by Joey Lavoie ’14

When you think of the United States of America, many things come to mind, among them being our cities, trucks, hotdogs and most importantly, our sports. The United States is second to none when it comes to athletics and sports.  Since 1992, the United States has ended on top of the medal count every four years in the Summer Olympics. American athletes such as LeBron James, Landon Donovan and Kevin Durant are known around the world for their athleticism and skill. The motto in the United States not only for athletics but at anything, whether it be the arts, economy or military, is that we do not lose. We do not back down, and that is why the United States has the best athletes in the world.

But when you look around the world, the United States has  plenty of top-tier athletes ready to succeed, but lacks in fan support for all sports, in all sorts of games.

After taking a recent trip to Europe and walking around amongst the fans and people of France for 11 days, I saw a whole new side of the sports world. France played Italy in a soccer match while I was there, and there was just a different buzz about it than one would not see in the United States for an international “friendly” (exhibition). I stayed in an Italian household in France and watched the game. It was incredible watching the enthusiasm and attention paid to the game by the family I lived with, and the fans at the stadium over in Italy that we watched on TV. France did go on to win 2-1 but the fans in that Italian stadium were never quiet and cheered, chanted and yelled for all 90 minutes of that soccer game. The day after there was still a buzz in France about its soccer team beating a rival nation not that far away.

It’s not only France, though. You can sit down at home or at a sports bar during the World Cup, or even just a friendly in Brazil, Italy, England or Spain, and will see just as much and usually more enthusiasm as seen here in the United States for any sport. European soccer fans chant and cheer for all 90 minutes of a game too. The loudest recorded volume level at a sports event was in a soccer game in Turkey, a recorded 131.76 dbA. These fans care not only about the biggest moments, but also the smallest turns of momentum.

Yes, America is second to none when it comes to athletics, but is it really the best in the world? I would have to go with no. Yes, there is the Super Bowl or The Final Four, but what about those early season NBA games when Miami plays Charlotte? I guarantee that the fans are crazy even when powerhouse Spain faced meek Puerto Rico in August. Yes, American fans are loud when there is a goal in the World Cup, but they just don’t care enough from beginning to end to be crowned as the most enthusiastic sports fans on the face of this Earth.