The Great Game: America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport, and What it Means for Our National 'Soft Power'

Join the Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations and the ASU School of Politics and Global Studies on October 28 for a timely and thought-provoking conversation with Andrés Martinez, journalist, foreign policy commentator, and expert on the intersection of sports, media, and global affairs.

As the United States prepares to host back-to-back FIFA World Cups and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, it is becoming something it long resisted: the hub of global sport. For decades, American sporting culture reflected a sense of exceptionalism and isolation—favoring games like baseball and American football, largely absent from the global stage. But that is rapidly changing.

In this program, Martínez will explore how and why the U.S. is embracing the world's default global sport—football (soccer)—and what this shift means for America's soft power, global image, and role in shaping international culture. Drawing on themes from his forthcoming book, The Great Game, Martinez will…