exploit Catholic/Protestant resentment
* How Tottenham became "Jewish" and the history of Jewish and Zionist soccer clubs (and other clubs like Tottenham associated with Jews and how it hurts them)
* Corruption in Brazilian soccer and why all the Brazilian teams are no good (it's not just because Brazil is less affluent)
* The results of a traditional Ukranian club recruiting several players from Africa
* The role of soccer in the rise of Berlusconi (once and perhaps future Italian prime minister)
* How soccer intersects with Iranian history and society
* The role of FC Barcelona in the Catalan nationalist movement over the years
* The overlap between Americans' attitudes toward soccer and those same Americans' attitudes toward globalization

I enjoyed learning more about these people and places through the lens of sport. As an American, it's interesting to be reminded how passionate some of the feelings are about these teams -- but I guess our media is a bit more ginger in covering the less politically correct aspects of how these teams have come to represent cultural resentments, etc., in so many places.

It's a bit like a P.J. O'Rourke book (without the ideology and with fewer punchlines) in the sense that it's a very first-person account of places you're never going to go, told by someone with a fresh set of eyes who lacks background but nevertheless sees a lot. And It's a pretty fast read -- about 250 pages but the pages are very narrow with larger print -- perhaps an effort to disguise just how short the book actually is.

Very much worth it. Whether a non-soccer-fan would enjoy it is more dodgy, but it's possible. And that's probably as good an endorsement as any.

This is a quirky work; it ends up proving more satisfying than one might have imagined. The subtitle:"An Unlikely Theory of Globalization." That subtitle provides a takeoff point for the book. The author notes that (Page 5): "On my travels, I tried to use soccer--its fans, its players, and strategies--as a way fo thinking about how people would identify themselves in this new era."



He explores the role of soccer by a series of case studies of teams--in Serbia, Scotland, Brazil, England, Jewish teams, the Ukraine, and so on.



In the end, I am not sure how well he links these various nationalistic loyalties to teams with globalization.



However, this is an intriguing book that gets one to thinking about much larger issues.

This is a quirky work; it ends up proving more satisfying than one might have imagined. The subtitle:"An Unlikely Theory of Globalization." That subtitle provides a takeoff point for the book. The author notes that (Page 5): "On my travels, I tried to use soccer--its fans, its players, and strategies--as a way fo thinking about how people would identify themselves in this new era."

He explores the role of soccer by a series of case studies of teams--in Serbia, Scotland, Brazil, England, Jewish teams, the Ukraine, and so on.

In the end, I am not sure how well he links these various nationalistic loyalties to teams with globalization.

However, this is an intriguing book that gets one to thinking about much larger issues.

This book is an amazing combination of football, history, and politics on an international level. It exceeded my expectations by far. If you like the above topics, then you shall enjoy it.

As a first generation american (Italian/Polish) and a fan of football and politics I found Foer's book to be an intriguing read. I'd recommend it to anyone that either loves the game and would like to know more about the integration of the sport and religion/politcs as well as American detractors and novice soccer fans who'd like to know more about why the rest of the world is so infatuated with the game.

As a follower of the Bundesliga, the stories and histories of the other leagues in Europe were fascinating! I especially enjoyed the Celtic/Ranger and Barca/Real stories that provided a much needed context to why these are two of the biggest rivalries in sports today. The political influence of some of these clubs is something to read...that power just doesn't occur here in the states. Overall, I thought the book was a great read for the new or casual fan, as well as the long time super-fan. A must read!

This is a good read and the pages turn quickly. It gives readers a fair sense of what soccer/futbol means to people in other parts of the world, and how it intersects with varying aspects of culture and identity.

The title is misleading, though, and if you're hoping for a significant focus on theory you will likely be disappointed - with one expeption: Foer's examination of the role soccer plans in America, who the fans are in white America, and how it fits into their lives and identity's is intriguing and accurate on many (but not all) levels. (I found that chapter interesting enough to share it with friends from abroad who cannot understand America's general lack of interest in the sport.)

For the casual fan of soccer or sport who knows little about the role sport plays in other parts of the world, this has the potential to be an absolutely fascinating read. My father - a baseball fan who claims to hate soccer (I don't believe it) - read this book in amazement, and he brings it up every time we talk... That, in and of itself, is an achievement...

