Back in that 80s Australia through the Crocodile Dundee movie was the flavour of the month. But that didn't give them the desire to educate themselves about Australia. They were amused for 5 minutes with the movie. After that they found themselves something else to be amused with. In general Americans know or care little about what happens outside of their country. If you have any doubts about this, then google The View from Mrs Thompson's, and read the short story.
That's an unfair accusation. The highest number of travelling fans to FIFA World Cups are from the US (and by some distance). Despite failing to qualify for Russia next year they top ticket requests.
In terms of sport it's us in the UK who care the least about what happens outside. Most popular sports...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_the_United_Kingdom#Popularity
Every single sport on the list is British bar the general activities (gym, swimming, athletics). Aussies could name basketballers, good luck trying to find anyone here who could. Baseball (which is mocked here as an offspring of the English children's game Rounders) isn't give the time of day either.
In a broader sense we are notoriously bad travellers. Ask the Spanish in particular. The least likely nation to learn a second language, a fifth of overseas travellers from the UK eat an English breakfast while abroad, most read British newspapers, and expect the natives to speak English. In other words we expect Britain in the sun.
General reading/schooling, most popular novels dominated by British authors..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Read
No Twain in sight, Hemingway with one work a measly 173rd.
Now music is pretty universal, but still the British focus towards our own creeps in, America's biggest rock band? Aerosmith, never done a thing in the UK. Likewise Kiss. Country music meanwhile is seen as an abomination.
Television in the UK is dominated by soaps, British kitchen sink dramas: 1.Coronation Street. 2.Eastenders. 3.Emmerdale. All on the three main channels. Shows from abroad are on channel 4, channel 5 or satellite. The Crown is dominating ratings in the US...here's the most searched pages over the past week, royalty galore...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Top_25_Report
....the equivalent wouldn't happen here with a non British topic.
Cinema (which like music is universal); upcoming Golden Globe awards (and likely Oscars too), Dunkirk is up for best picture, Gary Oldman as Churchill best actor, and Judi Dench as Queen Victoria as best actress.
It's just not accurate to label the US as inward looking. What is probably true to say is the English speaking nations don't pay much attention to what goes on outside, with the UK top of the list of those who don't.
The one area where the US populous would definitely be more focused internally than others nations is politics, which is understandable given their political power. It's also the one aspect of the US that is covered extensively here, helped by Trump.
