World Cup soccer is building to the climax next week. Scot McKnight had a fun post this week, giving his thoughts about soccer. I posted a comment there that inspired me to ask a question here. Is soccer more postmodern/premodern than American football and baseball?
George Carlin did a routine decades ago about the difference between football and baseball. He claims football is technological and baseball is pastoral:
- Football is played on a “Gridiron.” Baseball is played in a “park.”
- Football players wear helmets. Baseball players wear caps.
- Football has the bomb, the bullet, and the blitz. The goal is to penetrate the end zone. Baseball has the sacrifice, the fly ball, and being safe. Everyone is just trying to get home.
(You can read more about this here: George Carlin on football and baseball)
So comparing football/baseball to soccer, which is modern and postmodern (or premodern.) Football and baseball are dissected into many discrete parts and analyzed sequentially, while soccer is one continuous flow. Stats and scientific analysis govern the strategy of football and baseball in ways that can’t be done in soccer. Football and baseball demand crisp, clear outcomes: winner and loser. Soccer embraces ambiguity. Is soccer more appealing to the postmodern mind?
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