The title of this book is misleading, unless you believe that "globalization" is synonomous with "corruption".

This book gives a very sensational account of the underworld of soccer in Europe and South America. If you have a morbid sense of curiosity about organized crime in Belgrade, hooliganism in the UK, or corrupt business practices in Brazil, this is the book for you!

I would not, however, recommend this book to a novice to the beautiful game who is trying to learn what soccer is all about. So if you've never read a book about the game, but want to, don't buy this one. For the novice to the game, I would HIGHLY recommend the DVD series, History of Soccer: the Beautiful Game.

what a great read this is, i have recommended this book to everyone, it is more about the cultures and societies that soccer had a hand in shaping then it is actually about the game itself. its a wonder why so many americans have a hard time appreciatiing soccer (the last chapter gives a good reason why)

This book was a perfect mix, of everything, sport, globalization, humor, passion, everything totally worth it, its a fairly quick and easy read. one of my new all time favorite books.

Well, I'm a big football fan and I was very interested to read what an american scholar could write about the most beautiful game in the planet... His work is very well researched and actually shows a love for the game that is transmitted but I have to admit that I almost skipped two entire chapters (the ones about the Islam and Judaism) because it was obvious that they were just fillers to have the book with more pages and so it could be sold like a book.
Maybe buy it used for half the price or rent it in a library, because the bad move of filling the book with boring (yawn) chapters makes this book not eligible to be bought to it's sugested retail price.

I'll confess that I'm a soccer fanatic with a degree in Political Science, there could hardly be a more biased critic. Foer's book is my dream come true, brilliantly weaving soccer and globalization in a highly successful and intriguing manner. Especially poignant are chapters on Red Star Belgrade (from the former Yugoslavia), Seria A, La Liga and the famed Celtic-Rangers rivalry of the Scottish league. I was somewhat disappointed with the final chapter on U.S. soccer, which I felt largely ignored the growing passion of American fans for soccer moms and yuppies which fit better with Foer's personal story. There was also nothing mentioned about the accomplishments of MLS over the past decade.

Some will say Foer has a hiddden agenda and is bashing the sport with vivid portrayals of hooliganism, but in reality his carefully researched explanations put much of the blame on tribalism and ethnic rivalries that predate soccer by hundreds of years. I whole-heartedly recommend "How Soccer Explains the World" for both casual and hardcore fans of 'the beautiful game.'

This book is a bigotry masqueraded behind the veil of a "scholarly work." Every rule of rigorous work has been violated in this piece of work building on the darkest but forever smallest side of "soccer." Wasting this great opportunity to reveal the multi-dimensional power of the game the author invests his bitterness against the sport page-after-page. A sweet revenge for "soccer" rejecting him in his early age? Well... my advise to the author... keep on running away from the ball sir... and please stay away from it!!! You are RUINING THE GAME!!!

This is a very insightful book. I have been a big soccer fan all my life and went to hundreds of games when I still lived in Europe, but this book contains many facts I had never heard of. Some chapters are better and more fascinating than others and the link of soccer to globalization seems to be artificial at times. I found the thoughts on soccer in the U.S. (last chapter) especially interesting.
Definitely a great book about soccer and in many ways beyond that. Very enjoyable.

This is a well researched and entertaining book about the globalization of soccer by Franklin Foer. It is a sport that divides Catholic and Protestant believers into rival teams in Scotland. The game is a symbol of pride in Brazil because of the successful career of Pele. Fans of soccer can become violent in a country like Yugoslavia. Foer also discusses the migration of players to foreign countries. David Beckham, who was once a soccer star in England is now playing for a team called Real Madrid in Spain. There have been numerous players from Africa who play on teams in the United States like Freddy Adu. Nigerian players migrate as far away to the Ukraine to play for a shot at a better life. Italians love the sport of soccer so much, they have been known to fix soccer games by selecting referees that favor Italian teams. The corporate motor company Fiat manages a soccer team. The company spends millions of dollars promoting the sport in Italy creating rivalries with other teams.

