By ROSE FOX
M&M TIPster alum
Athens, GA — The World Cup in South Africa caught the attention of Athens teens.
A sport previously ignored in American culture, soccer has grown increasingly popular in recent years. For 14-year-old rising Clark Central freshman Henry Scott, this doesn’t come as a surprise. “Soccer, in my opinion, is the best sport,” Scott said; “for me, it made sense that it would eventually catch on.” 
Eric and Caleb Saavedra, also students at Clark Central High School , agree with the rising popularity of the sport in the US but still believe that soccer is more popular in other countries. “More people started talking about it,” Eric said, “but it’s more popular in Mexico . They’re always talking about it.”
Even those who don’t follow the World Cup are noticing a shift in popularity. “I think it’s really popular,” Allison Barrow, 16, said. “It’s like the countries battling it out and seeing which one is better –like bragging rights.” The Clark Central student admitted that she wasn’t one of the soccer fans following the tourney. “I’ve been hearing things about it. I don’t really watch it. I just hear what my friends say about it.”
Unlike Barrow, Scott, himself a soccer player for Athens United, is a dedicated viewer of the Cup. “I’ve watched pretty much every single game so far,” he said. “I’m actually from Uruguay , South America so I’ve been following them a lot. They didn’t make it to the last World Cup, and they’ve been doing really good in this World Cup so that’s been really exciting.”
Loyalties to teams are divided, however. The Saavedras are staunchly supporting Mexico . “They’re going to play on Sunday, and if we lose, we’re out, and if we win, we’ll keep going,” Eric said. Danielle Barrow, 16, takes a third party stance. “I was kind of rooting for the French,” she mentioned. “I don’t know; I like French people.”
Though the growing popularity of soccer is evident in the hundreds of people crowding into downtown Athens shops like Your Pie to watch the games, many wonder if this trend will last. Barrow is confident that not only will the sport remain popular but also that the attention will grow. “I think it’s definitely going to get more popular as time goes on because there are probably going to be more teams coming out there so they can show themselves and put their names out there.”
Scott agrees with this stance. “Oh, definitely,” he responded. "I mean, I just moved here three years ago, and from what I’ve heard, in 2002 the US had a really good World Cup run, but it wasn’t nearly as big as it is now. And now the television networks are making it more available to everyone. But, it has a lot of competition in the US,” he added.
Despite what the future may hold for the popularity of soccer, for Eric Saavedra, the sport remains addictive during this year’s World Cup. “We’ve been watching it every morning. Like, three to six hours. We’ve watched all the games” “We don’t even get up to go to the bathroom,” his brother Caleb said.
The FIFA World Cup is a international soccer competition between members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. The cup has been held every four years since its start in 1930, except for 1942 and 1946, when the tourney was canceled because of World War II.
*Photo of Opening Ceremonies of 2010 World Cup in South Africa by http://www.shine2010.co.za/.
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