Soccer in the Land of Football

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that soccer is a game with a long history in Europe and Latin America and notes that it was never especially popular in the United States. The writer then looks at the effects of Hispanic immigration on parts of American culture, such as sport. The writer points out that the entrepreneurial spirit that characterized America was not so ingrained in Latin America where traditional pastimes focused more on the actual skills required by a job than on any potential for earning a fantastic income through commerce and consumerism. The writer notes that while soccer has now exploded in America as that country seeks to tap the global market, these new Hispanic-Americans play soccer, not because it brings them closer to the dominant majority, but because it brings them closer to each other, and to home. The writer concludes that the pervasiveness of soccer among Hispanic immigrants may make soccer more visible to other Americans, but it does not necessarily make it more popular.

Outline:
Introduction
Peoples and Pastimes
American Football - An American Pastime
A Hispanic Influx, A Hispanic Game
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"American football, like its international cousin, soccer, constitutes a sport with mass appeal. One can play it or watch it. It is perfectly suited to a culture of television, Internet, and instantaneous mass communication. Yet, as the dichotomy of football and soccer shows, neither sport necessarily precludes the other. To all appearances, one people, or group of peoples, simply chose one over the other, or expanded on its own version of the same idea. South of the border, soccer is one of the national passions. Mexicans and other Hispanic migrants bring their love of soccer wherever they go. As millions have come to the United States, so have their language and customs, their festivals and crafts... and their games. The growing popularity of soccer in the United States is a direct reflection of the enormous Hispanic immigration of recent years. Culture is made by people, elite or ordinary. Popular culture is created by the masses. As the American population changes, so do its pastimes. The widespread presence of soccer in the United States is a sure sign that Hispanics have arrived and come to stay."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ashley, Leonard R.N. "Bordering on the Impossible." ETC.: A Review of General Semantics 63.3 (2006): 343+.
• Belk, Russell W., Guliz Ger, and Soren Askegaard. "6 The Missing Streetcar Named Desire." The Why of Consumption: Contemporary Perspectives on Consumer Motives, Goals and Desires. Ed. S. Ratneshwar, David Glen Mick, and Cynthia Huffman. London: Routledge, 2000. 98-119.
• Corrigan, John. Business of the Heart: Religion and Emotion in the Nineteenth Century. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2002.
• Findling, John E., and Frank W. Thackeray, eds. Events That Changed America in the Twentieth Century /. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.
• Fiske, John. Understanding Popular Culture. London: Routledge, 1991.

More papers on Soccer in the Land of Football:

• Essay # 21860 : "Madonna Kolbenschlag's "Lost in the Land of Oz"
• Research Paper # 75375 : "Neuromuscular Training Program"
• Essay # 28512 : "Mike Tyson and David Beckham"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: