Fútbol! : why soccer matters in Latin America / Joshua H. Nadel.
Material type:![Text](/opac-tmpl/lib/famfamfam/BK.png)
- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 0813049385 (hardcover)
- 9780813049380 (hardcover)
Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
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Main Library | NonFiction | 796.334 N134 | Available | 33111007589779 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Zócalo Public Square's 10 Best Books We Read This Year, 2014
How the game of soccer became a part of everyday life and national identity in Latin America
Discover the dreams, passions, and rivalries that are at stake in Latin America's most popular sport. Fútbol! explains why competitors and fans alike are so fiercely dedicated to soccer throughout the region.From its origins in British boarding schools in the late 1800s, soccer spread across the globe to become a part of everyday life in Latin America--and part of the region's most compelling national narratives. This book illustrates that soccer has the powerful ability to forge national unity by appealing to people across traditional social boundaries. In fact, author Joshua Nadel reveals that what started as a simple game played an important role in the development of Latin American countries in the twentieth century. Examining the impact of the sport in Argentina, Honduras, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, and Mexico, Nadel addresses how soccer affects politics, the media, race relations, and gender stereotypes.
With inspiring personal stories and a sweeping historical backdrop, Fútbol! shows that soccer continues to be tied to regional identity throughout Central and South America today. People live for it--and sometimes kill for it. It is a source of hope and a reason for suicide. It is a way out of poverty for a select few and an intangible escape for millions more. As soccer gains greater worldwide attention today, this book serves as an indispensable guide for understanding soccer's especially vital importance in Latin America.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction: Soccer narratives -- Uruguayan arrivals: from shadow to the sun -- La nuestra and futebol arte: national styles? -- Interlude 1. Symbiosis: the media and soccer -- Paraguay: caudillos, corruption, and soccer -- "Y va a caer": soccer and politics in Chile -- Interlude 2. Professionalization -- Dark, expressive sportsmen of a distant continent? Race and soccer in Honduras -- The unfulfilled promise of Mexico -- Interlude 3. Counterpoint: baseball in Venezuela -- Left out: Women's soccer -- Epilogue: New narratives.
This book traces the history of soccer in Latin America, from the introduction of the game in the 1890s to the qualifying stages for the 2014 World Cup. Unlike other books focused on matches and players, Futbal! provides the necessary historical context to explain why soccer is the most important sport across Latin America.