As I've previously mentioned, I am still not sure what this blog's focus will be, so I will continue to feed it with different thoughts and perspectives...
During my trips I always try to interact and learn the most about local culture, and one key activity is to attend to a sports event (specially soccer games). There, one can learn about local food, education, family interaction and etc... but one thing that always intrigue me is a thought originally coined by Franklin Foer: How much the soccer leagues around the world resembles the American society, and how much the American leagues resembles the European society.
At first, I did not get exactly what he meant by that, but taking a dive into it:
While in Soccer Leagues, any team can reach the top - it may be a 3rd division team, and through a windfall or by simply putting together a group of good players, in 2 years can be national or even world champions - compare it to the US social mobility usually labeled as "American dream". In American leagues to be a "1st division team" one needs "to buy in" - not sports' performance based - this can be compared to the European elitism (ex: the titles system still existent in Europe).
On the other hand in American Leagues once you join this "elite", does not matter how poorly you perform, there is no relegation, quite the opposite, the league provides you with tools for recovery ( better draft position and etc ) - this representing the European social responsibility - while in Soccer leagues, a few mistakes and a bad season, does not only means relegation, but possibly the end of legacies built across generations - which could not better illustrate the social careless of United States
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