Foer discusses some very interesting information about soccer that I didn't know. Women in Iran are forbidden to enter a soccer stadium. The religious clergy in Iran won't even allow women to watch the game on TV. Foer goes as far back as the early 20th century to find an all Jewish soccer team in Austria called Hakoah who beat the British in 1923. This is a very interesting and very honest book about soccer's impact around the world.

Franklin Foer is a staff writer at the New Republic and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many others...In his book, How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization: Soccer has become a favorite pastime of the American intellectual. What brought soccer to the smart set? Well, one could simply argue that soccer's time had come. But while much of soccer-love may come from nostalgia, a bit of it feels like it is self-styled. It's fair to assume that a great many of the new wave of soccer fans came to the sport in their teens and 20s--the lack of satellite TV and the Internet making the international game difficult to follow until then. Unlike those who had baseball thrust upon them since birth and never paused to adequately consider the implications, soccer fans were liable to ask themselves, What would being a soccer fan say about me? Well, it would say a lot of things, many of them flattering. Taking an interest in soccer indicates a certain cosmopolitanism; the game is an international one. A rooting interest in a British club like Arsenal might indicate Anglophilia, which never hurts in polite society. Soccer-love also says--and this is perhaps most important--that you reject the overweening hype and made-for-TV packaging that surrounds American sports for something that, in theory, approaches a purer experience. "If you're an intellectual, the kitsch that shrouds, say, football is almost intolerable," says Franklin Foer. "If you look at a European soccer crowd, all the shouting is coming organically from the crowd itself--that's so much more appealing." Soccer, largely divorced from shrieking announcers and Jumbotrons, feels more like an artistic endeavor than a television show. In a weak moment, the soccer intellectual might even admit that the sport's stars are aspirational male role models. Most soccer players are not human grotesqueries like NFL stars or attenuated beanpoles like NBA players. They're possessed of attainable physiques, strong and compact--the kind that might impress intellectuals and the women who love them.

I have to confess that even when I am a huge soccer fan the metaphor laid by the author in this thought-provoking book never occurred to me. His idea of examining soccer's role in various cultures as a means of examining the reach of globalization is simple brilliant. No other activity in the world has the penetration power that a soccer game has proven to have every time a world cup is played, and if you go to a lower level, even local matches will bring together people of different social, economic, political, and racial composition, that other wise would have never come together to share a single passion.

Franklin Foer's prose and narrative irradiates a contagious energy similar to the game's fans energy. Sometimes the passion generated by the game on fans around the world probably can only be compare to religious fervor of a truly believer.

The book is full of animated reporting, strong characters and insightful analysis. If you are a soccer enthusiast you will absolutely love this book, but even if you don't understand the first thing about this game, the book will offer an entertaining reading material that will probably bring you closer to game and could help you understand your friends' and neighbors' passion around the world.

The title is the gestalt of the book, not the content. From intellectual peak to speculative peak in each article Foer connects the dots to globalization. It is very good sports journalism. But, I still don't get why football breeds violence?

This book is brilliant. It is fascinating to see how intertwined local and international government is to the world's most popular, corrupt, and exciting game. A must for any american who is just starting to watch soccer, Futbol, because it explains why people all around the world not only watch the sport but live it.

A superb book that cuts across cultures to explain the inside out outlook of may of the world's key areas and countries. Much like a well hooked corner kick to center net, this book takes into consideration all of the faactors that go into the modern business, passion and competition of football (soccer).

It is NOT just another sports book. In fact, read as a partner to Samuel Huntington's Clash of civilizations, you might be surprised at the many parallel observations between high brow intellectual writing (Huntington) and direct analysis writing (Foer).

Lastly, as I have lived and traveled over most of the world, and played soccer in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America, I can confirm almost all of the observations and conclusions that Foer draws. Truly a superb book that should be read and savored slowly (besides, they always show the good plays on instant replay, anyways).

... that lives up to its title. If you are a soccer fan, or just want to understand the world around you - treat yourself to this book.

This is a terrible book, written by somebody who
is totally ignorant about football (please, use the
proper name for the game) and seems to have decided
to write a book based on secondary sources, puff
pieces and ignorant oversimplifications.

