The emerging cultural capital of cosmopolitan dispositions and political orientation: European soccer consumption in the United States

This study examines the following of European soccer leagues within the United States as a manifestation of emerging cultural capital and cosmopolitan dispositions. Utilizing Bourdieu and neo-Bourdieusian frameworks of cultural capital, it investigates how the consumption of European soccer leagues by Americans signifies new forms of social distinction, influenced by factors such as socioeconomic position, age, political orientation, and social attitudes towards openness and diversity. Using unique and highly recent survey data, results of regression modelling reveal that engagement with these leagues is significantly associated with higher educational attainment, age, and cosmopolitan values of openness and diversity, although not liberal politics, challenging traditional notions of cultural capital and suggesting a reconfiguration of social stratification within the context of global sports consumption while raising compelling questions for further research.