Entitled State of Mind
What happens when you want something so bad (you think) and then you don’t get it? Well evidently here in the United States, we bitch and moan about it all day. FIFA announced today that Russia will host the World Cup in 2018, while the much anticipated bid for 2022 went to………wait for it…….here it comes……..Qatar (pronounced roughly like cutter)….yes that is NOT THE USA!!!!
The firestorm that has erupted over this decision has been immense. Websites ranging from Yahoo to ESPN.com have had stories up where either some writer is pissed about this or there are quotes from dignitaries that are slamming the decision. I have one simple question for all of these people though. What did you honestly expect? The United States is the most dominant sports nation on the planet. That is not even debatable. No country makes more money or has more success with sports than the good ole US. Well all sports except for soccer that is. That might be a little bit of a problem since soccer is the No. 1 sport in almost every country that is not named USA. People are crying foul basically because they think the USA deserves this World Cup. Some are also screaming that the decision was about money and not sports.
Would the US put on the biggest World Cup in years…..maybe. Yes, the United States has the cash to make that kind of investment and we already have HUGE facilities that would be great for games (Cowboys Stadium, Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, etc.) How does that matter? Just because we can throw money around does not mean that we should be allowed to. Why do people in this country feel so damn entitled? What have we done in soccer that merits our earning the World Cup again so soon? The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994. The US used that platform to launch the MLS and try and bring soccer to the forefront of this country. We are still waiting for it to happen.
Why do we deserve the Cup when soccer is the 5th most popular sport in America if it is lucky? Americans will NEVER overbearingly support soccer unless the USA is dominant in it. Basically we are all frontrunners when it comes to international sports. If the US would have won the bid, it would have been 28 years between hosting the cup for a nation that’s highest placement was 3rd back in 1930. Brazil (the best soccer nation in the history of ever) will have waited 64 years between their last hosting and the one that is upcoming in 2014. By the way, how hot (in a good way) will that World Cup be? WOW Once again it comes back to entitlement. We think that because we are the red, white, and blue that we should only have to wait 30 years between hosting.
Qatar is a middle eastern country that easily defeated the US 14-8 in the final round of voting. What is not mentioned is that in the 1st round of voting the US was 4th out of 5 countries in voting (the 5th country Australia was eliminated then). Qatar is a small country that is rich in oil and other fossil fuels, and some Americans are crying that this is the reason the Cup is coming. Why can’t it be that maybe FIFA wants to build soccer in a smaller nation in the Middle East? Just like with Africa, the World Cup has NEVER been to the Middle East, while it has been to Europe 10 times and South America 4 times. Basically this comes down to FIFA wanting to spread the game to different places around the world.
Until the USA fully embraces soccer (and please do not try to say that is has now) it will difficult for the Cup to return. If you really think about it, the United States is not really different from smaller countries when it comes to soccer. Not enough support of the program. Would it have been cool to see the World Cup here? Yes, but sorry USA you are too much of a sports snob for that right now. When it comes to down to it….you played yourself.
