NY Times Article on U.S. Soccer Fans

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I am sure many of you have read the ridiculous and embarrassing article in the NY Times on MLS fans and their supposed appropriation of European soccer culture. If you haven't read it, you've probably heard the ruckus.

The article is called "The Dark Side of American Soccer Culture" and is by Jay Caspian Kang. It is completely ridiculous and a disgrace to a paper that should know better.

The theme - to the extent one can be identified - is that American soccer fans - the white ones anyway - derive their traditions and inspiration from Europe. This means they building on an inherently racist and xenophobic model; indeed, that is the quiet undercurrent of MLS fans in general. The author thinks we would all be much better off deriving our soccer traditions from Latin American fans - especially Mexican fans. His support for this seems to be attendance at one Sounders game, the content of a 25-year-old Bill Buford book on soccer hooligans and a whole lot of rampant speculation.

There are too many things wrong with this article to even name them all. The crazy leap from isolated incidents far removed from the U.S. to modern U.S. fan culture. The rampant factual inaccuracy. The ignoring of counterpoints. The claiming of xenophobia by means of following foreign culture (a clear oxymoron). The general fact that the experience described is completely at odds with any rational experience of an MLS match. The fact that this is the NY Times and the article reads like a blog post from a 13-year-old.

The article can be found here. Please have at it in the comments section.

Here is a terrific takedown by Hudson River Blue. Maybe the best thing ever written on that blog.

Here is Don Garber's reaction.

Is there anyone here who even remotely identifies with this article? I sure don't.
 
Author goes to one game in Seattle. Sees a bunch of white people. Hears them copy a European chant. Some Europeans are racist, so these fans must be racist too. Watch out Latinos! (and by Latinos I mean Mexicans).

The reason this article is so shitty is that race relations in the US and in US Sports is an important topic that needs to be discussed, but the argument made is so devoid of logic and reason that we are left discussing how shitty the article is.
 
When your article ends with a plea to emulate the Mexican fans, with their laser lights, puta chants, and piss bags, you know you've done no research.

This article is also an example of why newspapers are dying as a relevant medium
Totally agree!

As a side note.... The NyTimes problem may be more that they're hiring blogger/columnists rather than actual journalist/reporters. This guy has no business at a real news outlet.
 
I always felt the adoption of soccer by 20-30 year old's over the past 5-to-10 years was a wish to engage with the rest of the world - find common ground, join a global conversation (well that's a cheesy way of putting it)... That and the fact that the USMNT/USWNT have risen in popularity due to their performances at recent World Cups. Not really rocket science.

To attribute the rise of soccer as some latent strand of white hooliganism, I felt, was way off the mark. As a journalist myself the article was mostly disappointing in its level of analysis... Hard to even be insulted or defensive about it.
 
I always felt the adoption of soccer by 20-30 year old's over the past 5-to-10 years was a wish to engage with the rest of the world - find common ground, join a global conversation (well that's a cheesy way of putting it)... That and the fact that the USMNT/USWNT have risen in popularity due to their performances at recent World Cups. Not really rocket science.

To attribute the rise of soccer as some latent strand of white hooliganism, I felt, was way off the mark. As a journalist myself the article was mostly disappointing in its level of analysis... Hard to even be insulted or defensive about it.

Really well put, although your first paragraph is exactly why I felt it was insulting. Soccer fans on the whole are more engaged with the world and interested in other cultures. It's one of the things I like about engaging with the sport.

To say that U.S. soccer fans are xenophobic and racist because some of those other cultures have elements of that in them is unjustifiable. If the fans are so xenophobic, why are they looking to other cultures for inspiration? To go on and assert that only the European fan experience is inherently racist and thuggish while ignoring those aspects in other cultures goes farther than irresponsibility. It is actively racist itself.
 
I always felt the adoption of soccer by 20-30 year old's over the past 5-to-10 years was a wish to engage with the rest of the world - find common ground, join a global conversation (well that's a cheesy way of putting it)... That and the fact that the USMNT/USWNT have risen in popularity due to their performances at recent World Cups. Not really rocket science.

To attribute the rise of soccer as some latent strand of white hooliganism, I felt, was way off the mark. As a journalist myself the article was mostly disappointing in its level of analysis... Hard to even be insulted or defensive about it.
Really well put, although your first paragraph is exactly why I felt it was insulting. Soccer fans on the whole are more engaged with the world and interested in other cultures. It's one of the things I like about engaging with the sport.

To say that U.S. soccer fans are xenophobic and racist because some of those other cultures have elements of that in them is unjustifiable. If the fans are so xenophobic, why are they looking to other cultures for inspiration? To go on and assert that only the European fan experience is inherently racist and thuggish while ignoring those aspects in other cultures goes farther than irresponsibility. It is actively racist itself.
You guys aren't familiar with Jay Caspian Kang, are you? When I saw the byline, I knew exactly what to expect. It's always the same tripe with him. Whether or not the narrative fits, he's going to write about race/cultural/ethnic insensitivity. He's made "mad online" into a paid gig. Just another outrage merchant who acts as though everyone else is an awful person for going through life trying to do the best we can for ourselves and our friends and families while finding shit to do that we find fun and entertaining in our downtime. We're all awful for not turning every interaction into an opportunity to lecture people on how they are morally culpable.

