Offside : soccer and American exceptionalism / Andrei S. Markovits and Steven L. Hellerman.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-350) and index.

The argument: sports as culture in industrial societies- American conformities and exceptions -- The formation of the American sport space: "crowding out" and other factors in the relegation and marginalization of soccer -- Soccer's trials and tribulations: beginnings, chaos, "almosts", obscurity, and colleges -- The formation and rearrangement of the American sport space in the second half of the twentieth century -- From the North American Soccer League to Major League Soccer -- The World Cup in the United States -- The coverage of World Cup '98 by the American media and the tournaments's reception by the American public.

Print version record.

Soccer is the world's favorite pastime, a passion for billions around the globe. In the United States, however, the sport is a distant also-ran behind football, baseball, basketball, and hockey. Why is America an exception? And why, despite America's leading role in popular culture, does most of the world ignore American sports in return? Offside is the first book to explain these peculiarities, taking us on a thoughtful and engaging tour of America's sports culture and connecting it with other fundamental American exceptionalisms. In so doing, it offers a comparative analysis of sports cultur.

In English.

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