John Flinn on World Cup Diplomacy

In Sunday’s paper, the San Francisco Chronicle editor recalls his own travels in Europe during World Cups past and offers hard-won wisdom for Americans heading abroad during the competition this summer. “Inevitably, you’ll be chided for America’s lack of passion for the game,” he writes. “It’s best to just shake your head sadly at this inexplicable moral failing. It’s wise not to point out, as I once made the mistake of doing, that if the United States was as bonkers for soccer as the rest of the world, there’s a pretty good chance we’d come to dominate the sport. The rest of the world, I said, should be grateful that most Americans find the game stultifyingly dull. This line of reasoning didn’t play as well among Europeans as I’d hoped.” We’re shocked.

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