It is often said of the American Jazz pianist Thelonius Monk that what made him great was not the notes that he played, but the notes that he didn’t play.It turns out that American sports are similar, and until recently, this has been an obstacle to soccer’s success in the U.S..America’s two greatest homegrown sports are baseball and football.
In each, after a pitch or a play, there is a break during which the fan considers what just happened and what it means for what is about to happen.The majority of the time invested in viewing these sports isn’t really spent watching the action at all.It takes place not on the field, but between the ears of the viewers, as they contemplate the relative benefits of going for it on fourth down or trying to steal second base.Once the result of a pitch or play is recorded, another break, more time to think.UNITED STATES SHATTERS WORLD CUP VIEWERSHIP RECORD IN FIRST MATCH VS PARAGUAY IN LOS ANGELESEven basketball, the pace of which is more similar to soccer, falls into this familiar American sports pattern as the last minute of important games often take an eternity with fouls to give and timeouts.Croatia players celebrate their win via a penalty shootout during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match between Croatia and Brazil at Education City Stadium on December 09, 2022 in Al Rayyan, Qatar. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)In these instances on the hardcourt, Americans are once again left with no action, just thoughts.The mental experience of watching a soccer match is completely different, and frankly, very unfamiliar to the American mindset.
In the rest of the world’s football, the action almost never stops: It sweeps and swells, ebbs and flows, but it basically just keeps going, relentlessly.DAVID MARCUS: WHY EUROPEAN SOCCER FANS ARE GOING KEROUAC ON THE AMERICAN ROADOne way to think about the core difference here is through the experience of reading.One can actively read a book while simultaneously thinking ...