As IF Times

The largest sporting event in the world is happening right now and likely hundreds of millions of soccer fans (or football to Euros) have travelled to North America to witness the World Cup matches firsthand.  The venues are scattered amongst a number of host cities in Canada and Mexico but most notably, in the US.  The biggest by-product of the World Cup is really its main feature, that is, to draw tourism into host nations.

For many fans, this was the first ever visit to the US and the reactions to their experiences have been the most viral thing on social media.  There has been an explosion on Instagram and Tik-Tok by tourists expressing their amazement.  One fan in particular, a Freddy from Germany, has documented his trip from the airport on the east coast through his journey across the US south to Houston on social media.  He is shocked, literally shocked at the disconnect from what he’s been led to believe about the US versus his actual experience. Freddy is showcasing his real dose of American culture.

The sheer physical size of everything in the US is what seems to awe the tourists.  The immense distances between places is unimaginable to Europeans accustomed to walking from place to place.  As someone noted, you can drive for 17 hours and still not leave the state of Texas.  Speaking of size, everything is bigger.  Walmarts and Costcos are gigantic.  The iconic Buc-ee’s , notionally a gas station in the south will have 120, yes 120 gas pumps and their in-store product selection of goods boggles the European mind.  They realize that when someone says, “I’ve visited the US”, that it’s meaningless.  The US is quite literally 50 different mini countries. It would be as if you claimed to have visited Europe if you’ve spent a week in Paris.

There are of course, some stereotypes which are true about America. There is always amazement at the iconic serving sizes of food at restaurants in the US.  Regular portions would make main dishes in Europe look like finger snacks. Free drink refills.  Ice. Air conditioning. Pleasant service people. A deep love of country. These are all common things to Americans, but an amazement to Europeans.

But the one common observation amongst all the social media posts is just how hospitable and genuine they found Americans.  They are noted as being generous, welcoming and salt of the earth people.  It’s certain that this is surprising to many because of the images perpetuated by decades of media representing them as redneck hayseeds who will shoot you at the most minor provocation. Of course, this is actually true in Northeastern states; fortunately, those were not the venue cities.  In the south, tourists were welcomed with affectations of familiarity and hospitality, quite different from the experience they were expecting.

Our German tourist Freddy even discovered country music and the biggest country star at the moment, Ella Langley, even invited him to one of her concerts. Ella is by far the biggest star in the US.  Only in America.

So, why is this so? The answer possibly lies with the fact that media, both domestic and international, have always portrayed the US as a cultural backwater and professing that their own nations were superior. Even the usually haughty British tourists were surprised at the experience they were not prepared for, with some expressing an interest in moving here. It brings to mind the old saw;  from the perspective of a frog who lives in a well, the sky is only the circle of light that they can see above their heads.

It’s a bit surprising that only now, people are finally seeing for themselves a part of the world that had always been a caricature portrayed by media… and politicians.  Whether in the US, or Canada, or Mexico, visitors have found out what the world is really like outside of their own well.  They observe that people are the same everywhere and to harbor any misgivings about an entire nation based on hearsay is simply ill-informed propaganda.

So the takeaway is, go see for yourself; don’t pay attention to the propaganda spewed by media and politicians. Maybe this is the greatest epiphany to result from the World Cup activity.  If nothing else, people can return home from their experiences here and think more expansively and critically about their own living conditions and how it compares to those of others in the big world.  More importantly they should return with a renewed sense of skepticism over what they’re being fed at home. People should experience, not just believe. After seeing what’s out there, some are expressing on social media the now famous Ella Langley lyrics about their own nation, “ I can’t love you anymore”.  It also brings to mind the observation made famous by the Tin Pan Alley song after the American soldiers served in Europe after WW1, but now in reverse. ” How ya gonna  keep ’em down on the farm after they’ve seen Paree?”

link:  https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/alysa-liu-champion-who-cant-stop-smiling

Image from Getty Images NBC

That people are tribal is not a new revelation; it’s a basic human condition which exists in our DNA for reasons likely linked originally to survival.  We can probably accept that when people were running around in loincloths and bearskins, it was a good idea to side with the people that looked like you and behaved similarly. It provided some degree of safety to be part of a supportive group in an otherwise hostile environment.  You identified with your group.  We all know of the mythic rivalry between the Hatfields and the McCoys, two rival Appalachian  families who feuded for decades just because their names were different.  The families of Romeo and Juliet; same thing.
On a much larger scale, we have always had divisions of populations based on such identifiers as religions, on ethnicity and race,  on regions and nations and also based on ideology. History shows that the consequences of belonging and identifying with one group over another one can be serious and even fatal.   Lots of wars have been fought based on the disputes both between and amongst such factions.

In today’s slightly more civilized world, these tribal instincts are manifest in less consequential but no less heated loyalties.  Much of these tribal urges are now focused on sports. We all know of the rabid fans in the soccer world during the World Cup when national pride is contested on the soccer pitch.  The activities of a nation can come to halt if a given nation’s team is a contender.  Most recently, the huge commercial event known as the Super Bowl was held and partisan supporters of both teams displayed their fanatical devotion by paying exorbitant sums just to be present at the event and to buy and wear the partisan colors.  This despite the fact that the lives of fans would not be affected in any meaningful way at all, regardless if their teams won or lost.  It was just a tribal thing.

At the moment the 2026 Winter Olympics are being held in Italy and this is the proto-typical occasion to show tribal support for your people, which means for the most part, your country.  People identify with these athletes only because they represent their tribe. If their athletes succeed, there is the notion of reflected glory for the fans of the nation, that they too are part of that athlete’s success.  While it’s natural to root for your country, the feats of the athletes have little to do with their nations.  It’s the result of years of dedicated effort to reach their level of competence. With that said, there can be no greater glory than to stand on the medal podium with your nation’s national anthem playing for everyone.  When the American women’s hockey team won their gold medal, they all collectively stood and sang their national anthem. On the other hand, you could see the heartbreak in the faces of the Canadian team who came up short.  It wasn’t just the loss, it was a loss for their nation. People vicariously live through these athletes representing their national pride.   Nationalism and patriotism is still a strong binding tie for most populations which is why we witness so much backlash against the talented skier Eileen Gu who elected to compete for China instead of her native United States.  The exact opposite was the affection for skater Alysa Liu who was unabashedly patriotic for the United States,  a story which is more compelling given that her father is a refugee from China.

Unfortunately this notionally non-partisan world class sporting event is being used more and more as a political billboard for many participants.  Certain among the American contingent have taken to use their 15 minutes of fame to criticize their own nation or to highlight issues that have nothing to do with competitive sports.  The dynamic of the “me me me” mindset has unfortunately made its way into the arena of sports, a venue which is meant only to showcase the best talents of dedicated athletes.  As the Dixie Chicks intoned years ago, ‘just shut up and sing’.