Football and culture are intrinsically linked. Building a long-term football culture takes generations, so those involved should come from that generation, with an invested interest in its growth and expansion.
Supporting a team becomes part of our identity; its colors, songs and rituals become an integral part of generations of fans. Football serves as a unifier in diverse and multi-ethnic societies, creating strong bonds that transcend national borders.
Symbolism
Football has long been seen as a universal symbol representing countries and groups around the world, making it susceptible to manipulation by political and economic elites for nationalist, authoritarian, class-based, or gender-based purposes. At its best, however, football serves as an opportunity for bottom-up social transformation: competition between teammates on the playing field can often prove more productive and effective than larger “universal” struggles, such as “social justice, peace, or human rights.”
Symbolism refers to the power of symbols to instantly and easily recognize the audience they are addressed to, from small populations, such as Ivy League schools in the US, to entire countries – something that has made football an ever- popular global sport .
Latin American elites have often exploited football for its symbolic functions in Latin America. This has included the use of defeat in football matches as a signal that national masculine honor has been lost (Section 1); the use of “constructive” football by politicians and generals to suppress working-class consciousness and revolt (Section 2); and the use of football to advance the corporate and material interests of various Latin American elites (Section 3).
Football originated in North America through a combination of traditional English rugby, association football, and gridiron football played on college campuses. By the late 19th century, it had become one of America’s most beloved sports.
During this period, Uruguay hosted the first “World Cup” of international football games – providing an opportunity to display their nation’s cultural heritage by using this event as a symbolic device and by presenting themselves as symbols of enduring loyalty despite capitalist economic and cultural homogenization.
Today, many football fans and amateur and professional players continue to use football to promote new socio-economic and political conditions that foster social change throughout Latin America. This can be seen in actions such as the public anti-racism campaigns carried out by some clubs and players; the insignia on the undershirt of England international Robbie Fowler in support of unemployed dock workers in Liverpool in 1997, which led to his suspension and fine; or the banners displayed before an international match against French nuclear tests in the South Pacific, held in 1996.
Community
Football has the power to forge communities; it shapes both personal identities and large-scale relationships. Popular phrases like “footballer’s mum” or “footballer’s dad,” as well as clubs like Sunderland or Aston Villa, conjure up images of communities united around their local team, regardless of the outcome of the game.
The game transcends mere admiration to become an intense attachment to one’s own team, as in the culture of English hooligans or the fanatical support of the Argentine national team. This brings together fans in a group that shares similar experiences and feelings due to the influence of football in their lives; learning to endure defeats while celebrating victories, they learn how to cope with the highs and lows of life, while finding solace and strength in each other.
Football offers fans a way to escape their daily worries, have fun and laugh with other fans, and take pride in belonging to a local team, despite fluctuations in its performance. Fans remain loyal, regardless of its ups and downs in performance; as long as fans remain true fans, football will always bring fans together!
Football has often been used by Latin American elites for nationalist, authoritarian, and class-struggle purposes; however, the sport can also serve as a tool for social change. Unfortunately, however, its distorted hierarchy often prevents the emergence of genuine social movements, instead deepening existing divisions. In contrast, European countries with democratic freedoms allow fans to express their beliefs more freely through football to create campaigns for social change.
Identity
There is something truly moving about seeing how much of yourself you leave out there for others to admire and emulate. Football offers an oasis of meaning in our modern age of de-ideologisation and political disillusionment left empty by the decline of Judeo-Christian religious traditions: it offers a form of pagan communion between fans and their ephemeral football idols in what are essentially concrete cathedrals called football stadiums. Successful football teams and nations around the world serve as indicators of national identity, such as Costa Rica’s unexpected run to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy or Brazil’s victory at the 1994 tournament, held in the United States despite its massive population. These victories serve as an indicator to the world that a country or nation remains free from the historical crimes committed through imperialism, dictatorships, autocracies, or globalization.
Studies of football from a social science perspective have often highlighted its nation- building aspect and its ability to promote new (often contradictory) socio-cultural and political identities during intense international competitions (category five).
In contrast , clubs and players in Latin America have attempted to politicize football by emphasizing ideals of fair play, tolerance, and respect for opponents . Unfortunately, limited resources prevent these “micro” struggles from making more substantial progress in the perceptions of society at large.
Recent examples clearly illustrate the difficulties faced by talented Latin American footballers when they enter the more competitive, lucrative and intellectually stimulating European professional leagues – where national and club obligations take a back seat to personal financial and professional interests. Abel Balbo, who plays for Roma in Italy, suggests that his commitments may soon be of less importance, given his ambitions to become one of the most important players in Europe.
Competition
Football, like other team sports, involves intense competition. Both teams and individuals compete against each other. Individual players, for example, try to score goals or gain possession by intercepting passes – this leads to intense rivalries between players, which often spill over into stadiums during games; rivalries between college football teams in America reached a peak during the Rose Bowl games of 1912–16.
Competition between teams can have many positive consequences for a sport, including improving the individual skills of players, which in turn improves the overall level of play and makes the game more exciting for spectators. In addition, this competition can help to increase the self-esteem of young players and foster team spirit.
Competition is one of the cornerstones of the development of modern football. The first professional league was created in 1920 to progress the sport and increase the level of competition within it.
The rise of football as an elite game also contributed significantly to national identity and culture, as was the case in Britain and later America, which used it to encourage nationalism among its citizens.
Authoritarian military regimes in Latin America have historically used football for nationalist and chauvinistic purposes. Kapuscinski once sarcastically joked that in peacetime, stadiums are places of sport; in wartime, they become concentration camps.
Football in Latin America stands out as an exceptional sporting event in that it can transcend social and class divisions, attracting large numbers of working-class supporters from across the country. In contrast, other sports, such as rugby or tennis, tend to divide societies along socio-economic class lines (Hobsbawm 1992: 143).