It would take too long to discuss the
numerous inaccuracies, exaggerations, mistakes and
so forth present in this horrid tract. Just as an
example, when dealing with Jewish football he
never mentions the peregrinations of Israel through
UEFA and Oceania (for WC qualifications). Yet this
would be exactly the kind of topic to be dealt with
in a book purporting to explore the intesection of
'soccer' (sic) and geopolitics.

Compare this with Kapuscinski's 'The football war' for a
vastly superior and more intelligent treatment.

Wow, was this book a disappointment. What a pompous title for a little book full of anecdotes that seem to be based on a two week research trip. This book says nothing about globalization and little about soccer that anyone living outside the US doesn't already know.
Foer's research is less than poor. A lot of his information is based on hearsay, entire chapters seem to be derived from other people's writings. Obviously Foer wasn't aiming for the academic analysis his poorly chosen title suggests, but even anecdotal journalism needs more than one or two sources per story.
As a Half-American living in Europe, I was hoping for a fresh perspective, a look at soccer from "the outside", but most of what Foer delivers is so old and has been rehashed so many times it's almost become a cliché.
His tone is often self-righteous and his pious political correctness just drove me insane (in a book about soccer!!! Dude, it's a working class sport!!!) His attitude toward his protagonists is unbearably condescending and arrogant. One example out of his chapter about racism toward black players in the Ukraine:

"Ukranian feelings are too primitive to even warrant the suffix "ism". They feel something closer to a naif's dislike of the unfamiliar, like an eight-year-old refusing to try dinner at an Ethiopan restaurant."

Wow. I wonder how many months he stayed in the Ukraine to come that sweeping conclusion. Based on the rest of the chapter I would guess not even one week.

Franklin Foer's creative and intelligent work on the impact of soccer around the world is a great read, a real page-turner. His nine essays show how soccer can be seen as an important part of globalization, but at the same time, has helped burgeon the anti-globalization sentiment in many locations. Foer's expeditions around the world give the reader a chance to understand the meaningfulness of soccer to different societies, with all the positives and negatives that come with it. A must-have for any fan of the world's game.

An excellent read, for both football fans and others (note how simple my division of the world is...). For the former it is going to show them some aspects of the game they definetly did not know, whereas for the non-fans this book (being so reader friendly and not football technical)is maybe going to shed some light on why this sport means so much to so many people around the world.
There is an esspecially interesting chapter on Iranian football history (yes, when i say football I do mean soccer).
Other than making a few references to it, the author does not really say a lot about globalization.

DO NOT get this book if you are looking for a scholarly work on globalization. Rather, this book is a great anecdotal piece about the world's most popular sport as a conduit of globalization. I read this book before the World Cup and now while I watch the games, Foer's words truly come alive.

It is a much better read than the pretentious quackery you'll find in Freakonomics.

I also recommend Friedman's The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

The "great game" or the "international pastime" football (or soccer) can be called many things; however, until now it couldn't be called a theory on globilization. In Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the Worl, Foer takes a journy across the world to better understand why the "great game" is so great. This is the perfect time to discover the world's infatuation with soccer, more so now because of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Foer's travelogue is packed with intensely captivating dialogue as he attempts to infiltrate a world few AMerican's have seen. If you would like to be taken to stadiums in England, Ireland, Scotland, Croatia, Austria, or even Iran, to learn about the secrets of the world's sport, then How SOccer Explains the World is a 21st century odyssey waiting to open the reader's eyes onto a culture: soccer.

An enjoyable book that would appeal to soccer lovers and those interested in international affairs. The book's chapters focus on separate soccer-related international issues such as hooliganism in England and Serbia, the Catholic v. protestant rival of Glasgow Rangers and Celtics, the corruption and passion of Brazilian soccer, the politics of Italian soccer, the regionalism of Spanish soccer, and soccer's role in Iran. He also profiles a Nigerian soccer player in the Ukraine. The chapters are individual vignettes or essays that stand on their own. Foer addresses the soccer-related activities in these areas, but does not focus on the game itself. He has some interviews with players, managers and fans, relates history and politics of the clubs and regions, and does thorough research on each topic.

