By George Vecsey
Reviewed by Dennis Bianchi
George Vecsey has written more than a dozen books, most recently the bestseller Stan Musial: An American Life. He joined The New York Times in 1968, wrote the “Sports of the Times” column from 1982 to 2011, and is now a contributing columnist. The National Soccer Hall of Fame honored him in 2013 for his contributions as one of the first columnists at a major newspaper to cover the sport. He has written about baseball, football (the American variety) and many other sporting events, but he is this country’s number one soccer journalist and this book is the perfect example of his expertise and talent.
One need not know a lot about soccer to appreciate this book. Mr. Vecsey does a fine job explaining the game and its nuances but, more importantly, he brings the game and its participants to life. Major League Baseball and the National Football League may be the sports that the majority of Americans enjoy watching but it is soccer that dominates the rest of the world. And it is The World Cup that demonstrates that zealous fascination that the rest of the world has for this game better than any other soccer competition. To quote Mr. Vecsey, upon attending his first World Cup in 1982, "This was some entirely new sport, a blend of ballet and geometry, quick triangles appearing and disappearing, instant decisions by athletes on the move, so graceful and independent, performing intricate maneuvers with a round ball, on the fringes of their feet.” The author waxes eloquently about other soccer reporters when he opines, “I have come to think that soccer lends itself to great writing because it thrives in the imagination, like so much of life. Great writers put themselves into the possibilities of the sport …”
I admit to a bias in that I follow soccer secondarily to baseball. As such, I don’t keep up on many great teams and players throughout the world. And, when I do watch soccer it is usually on television and usually a game played between Italian teams, or occasionally other European and/or Mexican teams. There are just so many different leagues that it is hard to stay current with all of the activity, and that is why The World Cup is so exciting and, in a sense, convenient. Here are the majority of the world’s greatest players all assembled at once, competing not for the professional teams, but for their countries. Here, grouped together, are the fans from seemingly every corner of the world, all decked out in their very colorful outfits supporting not just a team but also their homeland.
But the author also explains how big sporting events have another side, a less positive side. He writes, “The fact is, sports fans are not good tourists. They do not bring money, or curiosity, or consumer tastes. They come to see a game, have some beers, cheer loudly, get sick in the street, and go home. Better to schedule a convention of accountants.” And he addresses the numerous negative outside influences such as the gambling and cheating investigations that took place throughout the world of soccer, but focusing on the European leagues, particularly Italy.
As is his fashion, the author gives proper due to the women athletes, pointing out how the United States Women’s soccer team won the very first Women’s’ World Cup Championship in 1991. Some of those women’s names, such as Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain are still well-known to sports fans. The frustration of the United States men’s team is documented, but Mr. Vecsey sees a brighter future for our country’s national team. (The U.S. has qualified seven consecutive times for the World Cup, which is an accomplishment of its own.)
I believe the author is best, however, at describing the game. His description of what was likely the most infamous “non-calls” by a referee, when Diego Maradona illegally used his hand to punch in a score, but later described by Mr. Maradona as “The Hand of God,” brings life to the incident. Those particular several pages are worth the price of the book. The book was published months before the 2014 World Cup was played and the reader will find this amusing and prophetic quote from a retired English soccer player named Gary Lineker; “Football is a simple game; twenty-two men chase a ball for ninety minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.” They certainly did this year, joining Argentina and Italy as countries that have won the championship four times, but still trailing five-time winner Brazil. This is a very good book about sports and an even better book about the world we live in.
