Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, And Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--And Even Iraq--Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport
By Simon Kuper, Stefan Szymanski
(Nation Books, 2009)
328 pages
In his lament on technology's corrosive effect on modern day boredom, the journalist Michael Crowley had an epiphany about the pitfalls of obsessive Web surfing: "Recently, I found myself at the website of the Argentine Air Force and suddenly wondered, like an awakening drunk, how did I get here?" As a somewhat manic blogger, I am all too familiar with Crowley Moments, instances when I was browsing this Web site or that Web site and wondering: Why the eff am I doing this, again?
So when I recently found myself browsing through Maine's demographic and economic statistics at the Maine State Planning Office's Web site and hopping over to the CIA's World Factbook to compare those data to those of, say, 2010 World Cup qualifier Slovenia, the familiar and uncomfortable emotions of an impending Crowley Moment began bubbling in my chest. And like most people who begin experiencing uncomfortable emotions, I resorted to rationalizations to justify my addiction. After all, one man's Crowley Moment is another man's research project. Right?
Well, considering I'd just spent most of my leisure time for two consecutive days reading Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski's Soccernomics, I think a fair-minded observer would conclude that, yes, a Maine State Planning Office/CIA World Factbook scavenger hunt should be considered research, instead of mind-numbing Web surfing designed to avoid "a few minutes of his [my] own company," as Crowley wrote.
That's because Kuper (a soccer journalist) and Szymanski (a sports economist) open and close their 328-page tome by stressing how a country's (and, presumably, a state's) wealth, population, and soccer-playing experience will dictate their future success (or failure) on the soccer field. Hence the comparisons between Maine's Gross State Product ($40.3 billion in 2008) and Slovenia's Gross Domestic Product ($56.5 billion). Or Maine's population size (1.3 million in 2008) compared to Slovenia's (2 million in 2009). And you can just imagine how fun it was for me to compare the evidently all-important economic and demographic stats in Maine to other New England states and some powerhouse states in American soccer. Of course, such data-mining wouldn't have taken place without Soccernomics, which is a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. It was good because it was illuminating, but it was bad because those are a couple hours of my life that I'll never get back.
Nevertheless, the same cannot be said on my time reading Soccernomics. The book focuses its math-heavy perspective on an eclectic mix of soccer-related topics. The authors' mathematical analysis on how England perennially disappoints its fans, while also overperforming is a must-read for the soccer Anglophile. Likewise, all soccer Europhiles would be interested in reading the six chapters on such topics as transfer market inefficiencies, European soccer clubs' failed--yet enduring--business models, racism in England, the relationship between a city's history and size to that city's club's (or clubs') success in international tournaments, and insight into the competition between the English Premier League and America's NFL for the hearts and minds of consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.
If you're like me, however, and you pick up this book hoping to glean nuggets of wisdom on player development, then you mostly have to settle for the anecdotes sprinkled throughout each of the chapters. Aside from the two chapters that deal with how important a region's wealth, population, and soccer-playing experience, perhaps the best and most useful chapter for the everyday coach and player is probably the one devoted to the penalty kick. Besides using observation and statistical analysis to establish the correct way to approach the penalty kick (a team should always kick first, and a random coin toss should determine the goalie's diving direction and the shooter's shot location), this chapter features a wonderful anecdote that illustrates the hidden cat-and-mouse game that took place during the penalty kick shootout that decided the 2008 Champions League final. Indeed, watching the footage of the Chelsea-Manchester United shootout from that game is truly a treat with the contextual knowledge the authors provide their reader.
This book, without a doubt, will make you a more intelligent soccer fan. And even for those who have a phobia of math, grasping the authors' occasionally stat-laden insights is a mostly pain-free exercise.
- John C.L. Morgan
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