The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 30, 2009

Soccer team gives us national pride

America’s team isn’t the Atlanta Braves or the Dallas Cowboys or, heaven forbid, the New York Yankees.

How about America’s team being America?

Consider the U.S. men’s soccer team in the recently concluded FIFA Confederations Cup.

It would be a safe bet to say there were millions of people watching the USA play Brazil in the finals Sunday who aren’t big soccer fans.

But like the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey win over the Soviet Union or the 1999 Women’s World Cup soccer win over China or the recent U.S. softball teams, they were enthralled about rooting for America.

“USA, USA, USA.’’ Is there a better cheer to unite people than that? For a few hours, we aren’t divided by political or religious or ethnic boundaries. We’re Americans rooting for our team.

The same was true on a lower scale for Enid’s 2005 team that won the American Legion World Series. It’s safe to say many of the crowd that greeted them on their return home never went to a game but had the community pride of seeing someone from Enid do well on the national stage.

These were teams whose top priority was winning for the United States. Sports fans appreciate that.

I don’t think they had the same enthusiasm for the all-stars who represented the U.S. in men’s basketball in the Olympics or in the World Baseball Classic this spring.

Those players’ first priority was to their pro teams, and rightly so. The ultimate goal in baseball and basketball is winning the World Series and NBA finals.

The World Cup is the ultimate for a soccer player. The gold medal is the ultimate for a softball player. The U.S. hockey team had the chemistry of being together for six months and the hunger to be an NHL player some day.

I don’t think soccer will get a major boost from this in the United States. People won’t rush out to see a Major League Soccer game in person or on TV. Watching Dallas FC is not the same as the USA.

But I do think it will attract more interest in the World Cup next season. The U.S. has shown it can be competitive with the big boys. People are more likely to watch if they think the U.S. can win.

Soccer, though, can be a great unifier in itself. Look at Enid High School’s soccer roster. The names resembled a United Nations with different nationalities coming together.

The EHS soccer banquet was packed this year. If the Enid boys have another winning season, that will build support locally. Everyone loves a winner.

Sports can build both national and community pride if done in the right way.

Now is the time when we need a team like the U.S. soccer team to cheer for. For a few hours, we can forget we’re in a recession and cheer for a team that has exceeded expectations.

The 1980 U.S. hockey win gave a nation that was in a funk over inflation, high gas prices and the Iranian crisis something to feel good about.

Hopefuly, the economic crisis will have passed in 2010. But a good showing by the World Cup team wouldn’t hurt anything.



Campbell is a News & Eagle sports writer.

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