The reported display has placed Swanson at the centre of an American sporting summer increasingly shaped by football. His recent power surge has made him one of the Cubs’ main talking points, while his comments reveal an appreciation for the game that extends beyond family ties.
Swanson’s own sporting route began with basketball rather than football. “I played basketball just like I do baseball,” he told reporters. “I did the right things, made the right reads and rebounded well because I boxed out.”
That description could easily apply to football: reading space, making decisions quickly and contributing without always being the player who takes the final shot.
Swanson’s view of football is rooted in its accessibility. “It's the cheapest and most accessible sport to play. You can play it with anything and anywhere, which is so cool,” he said.
That perspective gives the next United States storyline an extra layer. The report says the men’s team were due to face Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a place in the last 16 at stake. For a household connected directly to the women’s World Cup, the fixture will carry more than ordinary sporting interest.
The next storyline to watch is whether Swanson can sustain his reported run with the bat-and whether the United States can produce a performance worthy of the football audience he believes belongs everywhere.