Looking at the Yanks

Abstract

Soccer, known to the rest of the world as football, does not hold the same place in the hearts and minds of Americans as the rest of the world. The traditional lack of American fan enthusiasm and perceived inferior talent of American players means the United States traditionally lacks international credibility in the sport. With technology advancements resulting in greater media capabilities and faster exchange of information, media coverage and consumer access to sport content has never been greater. World culture theory provides a lens through which to examine a country’s place in the greater soccer sporting world. In this study, a textual analysis using the online editions of four English-language newspapers is conducted to examine content written about the U.S. national men’s soccer team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup to learn what that content indicates about the team and its place within the international soccer world.