An Appeal To The Easily Bored

I'm a big fan of being tired of things.  That is, I get sick of trends and tendencies quickly.  But you knew that because I complain about them a lot.  And I'm glad when I see others complain about being tired of things.  If more people are vocal about societal trends they dislike, it will push decision makers to do something about it.

But this week I've seen a number of people in the U.S. and Canada saying that they are tired of yet another attempt to pretend to care about the World Cup.  This usually comes with sweeping statements that no one here cares, they're just pretending to be interested and so on.

That bugs me because it simply isn't true.  A lot of people in our two countries do care and watch.  Certainly it isn't a large number compared to our favourite sports, but it's not an insignificant number either.  And that's why I'm particularly disappointed in my fellow curmudgeons.  Usually, when we complain that some fashion or fad has gone to far, it is because we are pointing out that not everyone in society has the same tastes and priorities, and that some of us are displeased with the trends of the mass-market.  By discounting the soccer subculture, you're trampling the desires of those very people. 

I think this all comes from the fact that soccer is at a very awkward point in its history here.  It's moved beyond the obscure curiosity it once was:  the MLS is still in business, and European soccer is popular enough to merit showings on sports channels.  But on the other hand, it isn't huge: MLS still operates on a much smaller scale than the big pro leagues, and most American sports fans would be hard pressed to name a European soccer team other than Manchester United.  That level of partial success is unusual for us in our high-stakes sports world.  Sports success means superstardom to us, so we're not sure what to do with a sport that has essentially a cult following.

It should be obvious: we do what we do with all other cult followings:  The mainstream occasionally makes awkward reference to it, but mostly ignores it.  And we curators of the obscure admire and praise it, glad that it brings some variety into our culture.  So if you care about a diverse culture, get over being tired of it.