On paper, the US and UK should culturally look and behave quite similarly. They have a shared history, shared language, and (perhaps until recently) shared democratic values. But nowhere is this idea proven to be more untrue than when it comes to football.
In Paddy Power’s latest World Cup advert, the gambling giant pokes fun at the vastly different cultures that surround the beautiful game. Featuring Rob Lowe in the US camp, and Danny Dyer for the UK, the pair go head-to-head to see which countries’ footballing culture comes out on top.
Show you how its done
The ad begins with former heartthrob Rob Lowe standing at the centre circle of a packed stadium dressed like a cowboy. “Let the good ol’ US of A show you how soccer’s done”, he says into the mic before breaking out into a dance to The Fratellis’ Chelsea Dagger.
Dyer soon interrupts. Sat in a pub and flanked by angry faces, the former hardman reminds Lowe that, “It’s football. And nobody does it better than us”.
Soccer vs Football
What follows is an interesting exploration of the genuine cultural differences in British footballing and American soccer culture.
In one scene, Lowe stands outside of the stadium, double denim on show, taking part in a tailgate. Tailgating is a big part of American sports culture and usually sees both sets of fans setting up barbecues, having drinks and hanging out together before the games in a sort of pre-celebration to the main event. In this example, Lowe highlights their, “cheesy fries, bro”.
Dyer contrasts this with the British obsession with pies, specifically “mystery pies”, which aside from being questionable in taste, have been known to burn a few fans’ mouths before kick-off.
The contrasts continue, as Lowe pulls out a t-shirt cannon, to which Dyer retorts with the classic image of shirtless blokes in a pub watching football in the sun.
One area the Americans must surely admit defeat is in their sporting chants. The organised choreography of a group of cheerleaders chanting “USA! USA!” can do little to overtake the ingenuity and wit of a good football chant by the British. Making a brief cameo, footballing legend Peter Crouch is subjected to chants of, “He’s big! He’s red! His feet stick out the bed! It’s Peter Crouch!”.
“Absolute Scenes”
The advert then supercuts through a series of US and UK specific sporting behaviours. Half-time shows, kiss cams and fireworks define the American way of watching sports. Meanwhile the Brits revel in a half-time rush to get another round in, sneak-watching the game at inappropriate places and the general sense of mayhem that can be found outside most footballing venues on matchday.
In the ads final scene, Lowe appears at a British pub and puts out a challenge, “alright then… show me what you got”. The response is immediate. A crowded beer garden reacting to a goal screams in his face. “Absolute scenes” the former actor says as the ad comes to a close.
