Independent Reading Prompt 18

How Soccer explains The World is a very obvious title for this book. His thesis is clear and throughout the book he goes to great detail to prove how soccer explains the ins and outs of global economies and cultures. If I could chose a new title I might chose How Soccer Runs The World. It's not much different, theirs no way to title this book without soccer or the world because it varies topics from all across the world.

Independent Reading Prompt 9

How Soccer Explains The World brings up many intriguing questions and dilemmas in the world and how they are tied to soccer such as; How far is too far when it comes to supporting ones team? The dilemma over old hatred and differences being postered on the forefront of football games rather than in open public forum. Is soccer a driving force for globalization?

First the topic of hooligans and gangs affiliated with clubs can be a good thing. They promote the sport and offer a release for the working class to partake in during their spare time. Some of these hooligan actions go way to far, especially in cases of severe injury and murder. In some cases hooligans use soccer games as an excuse to beat other people senseless and not get into trouble for it.

Soccer club fan's use fear as a tactic when trying to intimidate other club's players. It is a widely accepted view that intimidation by fans is just a part of the game. The majority of racial and ethnic slurs used at soccer games would not be accept in any other setting.

I think the author makes some very clear cut cases as to how soccer is a major component of worldwide culture spread unlike any other force. The level of integration and segregation brought forth by soccer clubs in undeniable.

Independent Reading Prompt 15 Chapter 8

The picture to the left is an Italian car ad for the company Opel. The bald headed man to the left of the cars is Pierluigi Collina, he is a soccer referee. This picture symbolizes the chapter of my book titled How Soccer Explains The New Oligarchs. The chapter begins with the topic of how in Italy referee's are revered and scrutinized unlike any other place in the world. Elevated to almost celebrity status, televisions programs are dedicated entirely to evaluating their latest games. He goes on to describe the process of how the owners of Italian Clubs Juventus of Turin and AC Milan have their hands in manipulating the government and economies to their benefit. For example AC Milan was purchased by Silvio Berlusconi in the 1980s, since he has built a worldwide empire purchasing up real estate, television stations, newspapers, advertising, and insurance. In the USA theirs a channel devoted entirely to the NFL. AC Milan has it's own channel. People love and hate AC Milan

Opinion of Che

Based on the knowledge of Che's travels and previous research what is your personal opinion of Che? Pull together instances in his travels that may have persuaded you and what you know about his future.

Independent Reading Prompt 12 Chapter 7

In Chapter 7 How Soccer Explains The Black Carpathians the author includes the tale of Eward Anyamkyegh and other Nigerians that found their way to post communist Ukraine to play soccer. After communism dissolved in the early 1990s the Ukraine soccer clubs that were owned by the state almost completely fell out of sight until the Oligarchs bought into them. The Oligarchs who benefited from their positions in the communist party had enough money and drive to buy the teams and place ambitions of becoming worthy competitors on a world stage. To do so they imported Nigerian players. Heres an example of Nigerian players and their stories of being exploited by European clubs:

I believe the author included this in the book as another example of how the importance of soccer on the global scene generated a world culture.

Independent Reading Prompt 5 Chapter 6

On the topic of Brazilian Soccer on a world scale the author couldn't omit the likes of Pele, the main component of Brazilian Soccer's globalization. Born a very small man with a weak frame of only 145 lbs. at the start of his career. His statured was paired with an uncanny ability to shoot from extreme angles and possess the ball in a way that no one else could manage. This chapter moved me because it is about how Pele was used as a tool by the Brazilian government used his image and visage to promote how Brazil was becoming an international power. This exploitation was just the beginning. While Brazil was undergoing economic boom Pele benefited greatly, becoming one of the best paid athletes of the time. But his money didn't last. By allowing a friend to make poor investments and the government declaration that Pele was a "non-exportable national treasure" he was never able to make any of his money lost back by playing in Europe. After retiring in 1974 Pele agreed to another poor contract signing with the New York Cosmos in the newly created North American Soccer League. Before this I had heard of Pele coming to America to play as an ambassador for the game but I didn't know it was because he was broke.

Independent Reading Prompt 16 Chapter 5

Chapter 5 How Soccer Explains the Survival of The Top Hats is a commentary on the Brazilian Soccer Scene. In class we're discussing how Che hated imperialist taking advantage and exploiting of his home in South America. Brazil has a deep tradition in the game of soccer, considered the cradle of players for the modern game. Today players are exported from Brazil and other South America countries to play in Europe for outrageous salaries. All the while Brazil is incredibly impoverished. The most expensive seats to watch a game in Brazil are splintering and unfinished. The topic club Vasco Da Gama is a very succesful club in play but over the years have owed very large sums of money bringing agony to the Brazilian economy.

Columbia and Venezuela

1- "as if everything solid melted away into the ether, eliminating all individuality and absorbing us, rigid, into the immense darkness."
-This excerpt depicts the feeling of equality among all people so that everyone is the same fighting the same battle in the same struggle.

2- "I could only see what seemed like the spark of his eyes and the gleam of his four front teeth."
-Che describes the man as faceless in the darkness as if he was the darkness or the inner most fire within the people.



3- "The night, folding in at contact with his words, overtook me again, enveloping me within it."
-Che is overcome by what the man says and becomes in an instant consumed by the man's fury as if everything he had done so far had only changed him minimally and in this moment he was transformed into the night, or darkness within the people.

