Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Smart sports docu tackles serious issues with humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The World According to Football
What's the Story?
Executive produced and narrated by Trevor Noah, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO FOOTBALL is a docuseries about how football (aka soccer) mirrors systemic inequities around the world. Each episode focuses on one country, including Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Qatar, and examines how social issues like sexism, racism, LGBTQ+ rights, labor, and mental health are addressed in the sport, and how this reflects each country's national systems. How some of these issues are handled on a global scale is also discussed. Archive media, interviews with athletes and sports experts, and brief scenes from movies, TV series, and social media platforms help highlight how some of these systemic imbalances have (or haven't) been addressed over the years.
Is It Any Good?
The unique and insightful docuseries creatively examines important social issues by using football as a way of contextualizing them. From the lost decades of women's football in Brazil due to a nearly 40-year ban of women from the sport, to the United States' "pay to play" system, which prevents kids from underserved or "othered" communities from playing club soccer, The World According to Football demonstrates how a country's football culture reflects national and global systems of political, economic, and sociocultural power. It also highlights the different ways individuals within the football community are challenging the practices reinforced by these systems and spearheading change within the sport.
The weightiness of the topics and events discussed is mildly offset by Trevor Noah's trademark humor, and by excerpts from popular movies and TV shows that are included for some laughs. But none of this takes away from the intelligent and honest conversations about the inequities that persist in the sport, and how this is directly linked to the history and practices of the countries in which it's played. You don't have to be a football (or soccer!) fan to appreciate what's being offered here, but chances are you'll come away with more respect for those who continue to work hard to make the sport, and the world, better for everyone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about football culture. Why has the sport been so slow to embrace female footballers equally or to reject racism? Is this changing?
Is The World According to Football objective in its presentation of different social issues? Is it trying to be? Why or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 1, 2023
- Cast : Trevor Noah
- Network : Showtime
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : December 6, 2023
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