The End Of America Is Best Illustrated By Major League Soccer, Apparently

This morning's Drudge Report gives the banner treatment to a report from the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch, detailing how the International Monetary Fund has set a 2016 date for "the moment when the "Age of America" will end and the U.S. economy will be overtaken by that of China." Per MarketWatch, this "provides a painful context for the budget wrangling taking place in Washington, D.C." and "raises enormous questions." (Basically, what it all means is that some big numbers will get bigger and something that's been true for a long time -- China's economy is growing at a faster pace than that of the United States -- will continue to be true.)

Here's another enormous question, though: What is going on in the picture that Drudge provides for this story?

Holy crap! What is going on there? Have the mobs already formed to rampage over this news from the IMF? What have they set ablaze? And are we all uniting under this blue-and-gold checked banner, for freedom?

Actually, no. None of those things are happening. Apparently, what's depicted is a gathering of the "Sons of Ben" -- fans of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer, so named for Philly's own Benjamin Franklin (which is bad-ass, by the way). It seems that this is a shot of the Sons, cheering in the "River End" section of PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. I've got no idea what the smoke is, but it appears in other images of the fans in full cheer.

[UPDATE: A Union supporter writes me to say that the smoke is from smoke bombs that are set off whenever Philly scores a goal.]

Well, you have to give Drudge credit for getting an image of Union supporters.

[Hat tip: Twitter users @VercengetorixII, @gplefka]

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Comments

[skidawgkc22]

05:55 PM on 04/27/2011

Only the lunatic right - who, if we learn anything useful from Glennie, hate soccer - could mistake a soccer game for Armageddon. By the way, the smoke is most likely coming from some sort of flares, which are especially commonplace in Europe but not so much here in the States.

[StopMakingSense2]

03:07 PM on 04/26/2011

The Sludge Report celebrating what it advocated. The demise of America..

[Altera Ego]

02:53 PM on 04/26/2011

As meaningless as the actual D. story may be, I love Jason for posting this. Thanks for the great laugh -- seriously, a picture of football fans -- sorry, soccer fans -- cheering as an illustration for a story on China's economy? It's not even a CHINESE football team! Great laughter therapy!

[iafn]

01:33 PM on 04/26/2011

In other news, the Union appear to have scored a goal.

[Wanderland]

12:00 PM on 04/26/2011

I don't want to live in an America where soccer fans outnumber basketball fans! We've failed our children! Or did our children fail us? Yeah, that must be it.

NOOOOOOOO!

[Big Ze]

11:25 AM on 04/26/2011

The son of Ben was a Torry!

[dweezil52]

11:03 AM on 04/26/2011

Why is this even mentioned? I mean you are talking about Drudge. Fox looks at them the way most reasonable people look at Fox.

[Lahonda]

09:58 AM on 04/26/2011

PS... China's economy is one third the size of the US economy.

[linbon]

08:59 AM on 04/26/2011

"Screw journalism. The whole thing's a fraud anyway."
"With a modem, a phone jack, and an inexpensive computer, your newsroom can be your living room, your bedroom ... your bathroom if you're so inclined."
--Matt Drudge, an uneducated and professionally untrained former sales clerk at a CBS Entertainment gift shop.
(the above is cited from "The Republican Noise Machine" by David Brock)

[need-to-know]

08:08 AM on 04/26/2011

For an incredible explanation of the rise of China check out this wonderful TED talk -

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/martin_jacques_understanding_the_rise_of_china.html

[ptrgamb]

08:07 AM on 04/26/2011

I manage to lead a Drudge-free existence. Until now.

[ivegotblisteronmefingers]

07:51 AM on 04/26/2011

More's the pity

[StraferX]

07:22 AM on 04/26/2011

B0ring, isn't there another story about the Kardashians Huffpo could have run instead of this? We only want the really really good news.

[vesaversa1]

08:42 AM on 04/26/2011

I'm guessing you are a conservative tr0lls that dosen't like HP exposing Drudge for what they really are ...A Right Wing propaganda network .

[Romangod7]

09:35 AM on 04/26/2011

LMAOOO....and the huffpo is not one on the other side?

[fromthatshow]

03:23 AM on 04/26/2011

Did Huffington Post even report on China's economy being more powerful than ours in 2016. I was looking for the HP take on it but didn't see anything.

[Jim Pasterczyk]

04:42 AM on 04/26/2011

Uh, what year is it?

[hagagaga]

08:10 AM on 04/26/2011

However, that won't happen because they're regressing back to Maoism.

[thecid]

02:57 AM on 04/26/2011

First "Fail" is the Philadelphia Union...gosh they are bad. Go Galaxy....no wait...MLS is like Women's Hockey...no one cares.

[Michael Heinz]

09:54 AM on 04/26/2011

How can you look at those pictures and say no one cares?

[trekleader]

06:22 AM on 04/27/2011

I care...