Playing Catch-up on the Global Stage
The United States’ fares well in sports they are accustomed to or created such as basketball, American football and baseball. Though Americans have been great at their own games, they haven’t truly succeeded at other sports that are popular all around the world. It is still a mystery to most as to why Americans haven’t quite grasped foreign sports.
Tennis hasn’t seen a successful male American player since the days of McEnroe and Agassi. The closest the United States has come to a top-ranked male player has been through the likes of John Isner, Andy Roddick and, current world number 14, Jack Sock.
Tomas Hons, a tennis player for Lenoir Rhyne University, believes the difference between American tennis and European tennis lies in the popularity of the sport and the quality of coaching.
“The coaching back home is at a different quality and I think that tennis doesn’t compete well with other sports, like basketball and football, when it comes to attracting young Americans”, said Hons, a native of the Czech Republic.
Hons believes that despite the lack of popularity for tennis in the United States, the American players are starting to improve through the efforts of globalization.
“Division II schools recruit a lot of internationals, like myself, and I think the Americans face a good challenge against us”, Hons said. “The top schools recruit all of the best young Americans”, he added.
Soccer is a sport that has struggled in the US to gain popularity ever since immigrants brought the world’s game over from Europe. Many in this country see it as boring or unexciting. However, that viewpoint has shifted over the past decade with the development of Major League Soccer and the popularity of the sport at all levels.
Immigrants make the United States what it is and soccer facilitates American values through its idea that everyone can play. So the role immigrants’ play in the development of soccer in the US has been huge, but the national team still haven’t managed to capture any significant trophies.
Tom Seery, a defender for Lenoir Rhyne men’s soccer, believes that the culture of soccer in America and the level of coaching are why the United States are at a disadvantage with the development of the sport.
“The playing level is lot more difficult in England and I think America as a whole hasn’t grasped what our sport is all about”, said Seery, a senior at Lenoir Rhyne University.
Seery is not the only player to see what needs to be improved if the United States wants to be competitive at soccer. Mitch Botfield, a teammate of Seery's, feels that the set up of the American professional seasons over the course of the middle of the year is detrimental to the game.
"Because the Americans play for only the warmer months of the year, they don't seem to have an edge of stamina", said Botfield, a midfielder for the Bears.
The growth of tennis and soccer in America is on the rise and many measures are being taken to ensure that the United States can compete at the international level. It all starts with youth and academy systems. Making sure young players have the right coaching and nurturing is also important for development. With this positive mindset, the United States may one day witness a top ranked American win the US open or the United States men's national team win the Copa America.
