A New American Soccer Culture Is Emerging

The World Cup doubles as a beauty pageant for each country’s fans, who strut around, sing their anthems, and try their best to look hot, happy, and, above all, passionate. Regional—and, if we’re being honest, racial—categories play into how these contestants are judged: the Brits and the Scots will be drunken, weepy singers; the Ivorians, the Ghanaians, and the Congolese will wear bright colors and dance in the stands; the Koreans will drink, rage, and try to overthrow the government when their team inevitably loses; the Dutch will light flares and do their cute little hoppy dance. All of them, of course, are doing a crude sort of propaganda for their respective countries, or, more generously, acting as a travelling tourism board. Come to England if you want to drink and sing. Come to Korea if you want to drink and get mad. Come to the Netherlands if you want to drink and hop.