I just don't think there are that many people who love and support soccer clubs in America for any philosophical reason other than they enjoy the sport and the camaraderie of being with others. There's a good case that his whole career is disingenuous race-mongering self-promotion masquerading as thoughtful analysis. Not my bag, man.
 
I just don't think there are that many people who love and support soccer clubs in America for any philosophical reason other than they enjoy the sport and the camaraderie of being with others.

Exactly. I follow this sport for the pure joy of moments like sitting behind the goal in the second half of the last derby and watching Harrison turn on the jets and play a beautiful ball to Villa to finish off the Red Bulls. And then jumping around and screaming with 30k+.
 
You guys aren't familiar with Jay Caspian Kang, are you? When I saw the byline, I knew exactly what to expect. It's always the same tripe with him. Whether or not the narrative fits, he's going to write about race/cultural/ethnic insensitivity. He's made "mad online" into a paid gig. Just another outrage merchant who acts as though everyone else is an awful person for going through life trying to do the best we can for ourselves and our friends and families while finding shit to do that we find fun and entertaining in our downtime. We're all awful for not turning every interaction into an opportunity to lecture people on how they are morally culpable.

I just don't think there are that many people who love and support soccer clubs in America for any philosophical reason other than they enjoy the sport and the camaraderie of being with others. There's a good case that his whole career is disingenuous race-mongering self-promotion masquerading as thoughtful analysis. Not my bag, man.





Guys an ass.
 
You guys aren't familiar with Jay Caspian Kang, are you? When I saw the byline, I knew exactly what to expect. It's always the same tripe with him. Whether or not the narrative fits, he's going to write about race/cultural/ethnic insensitivity. He's made "mad online" into a paid gig. Just another outrage merchant who acts as though everyone else is an awful person for going through life trying to do the best we can for ourselves and our friends and families while finding shit to do that we find fun and entertaining in our downtime. We're all awful for not turning every interaction into an opportunity to lecture people on how they are morally culpable.

I just don't think there are that many people who love and support soccer clubs in America for any philosophical reason other than they enjoy the sport and the camaraderie of being with others. There's a good case that his whole career is disingenuous race-mongering self-promotion masquerading as thoughtful analysis. Not my bag, man.





This motherfucker is not even an American. Think about how I would be treated if I went to korea and called them a bunch of racists because only Koreans can be Citizens.
 
This is absolutely pitiful. I haven't read the HRB rebuttal yet, but plan on doing so and putting some more thoughts on this tomorrow when I'm not on my phone and am more sober.

But to base these opinions off of a Sounders game of all....completely blows my mind. That is one of the friendliest (and most intense) atmospheres that exists.

Now this article is completely off base, and poorly written and cited, but there are some much better examples he could have used for this article (some have occurred right here within this city over the last 2 years).

I do want to repeat that using those examples and generalizing the complete MLS fan base off of those would be ridiculous.
 
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When your article ends with a plea to emulate the Mexican fans, with their laser lights, puta chants, and piss bags, you know you've done no research.

This article is also an example of why newspapers are dying as a relevant medium
When I was working in Mexico City, I decided to go to a Club America match at Azteca. I wore jeans and a t-shirt to the match, and wore a belt to keep my pants upright. Apparently fans get quite out of control there, that you are not allowed to take your belt into the stadium.

They have a freaking belt check outside the stadium because you cannot bring that article of clothing inside.
 
Exactly. I follow this sport for the pure joy of moments like sitting behind the goal in the second half of the last derby and watching Harrison turn on the jets and play a beautiful ball to Villa to finish off the Red Bulls. And then jumping around and screaming with 30k+.
For me NYCFC has been a real source of joy. Some dumb article doesn't bother me. They're wrong, soccer is an unstoppable force in the U.S.
 
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a paper that should know better.

The NYT has become a hack job. It it no longer a "news"paper but an opinion rag struggling to stay relevant in its shrinking business. Everything is click bait and button pressing pieces...just like the post & news.

It's funny that in a world and especially this country where racism is shoved down everyone's throats, warranted or not, the only place where I felt unity amongst a diverse crowd is at our games. We got our Irishman, Spaniard, Italian, Frenchmen, Costa Rican, Englishmen, White, Black, etc....and never once do I think anyone supporting this team gives a shit about where these guys or the fans are from. It has the ingredients for being an intolerant setting, but it's not.

As far as the chants and what not goes..it's the culture. Fans are trying to make it fun. Trying to make it feel like the big European teams and atmospheres.

It's a bullshit article and stinks like amatuer hour.
 
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