In Thursday’s class, we discussed the novel Netherlands by Joseph O’Neil. In Netherlands, Hans grew up playing both soccer and cricket. Although the novel focused mainly in cricket, I found it interesting how both of these sports are “hiding” in the shadow of an extremely popular American sport in the United States. (Baseball and Football) This also reminds me of a previous class in which we talked about the popularity of NASCAR in America while most of the world enjoys formula one racing and finds format of NASCAR uninteresting.
As we discussed in class, the experience of the cricket players in Netherlands mirror the experience of immigrants in America as both were push to the side and adopt a 2nd class status. The immigrants are getting overlooked in America and are not getting the respect that they deserve similar to cricket and soccer after failing to compete with what was already established in the country. In fact, cricket and soccer can be view as more of sports for immigrants than for Americans, as more than half of the U.S. national men’s soccer team are either immigrants, or children of immigrants. In Netherlands, although Hans was different from his fellow cricket teammates, as he was a six foot five, rich, white European, he still had to go through problems due to his immigrant status.
I there’s something to your argument. Americans play our own sports. But cricket and soccer aren’t so much as “hiding” behind American Football or Baseball or Basketball, so much as Americans refusing to recognize those as sports and playing them. I think this is part American exceptionalism and part wanting to see famous Americans on the field.
I don’t think we can blame American for wanting to watch sports that feature majority American players. As you mentioned, Soccer is dominated by groups that are distinctly not America, mainly European and South American teams. Ask why is soccer the national pastime in Brazil? Because so many Brazilians are doing well in Soccer.
Also, I disagree with your correlation of American treatment of immigrants and American treatment of Cricket or Soccer or similar sports. I mean, there does seem to be a link between these two in America but consider an Indian Subcontinent immigrant to England. He brings with him a love for Cricket in a country that loves Cricket. However, he’s treated still as a secondary citizen, similar and arguably harsher than had he immigrated to America. The correlation is coincidental.