How Soccer Explains South Africa

New Republic editor Frank Foer has argued that soccer explains the world. If he’s right then we can predict good things for the future of South Africa. The New York Times is portraying the recent Confederation Cup games as a dry run for the World Cup which is to be held there in 2010. A couple of things jumped out at me.

Soccer has generally developed as the preferred sport for blacks here, while rugby is the No. 1 sport for whites. But during a Confederations Cup match between South Africa and Spain in Bloemfontein, the multiracial crowd might have been the most integrated in a South African stadium, said Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the World Cup organizing committee.

International soccer is known for bringing out nationalistic (read: racist) tendencies in many fans. It’s good to see the flipside occuring where nationalism is bringing together a historically fragmented nation. It also makes me wonder if the usual suspects among the European fans will be as cheeky when they find themselves in an African country next year (the first time it’s been held on the continent). It would make for an interesting case study of how institutional settings affect individual actions in light of ideology.

On an unrelated note, I found this to be particularly funny:

Predominantly black fans at South Africa’s opening match were criticized by a group called Sport Against Racism Ireland for apparently booing Matthew Booth, the only white starter on the team. In truth, the fans ritually shouted Booooth, an elongated version of the player’s last name, every time he touched the ball. The Irish group later acknowledged its mistake.

Newcomers to Fenway Park have probably made similar mistakes when they hear fans bellow “Yooooouuuuukk” whenever Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis comes to the plate.

For sociologists and sports fans alike, FIFA 2010 will be something to watch.

• Josh McCabe