As the
2006 World Cup approacheth, we should steel ourselves for
a series of new films coming out about the
sport. The biggest effort is a trilogy called Goal! (or Goooooooaaaalll! if
you want to get technical). The films follow the rise of a Latino boy called Santiago Munez from the ghetto into the
big leagues (the dream of every boy outside the US) where he ends up playing for Real Madrid and throughout
Europe in the Champions League.
As might be expected, the stars of the film are footballers (aka soccer players) not actors. Many big names make
appearances throughout including uber-heartthrob David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Roberto Carlos and Alan
Shearer…only one of whom’s name is likely to ring a bell for most Americans, and that because of his Posh Spice
connection (it is Posh, right? Not one of the others spices?).
I am one of those Americans who actually wishes he could follow soccer, but doesn’t do so very closely. I believe
that understanding soccer would help all Americans understand the world a little better. But like most Americans, it’s
hard to add another sport to one’s repertoire, since we have so many home-grown sports here already. Along these lines,
one book I’ve been wanting to read (hint, hint) is Franklin Foer’s
How Soccer Explains the
World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, which will someday make it to my reading list.