Is it Nationalism?

Federer and Nadal meet in their 7th grand slam final matchup tomorrow at the Aussie Open. I'll make a confession that would bring me much ridicule in many circles, I'm more interested in this match than in the Super Bowl. I haven't followed the NFL closely for years now and Roger v Raffa might become the best rivalry I'll witness in my lifetime. Unfortunately I'm too cheap to buy any type of TV subscription, so I won't be seeing either event.

What is interesting is how completely uninterested the US has become with tennis. I can't help thinking that things would be different if these guys were Americans. US Tennis popularity peaked with the Sampras/Agassi rivalry, and aside from a couple of epic battles, their matchups were not nearly as competitive (they only met in 5 grand slam finals, with Agassi only mustering one victory). Agassi is the most charismatic of the group, but Federer is the most dominant (unless of course he's playing Raffa, which is what makes the current rivalry so intriguing). I think the main difference is simply their provenance.

Has the US ever been interested in a foreign athlete? Michael Schumacher spent years as the highest earning athlete in the world, yet it's a pretty safe bet that few Americans have heard of him. I guess there are a number of foreign NBAers that are popular in the US (Yao, Nowitzki, Parker, Nash), but they have come to play on our stage. So maybe it's the international competition that leads us to support our own talent (of which there has been a dearth in men's tennis of late). I'm not claiming that our general disinterest in foreign athletes is indicative of a nation of self-centered, close-minded sports fans, I just think it's a curious phenomenon.