Is the World Cup Patrick Basham and Jason Clemens eee Fraser Institute Columnists IN a preemptive strike before this summer’s World Cup tournament in France, Sight-wing American intellectual Stephen Moore deni- grates both soccer and those who play and enjoy watching the ie. Ina National Review mag- azine article, Moore mislead- ingly labels soccer as an inher- ently unpatriotic tool of social- ist propaganda and, hence, a dangerous component of chil- dren’s cultural education. In rebuttal, through a rational evaluation of the sport known internationally as sim- ply, “the beautiful game,” we lay the soccer player's tra- ditional predilection for vigor- ous, but non-violent, engage- mient of one's opponent. . Moore’s misinformation includes the inappropriate application of Karl Marx's maiibox have travelled to Vancouver Island by ferry diny times for: many years cannot remember ever or arriving on time. sidering these are experi- “eneed schedules, and even allowing for weather and asional mechanical prob- ch continuing irre; not add up. It has ested ‘that arriving fables disembarking - * Humphreys’ humor defended 0, claim .a. minimum..of ime at an inflat-° Fate of pay. It’s: hard to believe that porisible union crew mem- rs Would purposely incon- < their fellow travellers ith: such. practices, as well. ntributing to unnecessary fare.” hikes’: and. corporation Ss. However, after such an ident as last-year’s wildcat over a couple of union ferry gift shop “employees, one. has to won- labor theory of value to soccer ~~ “No other activity i requires so much effort for so linle reward” — in a misguid- ed attempt to brand soccer as a socialist sport. This illustrates, first, an utter lack of understanding of Marxist economics, since it’s Moore and the millions of other “soccer moms” and “soccer dads” who would be the bourgevisic exploiters of their own children. Second, the claim that “socialist nations dominate i in the World Cup” i i crous. Of this veai for example, both South ‘Alica and Japan maintain American levels of government expendi- ture as a percentage of GDP, 37%, 37.5%, and 37%, res tively. Meanwhile, fellow final- ists Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania and South Korea all have even smaller levels of government. Other finalist nations, such as England, Scotland, and the Netherlands, score almost as well as the U.S, in terms of relative economic freedom, as evidenced by the ran tained in The Economi Freedom of the World, which is joindy published by Moore’s own employer, the Caro Institute. Qur analysis of the past sea- son's results in the top Furopean professional soccer leagues and in the most recent US Major League Soccer (MILLS) season clearly demon- strates the inaccuracy of Moore’s contention that “the game's egalitarian philosophy” ensures, duc in part to the “sheer boredom” of soccer, that “a tie is the likely out- come.” During the 1997/98 sea- son, only one-third of English premiership games were drawn. In the German Bundesliga, just 38.5% of games ended in a tic, while 40% of Italian Serie A and 40.7% of Spanish first division games didn’t produce a win- ner. Americans are embracing soccer, in preference to what Moore mistakenly terms “more productive activities,” such as baseball, because soc- THE ORANGEMEN'S Parabe ROUTR: Dear Editor: Reading and enjoying the stories of your Friday columnist Shannon Humphreys, I found it strange that a person -like Helga Schulte-Schrocer can’t see the humor in them. Shannon’s articles are down to earth and delightful, many of them reminding me of sim- ilar experiences in our family-upbringing time. ; T cannot detect a “hateful” way when she writes. about. her teenagers (June 26 News wait, 3.CD sound system & way driver's power seat he spensi pasta & ABS or automatic kage cer is 4 tremendously exciting, almost non-stop action sport. But Moore decries all such “un-American soccer enthusi- asts” as a “depressingly unpa- triotic sight.” By contrast, we deem soc- cer to be the true sport of the American dream. Due to the lack of financial and physical barriers to participation, any child — no matter how poor or short or slightly built — may grow up to be a profes- sional plaver. Untortunately, the same cannot be said of sports such as basketball, foat- ball or hockey. The assertion that “soccer teaches our kids all the wrong lessons in life” appears to derive from how upset Moore is about some boys being out- plaved by girls on coed peewce teams. It’s shocking that an otherwise reliable exponent of the free market doesn’t want the best players at any age playing the sport, irrespective of gender. In our view, soccer teaches children many valuable lessons that will hold them in good stead for life’s more serious “Hangdog Days of Summer”), as Helga point- ed out. I found it very funny! As you write dear Helga, teenagers are not always evil, they can be fun too, I should know, having three grown-up sons. And since you are only 18, try to see the humorous side of life from now on. Heinrich Ortmayr West Vancouver heinrich@tvl.com VOLVOS COST LESS ON THE NORTH SHORE 1235 Fiarine Dr., North Vancouver 280-2864 DL# 5984. os, Sunday, July 12, 1998 —- North Shore News — 7 a socialist plot? personal and professional chal- lenges. It encourages numer- ous virtues, among them per- sonal responsibility, improvisa- tion, stamina, teamwork, ver- satility, and physical self restraint. Soccer is a thoroughly civi- lized sport, one which success- fully blends our best sporting traditions with the demands of modernity. As such, during the World Cup we offer a radical call to arms: Conservatives, libertarians, classical liberals, and all other friends of free- dom, unite in frent of your television screens! You've nothing to lose but your bor- ing baseball. — Patrick Basham is Director of the Social Affairs Domestic, imports, 414’s, Van's © Astematk, Standards, : Front Wheel Drives — Hundreds of Locetions (oast-to-Coost ~- North Vancouver. (604) 987-8687 — 860 West 15th Street Refi bets.) CORE ‘Tume-up S29 he ei 1 TR Mle abokal| Centre and jason Clemens isa policy analyst at the Fraser Th stitute, a Vancouver-based econontic think-tank. Timothy Renshaw is on vacation. His Ripping Yarns column will return next APPLIANCES COST LESS ¥ HUGE SELECTION v¥ LOW WAREHOUSE PRICES > Ask us about our unadvertised specials Frigidaire~Panasonic |. 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