4- "I steel my body, ready to do battle, and prepare myself to be a sacred space within which the bestial howl of the triumphant proletariat can resound with new energy and new hope."
-Che describes his body as a place for the soul of the revolutionary bound poor to dwell, as if he is entirely committed to spending the rest of his time on earth fighting for revolution.

Independent Reading Prompt 3 Chapter 4

In chapter 4 How Soccer Explains The Sentimental Hooligan the author introduces a Hooligan leader named Alan Garrison. His story is unique because Alan Garrison is a leader of the English Jewish Club Tottenham's rivals, Chelsea. What's strange about that is that Alan is of Jewish decent. The chapter goes on to describe Alan's escapades as a fighting hooligan for the club Chelsea. The question arrises as to why Alan would act in such a fashion given his Jewish heritage. Alan was born out of wedlock by a wounded Nazi soldier in a Allie Hospital and his Scottish-Jewish nurse. All his young life his appearances and heritage made it very difficult for him to fit in. He was persecuted by children on the playground for his background. When his mother wanted him to become a Bar Mitzvah he flat out refused abandoning any affiliation he had to his heritage. His passionate support of Chelsea against people of his own kind is significant proof how important soccer is in the world.

Independent Reading Prompt 14 Chapter 3

"This treatment confirms an old aphorism, a bit strong but still truthful: a philo-Semite is and anti-Semite who loves Jews." Pg.84

Chapter 3 is entitled How Soccer Explains The Jewish Question. The author opens the chapter discussing Jewish athletes in the history of Europe especially Jewish soccer teams. I consider excerpt from above as a key quote because it sums up what the author feels about European's views on Jews as he clearly demonstrates through soccer. The book's main focus is how soccer explains the world. On the topic of Jewish people in Europe there is still a great deal of discrimination, not so much blatant, but very evident in soccer. In perticular one club, MTK Hungaria, founded by Jewish businessmen in 1888, is the target of innumerable Jewish slurs where ever they play.

Theme #6 Intro

I think the third website on the list from Harvard is the most helpful tool when developing a thesis statement. The lengthy descriptive nature of the site clearly illustrates how to develop a very strong thesis from raw ideas.

Thesis: Ernesto Guevara wanted to become a selfless individual that would help the proletariat of Latin America garner the strength to force equality upon the land in the form of Marxist utopia, he became a tragic icon of failed revolution whose radical violent ideals would be forgotten in favor of a stern face on t-shirts.

Independent Reading Prompt 4 Chapter 2

The second chapter of my book discusses the differences between two soccer clubs from Scotland and the role the clubs and religion played in the feud between Catholics and Protestants in the area.

What surprised me most about this chapter was the deep seeded differences that still exist between the two groups of people not because of where their from necessarily but their favorite soccer club.

Peru Quiz

Alberto and Che’s travels in Peru begin at the border in a frigid region of Latin America with the DAUNTING task of finding a ride to Tarata in the DESOLATE countryside. Driver that stops asks for money after they have already boarded angering Alberto. In Puno they run into a rebellious MESTIZO. The Indians they run into on their travels offer only LACONIC answers to their questions. The IDYLLIC setting in Cuzco compels Che to TIRADE pertaining to its past. The nature of the leper colony in Huambo EVOKES many emotions in Che. The treatment of those of Indian decent is DISQUIETING to Che, in a place where their ancestors ruled vast land their decedents now remain STAGNATE like a people BEREAVED of their once booming culture.

Independent Reading Prompt #1 (Chapter 1)

The first chapter of How Soccer Explains The World jumps right into the gritty underbelly of Eastern European soccer booster clubs and their violent antics. Grabbing the attention of the reader with violence this chapter delves into the connections these soccer fan gangs have within the political infrastructure of Eastern European nations. Instances of fans beating and clubbing their way through an entire stadium in 20 minutes, even through police resistance, sparked my interest a great deal. Even more interesting are the connections the author makes between these soccer clubs and the culture of the countries they come from. When the Red Star Club of Serbia and their Ultra Bad Boys traveled to Croatia in a match against their rivals the Dinamo Zagreb a minature Yugoslavian Civil War occured. During the period of communism post WWII the differences between Serbs and Crots lay dormat, but as communism began to dissolve the bad blood of old roused within the peoples. It was the first time in fifty years Yugoslavia saw it's two ethnic groups openly battle.

Independent Reading Intro Post

The book I chose to read for my independent reading project is How Soccer Explains The World by Franklin Foer. My task is to complete a series of blog post responding to prompts regarding the book. The author Franklin Foer is an American journalist who fell in love with soccer at a young age, though he had no talent for it. He chose instead to gather the greatest understanding possible of the game, and thanks to technological advances in the past decades he could keep up to date with soccer across the globe. His goal in writing the book was to shed light on all the connections soccer has with globalization. You can expects new posts every couple days for the next 2-3 weeks.

March 4 - Chilie

The encounter with the communist proletariat couple in Baquedano has a strong imapact on Ernesto. ".., we could still see the man's singularly determined face and we rememberd his straightforward invitation:.." The passion in a more or less hopeless man creates empathy for the poor unfortunate working class. He writes "It's a great pity that they repress people like this." He sees the communist way as a struggle against the class based society that leaves the poor without food.