What Americans Can Learn From World Cup Fans

Victor Joecks on Jul 20, 2026

The World Cup showed why you shouldn't be ashamed of America's heroes and heritage.

While only Argentina and Spain made Sunday's World Cup final, citizens of many countries enthusiastically cheered on their teams. Norwegian fans became an internet phenomenon for their "Viking Row" cheer. Sitting like they were in a longboat, fans moved their bodies backwards and forwards in unison while pretending to row. To complete the cheer, they chanted, "Ro!"

They rowed in stadiums and Times Square. The Norwegian soccer team rowed after defeating Senegal. The cheer spread throughout Norway -- from classrooms, nursing homes and even the country's Parliament.

Norway's soccer team embraced the Viking imagery. They took an epic team photo with players dressed as Vikings -- complete with spears, swords and shields.

The propaganda press couldn't get enough. Good Morning America had Norwegian soccer fans on and had them row. The chant "captured the American imagination," The Athletic wrote. Yahoo Sports asked if it was "the best chant in sports."

"Norway's soccer fans have rowed through this World Cup like Viking conquerors piloting a longboat a thousand years ago," The New York Times gushed.

Twelve hundred years ago, seeing a Viking longboat would have inspired terror, not delight. Vikings used their seafaring prowess to raid and pillage towns on the coast of Europe. They raided monasteries, burned villages and took slaves. Vikings routinely abused their slaves. In some cases, it was a Viking custom to kill a master's slaves so that they could serve him in the afterlife.

This wasn't the only team with a connection to extreme violence. Mexico played its final game of the World Cup at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Before losing to England, Mexico had a remarkable record there -- 70 victories, 17 draws and just two losses. One reason for its success was the passion of its home fans.

Aztecs believed that one of their gods, Huitzilopochtli, killed his siblings after being born. Their bodies became the stars, serving as a nightly reminder of the importance of warfare. They believed that this god feasted on human blood and hearts. As a result, they routinely practiced human sacrifice. Aztecs may have sacrificed 20,000 people annually -- and perhaps many more.

Japan's soccer team is called the Samurai Blue. The samurai were fierce and disciplined warriors who trained in swordsmanship and horsemanship. They were also brutal, slaughtering those they defeated in battle and burning villages. European visitors were shocked to see samurai behead commoners to test the sharpness of their swords.

Norway, Mexico and Japan didn't spend the tournament embarrassed about these historical realities. Fans proudly displayed their nations' flags. Players didn't apologize for their country's past sins. What's more telling is that the propaganda press didn't even bring this up.

Contrast that with how the left treats America. The New York Times' 1619 Project sought to reframe America's founding to make slavery the center of the American story. Despite its many historical inaccuracies, school districts around the country adopted curricula based on it. Leftists denigrate George Washington and Thomas Jefferson for owning slaves. In many places, they've replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. They push land acknowledgements, which imply that America stands on an illegitimate foundation. Even the Smithsonian has spent years pushing a negative view of America's story.

Citizens in countries around the world understand something that was once obvious. National pride doesn't mean an endorsement of everything in your country's history. You can even pull out admirable traits from a group of people who also did horrible things.

If Norwegians can celebrate Vikings, Americans can unashamedly celebrate our founders and history.

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Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and host of the Sharpening Arrows podcast. Email him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or follow @victorjoecks on X. To find out more about Victor Joecks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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