Foer proves himself as an excellent writer that can write eloquently and intelligently about any subject but especially about soccer for which he certainly has a passion.

The one disappointment for me was the final chapter that I think is the one weak spot in the book. The concluding chapter is about the culture of soccer in America. Unfortunately, this is the shortest and least researched one of the book. The author relies on anecdotal and personal experience here. Rather than the substance found in other chapters this one is a mere editorial on American soccer that I think misses key truths. I can only imagine the reason for this is that he plans an entire book on the subject.

Readers should not expect grand revelations about globalization or soccer, but do expect to enjoy enlightening, stimulating reading about soccer's myriad peripherial issues and activities.

Rather than a book that explains "an unlikely theory of globalization", this is simply a collection of essays on soccer in various countries and at various clubs around the world. There is no real attempt to connect the dots between what Foer sees and learns in his travels. Foer acknowledges in the preface that his real motivation in writing the book was to come up with an excuse to travel the world watching soccer, and that comes through clearly in the book. There isn't any real analysis of globalization, and there certainly isn't any theory that justifies the title.

That said, the book was a fun read for any soccer fan and, as has been noted by other reviewers, the fact that the essays have no particular connection to one another makes it easily left and returned to. Foer's writing is clear and concise, and he certainly picked some interesting topics to write about. Just don't expect to finish the book having learned anything about the world oustide of soccer and you won't be disappointed.

This isn't a book, so much as a collection of essays on a common theme. Foer picks a country and talks about how football/soccer can explain some piece of that country's culture. The essays can be enjoyed separately or in sequence, and were perfect for my morning train rides to work. He never does develop an (unlikely) theory of globalization and only makes inconsistent and half-hearted attempts to develop it, but the content around soccer and culture is plenty entertaining.

This book is a really interesting and well-written look at the intersection between soccer and politics. It helps to explain some of the passion and (to Americans at least) bizzare behavior of a sampling of international club fans. As a casual fan of international soccer, I thought the book was extremely interesting and enlightening. On the other hand, as many other reviewers note, there really was no overarching evidence or clearly defined "theory" relating to globalization of the world set forth or supported in the book. Some editor must have added the subtitle as a "hook" to get more people to buy the book.

I think this book will appeal to soccer fans who want to learn more about some of the cultural and political backdrop that underpins some of the world's top clubs, as well as to non-soccer fans who want to learn more about why soccer is so popular and arouses so much passion in much of the world. But anyone looking for a serious work of political theory will be sorely disappointed.

This is certainly not a terrible book, but it also isn't the book described by the title and subtitle. As other reviewers have mentioned, it's primarily a collection of vignettes, some very interesting but most only slightly insightful. The author, editor, and publisher are clearly aware of this since the most interesting bits huddle near the front of the book. As you reach the middle and end, it begins to stumble along (and you begin to wonder when the "unlikely theory" of globalization comes in).

Foer provides evidence but offers no thesis. He says, "You can tell about globalization by looking at soccer, and here's what I found as I traveled and studied soccer." The reader is left to draw his or her own conclusions. Foer actually seems to avoid drawing conclusions since he often presents ideas following a "Some say this, while others might conclude the opposite" pattern. It also suffers from a common problem in books like these--the claims it does make are huge, as though a single soccer game could really inspire the Romanian revolution, the American culture wars, or the relaxation of fundamentalist Islam. Foer comes across as fairly certain he understands complex global issues despite his inability to develop a coherent theory of globalization!

In the end, this is a book with a lot of promise but not much else. It feels like a book that was sold as an idea, and the final product didn't fulfill the original goal. Choose a book on soccer or a book on globalization, but wait for a better book on globalization as seen through soccer.

There is definitely a book to be written about football and globalisation, but sadly this isn't it. Foer has written a book with a great title, but not much else, and it will fail to please either those interested in football or in globalisation.

What we do get is a series of vignettes, that feel like, and probably originally were, magazine pieces. These are mostly entertainingly written, but reveal nothing at all about globalisation and little about football. Foer's central proposition seems to be that throughout the world people still cling to their links to their local football club and play out their hopes, dreams, aspirations and local antagonisms through these allegiances - clearly there is much more at stake here than a couple of hours entertainment on a Saturday.

