World Cup 2010: Globalization, Geopolitics and Sport

During the last World Cup in 2006, the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization (YCSG) highlighted the deeper symbolism that cultural activities, like sports – namely the sport most illustrative of globalization, football – can offer an understanding of geopolitics.  Speaking particularly in the context of political conflicts, the YCSG contends that, “Rituals of the match, such as waving flags or singing anthems, can inject new passion into national rivalries or also diffuse hostility.”  Viewing sport in this way, the matches of the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa have been symbolically framed in many geopolitically and historically significant ways.  The expectations and representations of national and regional rhetoric bring the sport far beyond the matches and scores.

Where the tone of the 2006 YCSG essay was hopeful for the role of football in diffusing hostility, Foreign Policy magazine offers a disheartening look at the symbolic hopes that football might offer to the Middle East region, specifically.  The article recounts the 2010 World Cup qualifying match between Egypt and Algeria, which was accompanied by attacks and rioting, arguing that it provided, “an uncanny analysis of the region.”  Noting the success of soccer as an “act of cultural imperialism,” the author contends that it is a perfect frame from which to view the region, through its inherent tension between uniting and dividing peoples.  The remainder of the article discusses each of the national teams, their quests to qualify, and their eventual undoing.  Some of the most politically telling include:  the plight of Palestine as, “a national team without a nation”; the divisions of Lebanon’s domestic teams controlled by various sectarian groups and the resulting hopelessness of uniting a national team; and the donning of green wristbands by the Iranian team in their match against South Korea, which were then conspicuously missing during the second half.

Quite the reverse of the divisions in the Middle East region, 2010 World Cup football sparked the flame of pan-African solidarity when Ghana was the only African nation to advance into the quarterfinals.  The Atlantic magazine cites some interesting geopolitical and historical circumstances that may have led to the trans-national camaraderie of the Sub-Saharan African region.  The author briefly describes the nationalism that thrived in the 1960s and 1970s, but then goes on to underscore the let downs of national governments since.  Ultimately, it may have been the historical beyond-borders identities, like ethnicity, language, or religion, some of which were divided in 1885 but have proved lasting in the minds of many Africans.  The author also discusses the essentialist ‘lumping’ of Sub-Saharan Africa into a single category, perhaps an interesting counterpoint to the tenets of regional geography.  Further, the article concludes with a look at the globalized marketing campaign, “brand Africa,” which may also be leading the notions of unity through “Africa United” jerseys and products featuring paint colors that were custom-made from soil samples of four different African countries.

A final perspective looks at the event, through a historical lens, using the games to analyze the distinct evolving relationship between two nations over time.  The South African Mail & Guardian Online views the 2010 World Cup as, “The symbol of a new postcolonial world order.”  The author argues that the event offers a “snapshot” of the current world system along with a “retrospective view” for the globalization currents shaping it.  Taking a closer look at the match between Portugal and Brazil, the author highlights the shift in the balance of power between these two nations in a postcolonial world.  The rising power of Brazil is set politically, economically, and diplomatically against its former colonial master, Portugal.  The article offers an interesting take on the historical metamorphism of the world political and economic system.

Discussion Questions:

1)  What are some other examples of cultural activities or products that can serve to unite or divide people?  Explain your example.

2)  How would you explain the relationship between football and nationalism/regionalism?

3)  Following a prior introduction of both the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa regions – Compare the two regions.  What explanations can you offer for understanding the football experiences of the two regions as described by the articles in Foreign Policy and The Atlantic magazines?

4)  How does globalization inform the World Cup or football in general?  Think of historical, economic, cultural, political connections, among others.

Sarah Goggin