Welcome to the World, U.S.
- Jul 10, 2014
- 2 min read
This past month has been filled with heat, sweat and sometimes tears and no, I’m not talking about the Georgia summer. This year has brought the World Cup and soccer to fans everywhere, and the United States is surprisingly included.
Did anyone anticipate the enthusiasm that swept the nation?
I was lucky enough to attend the U.S. team’s last ‘friendly’ in Jacksonville, FL. in early June, just days before they and every other nation traveled to Brazil for the Cup’s group stages. I was impressed mostly by the fans, who seemed to collectively strike the perfect balance between passionate and belligerent. The people were of a different breed than those loyally following college and major league sports. Soccer in America could be called underground, and fans literally have to work to support their team.
This summer, though, their work was easy, as every business cashed in on the widespread support of the U.S. team.
To begin the fever, All State, ESPN and Toyota were all working the Jacksonville friendly’s official tailgate. Raffles were only outnumbered by giveaways, like U.S. scarves and Captain Patrick Dempsey’s face, which seemed to follow me everywhere and now lives in my car’s backseat.
The corporate promotions outside of Ever Bank Field (yes, the same venue as the UGA/Florida game each fall) were equivalent to any other major sporting event, something that impressed me. Surprisingly though, given the timing of the game, very little of the social media #BringBackOurGirls campaign was represented, even though the away team was Nigeria’s own.
Since that national victory, the World Cup has consistently reminded me of the Olympics. I’ve come to recognize the broadcasters, I’ve been hyperaware of the host country and I’ve fallen in love with the logo and jingle.
And I didn’t expect this at all. I thought that I would be among a small hipster minority when I watched the games. I thought funny looks would follow me whenever I wore my U.S. scarf in 90-degree weather. I thought that no one would discuss the player’s hair with me.
I didn’t expect the event to get any brand attention on U.S. television, so I’m glad that these brands anticipated this popularity more than I did. What is that? Just killer PR research? Though politicians on Twitter seemed late in their support of the U.S., the brands were right on target through their advertising and social media. The seamlessness was beautiful, almost as beautiful as the unity that the nation experienced through the Round of 16.
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