February 2012
3 posts
Hey there!
I know I’ve been MIA for a couple months now, but I’ve gained a bunch of new followers since I “finished” this project, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello and thank you guys for following.
I’m thinking about starting this up again with a couple posts a week, but I need some inspiration! So if you have anything soccer/football related that you’d like...
venicelockjaw asked: this blog is fucking awesome
zuzinuanella asked: Hey, I have just found out your blog/project... nice topic! Actually, I did something similar in my sociology bachelor thesis - soccer fandom and nationalism. So are you still interested in sociology of sports?
December 2011
15 posts
And That's the Final Whistle!
This blog started out as a hopefully dynamic, exciting platform for my intro to sociology final project. For the first few weeks it didn’t look like my grand plans were going to work out. No one read my posts, let alone commented or reblogged them. But what could I do? I’d already devoted myself to this project, so in the very least it could be a creative way to display my...
6 tags
Suarez Revisited: Why the FA Is So Obsessed with...
(photo from mirrorfootball.co.uk)
As I start wrapping up this project, I though it’d be nice to come full-circle. My very first analysis was of the FA’s accusation that Liverpool striker Luis Suarez had made racist remarks to Manchester United player Patrice Evra. Although that issue has yet to be completely resolved, Suarez is once more on the FA hot seat, this time for giving...
kylieaye asked: So I just read your post on concussions, and it really hit home with me because I have had 3. My Doctor told me you can't get concussions from heading, but if you head the ball wrong it might cause some damage, just as you said. I wear a protective heading band now, and it helps a lot. Although, I haven't seen a lot of professional players wear head gear even though they've had...
7 tags
Concussion Concerns: We Are Our Brains
(photo from pennlive.com)
Please note: I take brain injuries very seriously. I have a close friend who suffered a brain injury playing soccer and my first soccer idol was forced to retire due to a severe concussion. I would never dismiss them as something which should be ignored as insignificant. My analysis is simply a critical use of sociological ideas to question society. I do not in any way...
6 tags
So You Like That Team ‘Cuz They’re Hot, Right?-...
(photo from worldcuppackages.com)
I’m an American girl who follows soccer religiously, and I am the least typical soccer fan you could possibly find. At least according to the social facts surrounding who the typical soccer fan is. If you ask many people (at least in America) who the typical soccer fan is, you’d probably end up with a picture something like this: A man in his...
7 tags
What Freud Would Have to Say about Us Fan Girls
(photo from google images)
Let’s talk about sex.
Now that I’ve got your attention, I am actually going to talk about sex and why we’re all a collective case study in the repression of sexual impulses. Ever wonder why Carles Puyol doesn’t get nearly as many adoring fans as Sergio Ramos, despite the fact that they’re both extremely skilled defenders? Answer: fan girls. Fan girls (less...
serrrgiorrramos asked: Question: In regards to your article about loving/hating Cristiano, you talk about him conforming to bourgeoisie ideals. But bourgeoisie is middle class, so I'm not sure what comparison you're trying to draw if the middle class is the social group displeased with Cristiano's behavior. You also referred to Kaká as having middle class-like values/behaviors which only furthers...
4 tags
The Torres Problem: How Players Fall Out of Love
(Photos from google images)
We are shocked when we find out that a player has quit because they have fallen out of love with their sport. How can that possibly be? How can you possibly fall out of live with the one thing that you have dedicated your life to? How can you possibly fall out of love with being paid millions of dollars to kick a ball around a field? It simply doesn’t seem...
6 tags
Soccer and Suicide: Beyond the Statistics
The book Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Symanski uses statistics to reveal some astonishing facts about soccer, from giving the reason why England is so good at soccer to defining the “typical” soccer fan. However, one of their most interesting arguments is about the relationship between being a soccer fan and suicide rates. The authors make a strong case for soccer actually...
9 tags
Barca vs. Real Madrid: Why Marx Would Have Been a...
(picture from montmayne.blogspot.com)
Of all of the rivalries in soccer, the rivalry of Spanish teams Barcelona and Real Madrid is by far the most notorious. It is a rivalry that turns friends into enemies on match days and turns the most mild-mannered people into rabid fans. Matches between these two teams, arguably the two best teams in the whole world, have become so important...
7 tags
Sports Psychology: Are We Addressing the Wrong...
When a player is apparently “off form”, we give all sorts of explanations as to why they aren’t playing well: they’re adjusting to a new manager, they’re coming back from an injury, or they’re learning a new playing style. These are all explanations which are all seemingly out of the athletes control, external factors which they simply need to adjust to in order to get back on form....
10 tags
Justice for the 96 and Busby’s Babes: How Disaster...
(Photo from guardian.co.uk)
I’d like to preface this post by saying that I do not believe that either of these horrible tragedies can or should be dismissed as simply continuing to be relevant because of some sort of desire for greater unity within a soccer team. That would not honor the incredible impact that they had on so many lives, and that would not be right. I am simply looking at...
7 tags
Cristiano Ronaldo: Why We Love to Hate Him
(Photo from celebrityname.blogspot.com)
Cristiano Ronaldo is simultaneously one of the most celebrated and hated players of all time. His fans call him the best player in the world, invaluable to his club and country. His critics view him as a selfish, spoiled, arrogant celebrity who is only in it for the money. It’s this second view of the Real Madrid striker and Portuguese...
takecontroloftheradio asked: This is legit the coolest sociology project I've ever seen. I'm pretty jealous, seeing as this is my major and I haven't figured out that the ties between sociology and soccer are pretty interesting. Thank you for bringing this connection up. You're the best, Callie. Good luck with this whole thing!
6 tags
Coming Out in the Locker Room: Masculinity in...
(photo from competenetwork.com)
If you ask pretty much anyone to describe a stereotypical soccer player, you would probably get a response something like: “Tall, athletic, attractive, strong, jock…” All of these adjectives seem valid and are certainly applicable to the majority of soccer players. But the fact that these are the types of adjectives that automatically come to...
November 2011
3 posts
7 tags
Fourteen Yellow Cards?!- How Freud Can Explain the...
(pictures from google images)
In the 2010 World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain, English referee Howard Webb gave out a record number of yellow cards: fourteen. Whether all of these cards were deserved can be disputed, but Webb is infamous for his liberal use of cards bordering on the ridiculous, a fact which many fans complain about. The “Webb Effect”, or the excessive use of cards...
4 tags
Football Hooligans!: The Role of Class in Soccer
(Photo from srajaram.com)
“Football [soccer] is a gentleman’s game played by ruffians. Rugby is a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen.”
This old saying comparing two of Britain’s most popular sports would automatically have turned on a warning light in Marx’s head. It makes an explicit reference to the bourgeoisie (the “gentlemen”) and the proletariat (the “ruffians”). Furthermore,...
8 tags
Creating the Pathological: Why the FA was so quick...
(Photo from goal.com)
Several weeks ago Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was charged with racism by the Football Association (the FA). Patrice Evra, a player for soccer powerhouse Manchester United, alleged that Suarez had used racial slurs during an argument which broke out during a match between the two clubs. However, the referee did not hear any such comments made. None of the other...
