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.