Behavioral values, rules and patterns of one culture are usually mirrored in its verbal communicative style. The reaction of German and Japanese soccer players to their (non)-nomination for their national teams is a rare opportunity to compare these styles in a 100% comparable setting. The main behavioral and verbal traits of each culture will be introduced and contrasted. German communicative style is direct, content-related and less situation-bound, while Japanese verbal communicative style is more indirect, clearly situation-related and refers more to the in-group. In the analysis of the verbal reaction of a total of four soccer players, it will be shown that their comments and reactions are very much in accord with the behavioral cultural exigencies of their respective cultures. The German players did not mind appearances and the Japanese players did not express their feelings directly but rather referred to their in-groups. The direct comparison of Japanese and German reactions in the same situation highlights these points clearly. It will be asserted that the overall tendencies of the two cultures, represented by soccer-players well-known in their countries, display the above mentioned differences.
The Influence of Culture on Soccer Players Verbal Reactions
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