Topic of the Week: World Cup Fans React to the United States

FIFA World Cup matches are being played throughout the United States, and the reaction thus far from fans and players has been positive. Leading up to the World Cup, however, there were various perspectives along partisan lines regarding the tournament logistics and international tourism. Our analysts rated coverage about the World Cup in North America for our Topic of the Week.

An article from the BBC sums up the surprising positive fan reaction in its headline: “The US that World Cup fans didn’t expect to love.” The article summarizes feedback from World Cup fans who are visiting communities across the U.S.: “… fans are highlighting the real America – one that’s rarely portrayed in films and TV, has nothing to do with politics and that many visitors often miss.” Visitors, the article says, are boasting about the varied landscape, the food (ranch dressing!) and American hospitality. Analysts found this article to be a “mix of fact reporting and analysis” with a “middle/balanced” bias.

An article from Politico was also rated as having a “middle/balanced” bias but was categorized as “analysis.” The article calls the World Cup’s first two weeks a “triumph” that has “forced Democrats who had criticized President Donald Trump’s role in preparations to grudgingly reconsider.” It summarizes the criticisms leading up to the tournament (“I think that there was a little bit of like liberal wishcasting that this would maybe be a disaster to sort of stick it to Trump,” said a Democratic strategist) and quotes Philadelphia Democrat Rep. Brendan Boyle as he praised the local organizers of the World Cup, calling it “a great moment, actually devoid of politics.”

Similarly, an opinion article by Newsweek proclaims “World Cup Tourists See What Too Many Americans Have Forgotten.” Editor Josh Hammer writes that “Americans are routinely told that our nation is hopelessly divided”: “We too often take our way of life for granted, but many soccer tourists now here cannot stop marveling at what they see.” Hammer shares reaction from World Cup fans visiting the U.S. and concludes, “The world still sees something special in the land of the free and the home of the brave. We Americans should see it too.” Analysts found this article to be “analysis” with a “skews right” bias.

Two pieces of content were found by our team to be “analysis” but with a left-leaning bias. A video from the TLDR News Global YouTube channel details the criticisms about FIFA and the host nations U.S., Canada and Mexico leading up to the World Cup. The video gives background about how North America won the bid to host the World Cup and about FIFA awarding Trump a “peace prize” shortly before “the U.S. kidnapped the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and then started its war against Iran.” It also discusses the effect of travel restrictions for international fans and the high price of some tickets. “While fans are losing out, FIFA is winning,” the host says. Analysts gave the video a bias rating of “skews left.”

An article by The Guardian takes it a bit further: “The World Cup is undressing the myth of Trump’s American homogeneity.” It focuses on Trump’s immigration and anti-diversity policies in light of the diverse U.S. fan base and players of the World Cup: “Therein lies the frustration for this administration: even as it seeks to rewrite the rules on who can and can’t be an American, diversity remains inseparable from national identity. In a country that owes so much of its cultural and economic strength to diversity, equity and inclusion – from Einstein to Oprah – soccer is no different.” The article notes that all World Cup teams, including the U.S., are made up of immigrants and players with diverse ancestry: “… the same tournament that presents itself as a contest between monolithic nation-states is, in truth, a monument to global migration.” Because the article highlights the positives of birthright citizenship, immigration and diversity, analysts assigned it a bias rating of “strong left.”

Finally, a video from the Newsmax show “Finnerty” was categorized as “opinion” with a “skews right” bias. Host Rob Finnerty begins with “a reminder to Americans that America isn’t that bad” before interviewing two World Cup tourists from the United Kingdom. He asks them to react to the “millions of Americans who hate America, who hate democracy, who are offended by the American flag and our way of life.” The fans have only positive things to say about their experiences in America, including Walmart, fast food and a personal meeting with President Trump. “ I think America is probably one of the greatest countries I’ve ever been to,” one of the fans says.

If you would like to follow along with our weekly Topic of the Week exercise, you can do so by visiting our website. New Topics of the Week are posted each Monday. Read the articles and watch the videos yourself, then come back on Wednesday to compare your scores with our analysts. Learn more here.

Beth Heldebrandt is Director of Communications at Ad Fontes Media. She has more than 35 years of experience in the fields of journalism and public relations, and was an adjunct instructor of journalism for 17 years at Eastern Illinois University. Beth has a B.A. in journalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and an M.A. in English from Eastern Illinois University. She’s a mom and grandma, and enjoys traveling, puzzles and reading.