Foer seems to be surprised and excited by this - surely this is exactly the sort of localism the wave of globalisation is supposed to have drowned? But with respect, perhaps this can only be surprising to a writer from a nation where sporting teams are referred to as "franchises" and are regularly marched around the country in search of a more lucrative demographic and preferential playing conditions. To most football fans, a strong bond to your chosen (usually local) team is self evident.

Not so for Foer - he describes Barcelona as "his team" and has clearly bought into the romance of Catalan nationalism that he sees as a key element of the Barcelona "brand". But if this book has any lesson at all it is that outsiders like him can enjoy watching the team, but never really be part of the passion and commitment of local supporters - he'd be better off following DC United.

The chapters vary in quality; Foer's chapter on the involvment of Serbian football hooligans in the Yugoslav civil wars and Arkan's involvement in running a suspiciously succesful club is perhaps his best. But otherwise, his chapter on the difficulties and hostility faced by Nigerian footballers playing in the Ukranian leagues has been done previously (and better) by Alex Bellos in his descriptions - in "Futebol" - of Brazilian footballers lost in Iceland. His chapter on sectarian rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is superficial, his treatment of English soccer hooliganism frankly inane, and his chapter on Islam and football both absurd and wildly inaccurate.

All in all, a book that disappoints on almost all levels..

As an economist by trade and a soccer fan by passion - I really enjoyed the book. It was a great sociological review of the world - across many different societies - from the US to the Ukraine to Spain. While there is yet to be a book I have read that does not make certain leaps of faith, I think this book is a fantastic read. The book is quite entertaining and fun to read - and if you stop for even less than 1 second - educational! The book brings together 20th century (and in some cases pre-20th century) history and sport to understand certain aspect that govern society today.

The cute title is misleading. Foer doesn't explain the world or present any theory of globalization. Foer's point of departure is the naive theory of globalization that global interaction and competition should produce homogenization. He examines this naive view by looking at soccer (properly football) in many parts of the world. Soccer is a reasonable prism for this effort as it is a nearly universal sport and the past 2 decades have seen the development of international marketing of teams, teams with players of multi-continental players, and what amounts to a global market for players and teams. Foer presents this as a new phenomenon, which is a little misleading. Admittedly, the scope of these changes is new, but major Spanish and Italian clubs have been recruiting players internationally in a big way since the 1950s and Italian clubs recruited Argentines of Italian extraction in the 30s.
Foer looks at the experience of fandom, ownership, and national soccer experience in a variety of countries. His basic point is that despite the effects of globalization, distinctive features of play, ownership, fan practice, and soccer's role in the larger social context persist strongly. He presents this implicitly as an example of traditions trumping globalization. While the individual sections are well written, at no point does Foer actually step back and present any analysis or overview. The basic point emerges largely implicitly and without much analysis. This is fairly good but not particularly original journalism but not much more.

First of all, the title of the book is incredibly misleading. The book doesn't posit any theories at all necessarily, especially about globalization. However, taken as a collection of short articles about local phenomena, the book succeeds. Some chapters work better than others because the facts and stories match up well. Often, Foer relies too much on anecdotal information gleaned from interviews to try and paint a picture with broad strokes that misleads the reader, such as his interpretation of soccer's perception in the U.S.

I would really only recommend this book to people who truly enjoy soccer. Those looking for insights on emerging globalization issues will truly be disappointed. The analysis in the book actually focuses much more on regional and national issues and how they are reflected in their local soccer, which in some cases, makes for an interesting and provocative read.

Trying to collect my disjointed thoughts: I would recommend this if you want to read about soccer. I would not recommend this if you are looking for scholarly insights. Dig it?

Those readers who gave this book 4 or 5 stars must not read many football books. Franklin's Foer's writing style is good and for that reason I give him two stars rather than one. His research was patchy and one-sided and he doesn't reveal any new information.
I have to agree with all the other negative reviews of this book. Like so many teams full of superstars, it fell flat. I'd recommend anyone who was disappointed with it to get a copy of Simon Kuper's excellent book, "Football against the Enemy," or "The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro," by Joe McGinniss, which is a magnificent read.