ABSTRACT

The concept of the ‘American Dream’ has historically maintained a captivating hold over the psyche of the US public. Inspired by the popular storytelling of 19th-century American author Horatio Alger’s ‘rags to riches’ books, the nation appears to have embraced the powerful narrative that ‘you can be anything you want to be’. This chapter aims to both establish the ideology of the Dream motif and contextualise the research question which is at the heart of this book – ‘what are the motives of American millennial university students for undertaking a soccer scholarship’? The traditional narrative associated with obtaining a university degree is that it acts as a ‘mobility escalator’ for those fortunate enough to graduate. However, does a university degree coupled with a passion for playing a ‘foreign’ sport represent a challenge to notions of American exceptionalism? This chapter serves to introduce the reader to the unconventional approach adopted by the author in challenging whether the American Dream is still a relevant, attainable and viable concept for higher education students; in so doing, the chapter presented will begin to consider perceptions of soccer and its place in contemporary US society.