Rising sophomore Phil Teves is a self-proclaimed sports hater. Ask him about almost any sport, from baseball to football, and he will have an opinion about just how boring and pointless it is. But there is one sporting event that even Teves cannot ignore: the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
"The World Cup is really something special," Teves said. "It is more than just a sport; it is one of the world's most powerful events. Viva Portugal!"
Like many other students on the Tufts campus, Teves has come down with World Cup fever. Whether they are planning to travel all the way to South Africa to witness the event in person or to watch at home with friends, Jumbos campus-wide are brimming with anticipation for the cup, which kicks off June 11. Their favorite teams may range from the Azzurri (Italy) to La Furia Roja (Spain), but no matter who they support, their excitement is reaching a crescendo.
While this excitement is replicated worldwide, the same level of enthusiasm does not seem to materialize in Americans as a whole. But Steven Apostolov, who teaches the Experimental College class, The World Cup: Soccer, History, and Politics — which follows in chronological order the development of the tournament through the lenses of politics, economics and culture — believes that this is quickly changing due to a greater immersion in the sport.
"People have been exposed to soccer for a longer period of time," Apostolov said. "If you think of 10 years ago it wasn't on TV. Eight years ago only the finals and maybe the semifinals of Champion's League were on TV. Now, I feel that some fellows missed some classes on Tuesday nights just to watch the Champions League."
Even with the added attention, soccer continues to fight an uphill battle for the public eye in the United States. While its niche following is growing — and lead to Fox's first-ever broadcast match on May 22 — the sport continues to struggle to compete with other American sports. In the United States, baseball, basketball, football and hockey all hold a great deal of the country's interest, but in other parts of the world, soccer is at the center of everything.
"It is completely different," said Kameron Jaff, a rising sophomore from Dubai who plays on the Tufts soccer team. "Here, it is a sport. There it is part of the culture. It is in everyone's blood. You go to a café anywhere and there is going to be a soccer game on."
However, campuses like Tufts are at the forefront of a soccer renaissance in the States. The combination of younger students who have grown up able to watch the game on television and international students who have loved the game from a young age has created a much higher interest in the sport here than in the general population. It is not uncommon to see students gathering in the campus center for a Champions League match. Tufts is also capable of supporting a varsity team, a club team and two seasons' worth of intramural leagues, showing just how many students enjoy the game.
"One of the things I was surprised about was how many people wear soccer jerseys around here," Naji Muakkassa, a rising senior captain on the soccer team, said. "I definitely didn't see that that much at home — it was more of a novelty. When you get a concentrated group of internationally influenced, younger-generation people, you are going to see a lot of soccer fans and that is definitely the case here."
Not only the students are taking notice of this increased interest; the professors are as well. Apostolov's class is just one of many soccer-related courses popping up all over academia. Boston College will be starting a class on soccer in the fall, and other institutions are following suit. The sport has infiltrated higher education, which could potentially lead to a domino effect through the system.
Some students, including Jaff and graduating senior Margaret Scholtes, will even be making the trip to South Africa to get the full World Cup experience. While security has been a major concern for the games, it has not stopped these Jumbos from deciding to make the trek in order to view the game in its purest form and be part of an event that draws crowds from all over the globe.
"I am looking forward to seeing all of the emotion and really feeling it," Jaff said. "It is a very emotional sport. You see players crying after they score a goal, and I am looking forward to being a part of that."
Yet even with all of the soccer support on the Tufts campus, more widespread interest may hinge on the success of the American squad. Advancing into the second round in 1994 and the quarterfinals in 2002 caused small peaks in interest, but in the American victory-oriented culture, the team may need a deeper run to truly change the sport's image.
"Because of this American winning mentality, the further they go, the more it will help the domestic league and affect how conscious it is in the minds of the people," Apostolov said.
Luckily, the U.S. squad may finally have the talent to do just that. For the first time ever, the majority of the national team is practicing its trade in European leagues, leading to arguably the most experienced team the country has ever seen. The team has a skilled playmaker in Landon Donovan, who finally proved himself to the world while on loan to Everton this season, and creative scorer in Fulham's Clint Dempsey. On the defensive side, the combination of Milan's Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu and Watford captain Jay DeMerit have been tough to beat for even the world's best, while Everton's Tim Howard is one of the world's best keepers.
The Americans also have a very manageable schedule path deep into the tournament. Their opponents will include the often-underachieving England and two middle-of-the-pack teams, Algeria and Slovenia. Even if the United States finishes behind England, a second round matchup with Germany is not incredibly daunting. The Germans' methodical play may give the Americans the opportunity to use their speed to their advantage, as they did in a close loss in the 2002 quarterfinals. From there, the match on the horizon could very well be against rival Mexico, a team the Americans know they can beat. A few more good breaks, and it may be time for someone to call up Al Michaels.
"I think if they won, people would become more interested," Jaff said. "A lot of people know how big the World Cup is, but they don't bother to follow it. If that happened, it probably would spark a lot more interest."
Soccer is one of the most played sports in the country, with millions of registered participants, but it is rare that people stick with the game. A successful run could lead to kids hoping to emulate Donovan and Dempsey in the same way they hope to emulate Kobe Bryant or Albert Pujols.
"I think a big movement is to spark interest and have a whole generation coming up watching soccer and enjoying soccer," Muakkassa said. "I think they have been doing that. More and more youth programs are starting up and hopefully more people are sticking with it."
All of the stars are aligned for what could be a truly historic World Cup in the United States. Martin Tyler, known as soccer's John Madden, has joined ESPN for the tournament, and Sportscenter will even be on location. The World Cup has halted wars, promoted dictators and broken hearts. Now it will try to turn a country that has been uninterested for a long time, and Jumbo Nation will be right there watching.
