Episode Swap: An American Game: A Boycott is a Flat Circle - The 1980 US Olympic Soccer Team

About this episode

The episode discusses the parallels between the 1980 US Olympic Soccer Team's boycott and current events affecting the Iranian team at the World Cup.

This episode first dropped on March 18. A few things have changed since the original airing of the podcast on 'An American Game.' The Iranian team is not boycotting the World Cup but instead of staying in close proximity to where they are playing their matches, they'll be staying in Mexico and having to travel long distances and go through security checks each day. Iranian fans have had their ticket requests pulled. A Somali referee was denied entry into the US and fans of Scotland also had their travel visas pulled just days before the start of the tournament. Sadly, it mirrors a lot of what was going on back in 1980. Check out 'An American Game' wherever you find your podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-american-game/id1826903443

Topics covered

• Olympic history
• soccer
• boycotts
• sports events
• international relations

Keywords

• 1980 Olympics
• soccer
• Iran
• World Cup
• boycott
• sports history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: An American Game

Places: Iran, US, Mexico, Scotland

More episodes of This Day in Sports History

• Dock Ellis' LSD No-Hitter, Ben Roethlisberger's Motorcycle Accident, and the Bulls won their first NBA Title - This DiSH June 12 · June 12, 2026 · 8 min
• Catastrophe at LeMans, Tragedy in a Tall Ships race, and Michael Jordan's 'Flu Game' - This DiSH for June 11 · June 11, 2026 · 7 min
• This DiSH Soccer Special - The Match that Changed the Game, Benny Fellhaber's Important Goal, and Abby Wambach scored a Stunner · June 11, 2026 · 8 min
• A 15-year old in MLB, Al Geiberger became 'Mr. 59,' and Lusia Harris drafted by the Jazz - This DiSH for June 9 · June 10, 2026 · 8 min
• Bobby Valentine goes 'Undercover Boss,' Ted Williams' Monster Shot, and the Last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup - This DiSH for June 9 · June 9, 2026 · 6 min
• Pirates gave up a 10-run lead, Larry Bird's Greatest Game, and the Jazz Moved to Utah - This DiSH for June 8 · June 8, 2026 · 7 min