Scoring

By Terri Morrison
© Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved

In the US you can almost always catch a game of American football, baseball, golf, tennis or basketball on cable. Most US citizens have some feel for these sports – we can generally identify the star players, teams, and sometimes, the rules. Whether it's following the New York Yankees or the LA Lakers, sports evoke feelings that run the gamut from pride in our hometown teams to memories of times when we've been "in the zone" ourselves.

But what about sports abroad? What if your international client loves soccer, rugby, or the martial arts? Every country has some type of "national sport" that they're wild over. But do you know why they love the game? How they score? That supporting the wrong team can hurt your career?

Many factors that motivate us to play or attend basketball games in Des Moines (i.e., the physicality of the game, the camaraderie of the team, the pleasure of beating an opponent, etc.) are the same for rugby players in Glasgow – but there are differences. Their rivalries can reach back to the 1800s, the rules can be complex, and the stakes are anything but incidental. It has been said that "football is a civilized game played by savages; rugby is a savage game played by civilized men."

Why do fifteen people on a team play a game that's easily as physically punishing as an NFL game – without pads or helmets? Rugby players know they're going to get hurt, but that intense physical contact seems to be part of the joy of the sport. And it's catching on stateside – via many university clubs. You can see Ivy League matches in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia on gorgeous fall afternoons, and hear the chant "in the sun, in the rain, no fear, no pain" echoing across the fields.

Some of the historical traditions may be lost on the US teams, but one former English player, T. Riley, offered the explanation. Back home, the beginning of autumn made one "recall rugby games seen with your dad, standing in the same spot that your grandfather stood before you, and cheering on the same local team." Unfortunately, many of the old stadiums have been torn down in the last decade, and replaced with modern facilities where you must sit to view the game. There were many "friendly" rivalries that would get sorted out both on the field and in the pubs after the games, and the complexities of the sport offered both a mental as well as physical challenge. "It's a cathartic sport," offered Riley, "the only bad part about it is growing old and not be able to play it anymore."

Soccer as politics
Soccer events (called football everywhere except the US) are often not just games. Rivalries can easily go back 100 years, and have cost thousands of lives both in and out of the stadiums. If you work in Latin America, or any nation that has a World Cup team, be exceedingly careful with your comments about the teams, players, or sport in general. In 1969, Honduras and El Salvador fought a four-day "Soccer War" which had over 10,000 casualties. The War was a result of other deep-rooted social and economic problems that were stirred up at the World Cup qualifying matches.

Of course, there are enmities among clubs within the same country...a famous one being the Celtics and the Rangers in Scotland. This rivalry was originally based upon religious strife between Catholics (the Celtics) and Protestants (the Rangers), but since the 1900s each club has had players and coaches from the "other" religion on their teams.

Soccer has also been a means for players to overcome huge obstacles. In 1980, seven players on Afghanistan's team trekked through the mountains to Pakistan, stayed in a refugee camp, obtained forged passports, and flew from Karachi to Frankfurt where they were granted political asylum.

In many countries, attending or watching a match is more than a spectator sport. Fans can be as passionate as the players. Italian fans execute complicated choreography while they shout, chant and sing. Fortunately, violence is becoming a rather rare event because virtually anything thrown onto the field is confiscated by the police before the game – even pocket change.

Getting game
Back in the US, taking international visitors to see a baseball game can take a surprising turn when the "foreign" executives know the rules, the players and the statistics as well as their hosts do. Building business relationships is often a matter of getting to know the individual, and what he or she enjoys. Talking sports – on golf courses, or at Sumo matches – can be an excellent way to score a friendship.

Excerpted from OAG Frequent Flyer, November 18, 2001