Essay: Review of How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization

In How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, Franklin Foer discusses the connection between the interdependence of soccer and the increasingly globalized economy through his deliberate usage of historical anecdotes and evidence. In order to provide a logical and cohesive argument, Foer applies the criteria of considering overlooked or undervalued alternative explanations as well as identifying expertise within his piece.
For starters, in Chapter 1, Foer analyzes the significance that soccer has within Yugoslavia by distinguishing how it has always been characterized with more physical violence and corruption than elsewhere due to ethnic tensions that have largely stemmed from Serbia. In particular, Foer highlights the extremely thuggish fans of Red Star Belgrade as a notable example. In order to gather more information about the role of Red Star in the revival of Serb nationalism, Foer conducted an interview with Krle who acts as the senior advisor of the Ultra Bad Boys (members of the Red Star fan club) and who serves as a mentor to these “aspiring hooligans.” Foer also draws attention to the position that Krle had serving in the Red Star’s paramilitary force which actively supported ethnic cleansing. By establishing Krle’s participation in this club, Foer is identifying Krle’s credibility and expertise in this topic in order to present a more substantiated argument for the readers.
Moving forward, Foer then transitions into an explanation as to the origins of hooliganism. To begin with, Foer acknowledges the popular belief that these violent clubs may appear as a product of a “war-torn country and its diseased ideology.” He points out that economic instability is an obvious incentive that may motivate individuals to resort to aggressive behaviors. However, Foer then indicates several overlooked situations that seem to deviate from this otherwise apparent explanation. For instance, Foer states that the Ultra Bad Boys could easily have attended colleges in Yugoslavia and become relatively wealthy. Additionally, the Chelsea Headhunters, the most notorious English hooligan gang, is filled with people who do not have a financial incentive for joining the club. Therefore, by incorporating these contradictions within his writing, Foer is suggesting of another rationale behind the rise of hooliganism: the ideal of gangsterism, which has been disseminated by popular culture, has “taken over the world.” This undervalued explanation for which Foer provides is successful in that it both supports his argument of the rising influence of globalization in today’s economy and takes into factor multiple perspectives.
Finally, Foer introduces a significant figure that had played a pivotal role in the overall success of Red Star Belgrade, Arkan. In Foer’s novel, he discussed how Arkan assisted Serbian leaders by mobilizing armed forces and utilizing them to wager bloody offenses against the Croatians. These soldiers would detain Croatian men, evict their families, and loot their homes before brutally murdering them. Through these crimes, Arkansas gradually gained more and more prestige, which enabled him to later create a soccer team which he named Obilic. Under Arkan’s management, Obilic triumphed: within a year of arriving in the top division, it won the national championship and received a number of awards. Although this success was supposedly due to Arkan’s effective leadership, Foer suggests it may have been due to other, more violent reasons that he supports with outside perspectives. For starters, some opponents contend that Arkan often threatened to beat up rivals if they were to score against Obilic. Furthermore, these opponents also claimed that Obilic’s fans would frequently wave guns at their rivals. These other perspectives bring into question the validity of Arkan as an effective figure in Serbian nationalism and cast doubt on the overall successfulness of globalization in terms of morals and humanity.
Overall, although Foer notably fails to utilize statistical evidence to establish his claims, his avoidance of bias through his usage of overlooked/undervalued alternative explanations and identification of expertise helps him to develop an effective argument.