Globalization: How Soccer Explains the Growing Economic Divide

            Globalization is the growing interconnectedness of the various nations in the world. Whether it is through economic, cultural, or strategic ties, the world is steadily becoming more intertwined. Although a lot of the growth can be considered beneficial to all parties involved, there are some cases in which globalization is actually hurting some nations. In his book How Soccer Explains the World, Franklin Foer uses the analogy of soccer to gain a better understanding of the effects of globalization on various nations. I believe that as globalization continues to rise, a greater disconnect is created between the “haves” and the “have-nots”. The economic divide leads to a decrease in equality and growth of polarization.

            In the beginning of his book, Foer discussed the benefits of the growing globalization from a soccer standpoint. Foer points out the fact that the best players in the world can now be seen on a global stage on a regular basis (rather than just during the World Cup). These players benefit from the increasing reach of technology that allows their talents to be broadcasted around the world. Foer then briefly touches on the idea that these players are now moving from playing in their home country to play in the “major” leagues, such as the Barclays Premier League, La Liga, and others. Globalization has caused the talent to become congregated into smaller sects, where the best players in the world are all playing against each other on few stages. This is different from the past, where teams in each region may have one or two really good players on each team. Now, these powerhouse soccer clubs are sucking all of the talent from the smaller clubs that do not have the ability to compete in the market. Without the buying power that these major clubs have, the small soccer clubs are left in the dust. The smaller clubs in countries such as those in Latin and South America, famous for their phenomenal soccer talent, have lost prominence and regard in the soccer community because of the growth of globalization.

            The congregation of power seen in the soccer world is a small-scale reflection of the polarization of wealth that affects various nations thanks to globalization. As discussed in class, many of the countries of the world are becoming more and more economically intertwined with one another. While it is commonly viewed that trade makes everyone better off, some can look at what has happened in the soccer world as an example of the exploitation of smaller countries. Many of the larger countries of the world cannot specialize in everything, so in order to keep costs down, they outsource much of the materials they need. Through connecting with other countries, their prices stay lower and in the end they make more money. However, the smaller countries in the world are not any better off from trade, because they are at the mercy of the bargaining power of larger countries. Much like soccer, the smaller countries now find themselves exporting many of their prized resources with little compensation. Globalization is in essences making these countries worse off and creating a greater economic divide on a global scale.

            Globalization has been the result of growing technology and increased means of communicating between nations around the world. Foer would agree that this exchange of ideas and resources has many benefits, as seen in the growth of popularity of soccer around the world. However, not everyone is a winner on the global scale. Many of the smaller nations, who do not possess the brokering abilities of established enterprises, are often left worse or the same as how they were before globalization. This growing economic division can have catastrophic effects of millions of people if measures are not taken to prevent them from happening. Globalization has opened the doors for so many opportunities around the world, yet it is important to understand that some extent of equality is lacking.