Category Archives: Media & Sports

Gabriel Maletta Final Paper

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European Integration and Racial Controversy at Euro 2012

Soccer is often described as the “beautiful game,” captivating people around the world with its simplicity and ability to bring people together. This can be seen from the lowliest back alley pick up game to the worldwide tournaments that attract millions. In many instances however, major soccer events are sought after for reasons beyond an appreciation of the sport.  Hosting a major tournament has become a way for countries to show their best side to the world and to secure political and economic benefits that last after the final game is done.  But soccer has a dark side as well, a history of racial and ethnic intolerance and violence that can show a nation at its worst.  In 2012, Poland and the Ukraine defied expectations and demonstrated that a concerted effort by all participants keeps racism in the shadows. Continue reading →

PCQ 7 Gabriel Maletta

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Rowe’s article ‘Stages of the global’ shows both the positive and negative effects that media has upon football. On one side the media is capable of broadcasting football to the world. Just as our classroom shows, people from across the world cheer for teams thousands of miles away. Cable television and the internet have allowed fans unprecedented access to their teams and even spread the fan bases. Media forms take a large portion of the credit in making soccer the world beloved sport that it is today. Continue reading →

Cole PCQ 1/16/2014 Problems with 21st Century Football

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Racism, Sexism, and International Migration in 21st Century Football

The football academies in the United Kingdom are an excellent example of how commercialized and global all aspects of the game have become.  These youth football academies were originally formed to propagate talented football players from an early age.  By having Premier League clubs sponsor these schools, these clubs got were able to keep the talent for themselves and in the UK.  Recently, other countries have followed the UK’s example, but with one key difference; from the start, they actively sought out young players from around the world for their academies.  These academies are also responsible for teaching the youth players workforce skills to fall back on in case their football dreams fall short.

By actively looking for and recruiting youth players from around the world, European football academies are embodying some of the founding ideas of the European Union.  Even if the extranational youth players do not make it in the big leagues, they become a part of that country’s workforce and contribute to its global image.   Continue reading →

Cole PCQ 1/15/2014 European Nationalism and Football since the 1970s

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European Nationalism and Football since the 1970s

The rebirth that the Dutch football team went through for the 2006 World Cup is interesting because instead of looking to the outside to help fix the team, the Dutch federation selected in-house talent.  They decided that their team was going to become the best by being entirely Dutch instead of the now traditional model of having players and coaches from different countries form a national team.  The joint commitment the team expressed about their “way of playing is more important than the result is” is an interesting philosophy in sports, especially for a team who was trying to return to their global dominance in the World Cup.  The Netherlands wanted to be able to have a sense of nationalism and feeling of true Dutch unity.  By using only in-house players and coaching, they sought to bring back a Dutch identity and answer the “who are we?” question.

After their loss in the finals of the 1974 World Cup to Germany, the Dutch team did not return home as losers but were welcomed home as champions.  By defeating traditional powerhouse teams like Argentina and Brazil and making it to the finals with Germany showed the people of the Netherlands that their tiny country could compete on the world stage with the best of them.  The 1974 team became a symbol of what the Netherlands could really do.   Continue reading →

Soccer: Fighting for a spot at the table PCQ 5

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In his article Buffington reveals the multitude of problems that face soccer in the United States. One of the aspect he touches on briefly is soccer’s ‘newcomer’ status as a sport in America. Buffington argues that America’s sports were already decided and established in the late 19th century. As such soccer did not have the chance to develop and entrench itself as one of America’s key sports. In order for soccer to thrive in America it must compete with these already fiercely beloved sports. Continue reading →

Female Athlete Reports on Treatment of Female Players in Brazil (Seth Browner TIFO 1/14/14)

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Caitlin Fisher Condemns the Portrayal of Women Footballers in Brazil

Caitlin Fisher, a former US soccer player and Santos FC footballer, reports in this short video on the feminization of female players in the Brazilian women’s league.  A graduate of Harvard University, she currently works in collaboration with South American football players in various charity organizations meant to push for the expansion of the women’s game. In her discussion, Fisher acknowledges improvement in the public’s favorable perception of female soccer, yet does not fail to raise points where steps forward have yet to be taken. TEDTalks host a variety of commentators of which she is featured.

Gabriel Maletta TIFO 2

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This TIFO focuses on Football Against Racism in Europe or the FARE Network.  The FARE network is a dedicated group of NGOs, player Unions and Leagues which act to erase racism from soccer through campaigning and events throughout Europe. FARE focuses many of its efforts in Central and Eastern European countries where racism at football events has become an increasingly prevalent issue.

Jordan Adams TIFO 1

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http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1655540/david-beckham-making-progress-miami-franchise-plans?cc=5901

This is an article that discusses the possibility of bringing an MLS team to the city of Miami. The reason I a posting about this article is because I am thinking about focusing my final paper on the creation of the MLS and the growth it has made over the years to become more relevant within the American sports world. I also thought it could be interesting to see how other sports leagues are handling the introduction of American soccer potentially taking away a certain amount of revenue from their already established fan bases. David Beckham helped bring a lot of attention towards American soccer when he decided to play for the LA Galaxy, this new project of his continues to attract buzz and is a good sign that the MLS is going to continue to grow and become more popular in the American sports world.

Race, Nationalism, Globalization and Sports – by Cole Sylvester

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Cole PCQ 1/6/2014

The article, Theories of “Race” by Michael Banton, takes a look at the idea that “race” does not have a biological reason or empirical existence. Rather, the idea that there are separate “races” of humans who are in some way cognitively or physiologically different from one another gets turned on its head in the 1920s with the advent of racial sociology. Race became known as a mental reaction that “made [distinctive peoples] conscious of what distinguished them” thus “social life built up frustration which individuals released on to scapegoats in the form of displaced aggression”.

The “distinctive peoples” mentioned in Robert E. Park’s ecological theory were only made separate by European capitalism’s need for cheap un-free labor. Because of the early advent of the idea of separate distinctive races, human society has created an environment of subconscious discrimination for anyone who is perceived as different, much like the thinking of 19th century scientists divided Homo sapiens into three subspecies (or races). Instead of a philosophy of inferiorization and exploitation of the 19th century subspecies, our modern globalized society has instead turned to ethnic, religious, and economical “races” that we still create prejudices and discriminate against. Continue reading →