Abstract
This article discusses the cultural insignificance of football in Europe despite the receptiveness
of Europeans to American popular culture in general. It is argued that this anomaly can
be explained by a sociohistorical perspective on the differential popularization of sports and
the changing social structure in which sports are being diffused. In doing so, it is shown that
football only entered the European sport space after 1980 and that the attempts by the
National Football League to launch football as a spectator sport will fail without a basic
foundation at a grassroots level.
of Europeans to American popular culture in general. It is argued that this anomaly can
be explained by a sociohistorical perspective on the differential popularization of sports and
the changing social structure in which sports are being diffused. In doing so, it is shown that
football only entered the European sport space after 1980 and that the attempts by the
National Football League to launch football as a spectator sport will fail without a basic
foundation at a grassroots level.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1550-1562 |
| Journal | The American behavioral scientist |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
| Event | Video Conference - University of Windsor, Cameroon Duration: 29 Mar 2005 → … |
Keywords
- sport space
- globalization
- Europe
- football
- popular culture