“
They say that rock and roll will soon fade away,
No matter what they say, rock and roll is here to stay.”
– Chuck Willis, “(I Don’t Want to) Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes”
In 1958, Chuck Willis sang about a new rebellious sound that conservative preachers considered to be the music of the devil by turning teenagers into delinquents. Rock ‘n’ roll was growing fast, and no form of prevention could slow it down.
Flip the calendar a few dozen times and America is in an all too familiar position.
Soccer has been around. According to the famous soccer podcast ‘Men in Blazers,” the sport has been on the rise since 1972.
But maybe this time is different, because Americans are watching. In fact, 24.7 million people tuned into ESPN and Univision for the U.S-Portugal match, not including an additional 500,000 viewers on mobile devices.
The U.S.-Germany match, played at noon last Thursday, received 14.2 million viewers.
Americans are even beginning to talk about soccer, too.
“You know you’re relevant when you’re in a barbershop and (soccer) is the conversation,” Dave Kaval, owner of the Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes, said to the
Mercury News
. “We’re part of a story and for a long time we weren’t. This is a big, big success.”
Some of the attention is good; some is bad. Ask conservative columnist Ann Coulter and she’ll tell you, “Any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay.”
Sound familiar?
The sport has been everywhere recently, from television to viewing parties at town squares and shopping malls.
When the U.S. takes the field with Belgium at 4 p.m. Tuesday, millions of Americans will leave work early, meet with friends or family and support their country.
In the 48 hours I’ve been in the U.S. since a three-week trip to Brazil, I can confirm there is nearly, if not the same amount of hype here about World Cup as in the host nation.
Obviously expectations for the two sides are different — as they should be.
Brazil is fighting for
hexa,
its sixth FIFA World Cup championship.
A U.S. victory against Belgium would mark the first time the nation has been to the quarterfinals of the World Cup since 2002. This year marks the first time the team has reached the knockout stage in consecutive tournaments.
This time is different. This time, Americans are getting behind the squad with a sense of pride and optimism.
The U.S. men’s national team is becoming relevant, and no matter what Coulter or anyone else says, soccer enthusiasm may finally be here to stay.
Charlie Hatch is a sophomore at Ohio University and a staff writer for The Post. He also spent three weeks in Brazil for the World Cup. Do you think soccer is here to stay? Let him know @charliehatch_or gh181212@ohiou.edu.
