ABSTRACT
What is it about a player, wearing the uniform of his nation, dribbling, kicking, and pummeling a funny-looking spherical ball that drives Europeans berserk? Why does the emotional temperature of so many ordinarily tame and sober Europeans skyrocket as World Cup fever draws closer? What causes a handful of European men to access their inner hooligan when the start of a fierce cross-national soccer rivalry commences? Why did a qualifying match between Italy and Serbia have to be canceled after just 7 minutes of play in Genoa? You want to know why. It’s football, baby! Football! It’s athletic greats Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer, and-yes, him too-David Beckham. It’s the 2015 U.S. women’s soccer team, drubbing Japan with three hat-trick goals, including a can-you-believe-she-did-it, midfield kick from Carli Lloyd, that gave the storied American women team their first title since 1999. It’s vintage soccer: 11 players, a field of grass, a fake, quick pass, a game-winning boot that vanquishes the hopes of the rivals and swells the pride of a nation.
