Sunday, June 22, 2014

Football; Does it Unite or Divide?

Is football more than a sport? Technically no, but the way in which it has the ability to affect people’s lives is nothing short of spectacular. Soccer is considered as more of a religion than a just simple game in many parts of the world, mainly areas in South America and Europe. What amazes me, specifically, is how people are able to unite through football. What is equally amazing, though, is the power it has to create immense tensions and diversions between people, and even cultures as a whole.

So, how powerful is the most popular sport on Earth?

The ‘global game’ spans culturally diverse societies in all continents and, according to Giulianotti and Robertson, an estimated 250 million people are direct participants and around 1.4 billion have an interest as of 2004. This number even seems pretty small to me, and I can only assume that these numbers have increased substantially in ten years, creating an even larger international “culture” based around football.

One example of how people from all over the world have connected is through the support of specific teams, especially teams from outside of their country. Clubs such as Manchester United, Juventus, and Bayern Munich are all examples of clubs that have developed large international fan groups, essentially creating subcultures in the world of football. This is perhaps one of the most obvious forms of unity that football can provide to society as I am sure all of you have noticed someone wearing one of these jerseys mentioned.

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/06/09/russia-fans-involved-in-string-of-fights-on-first-day-of-euro-2012/














There is a lot of diversion between clubs such as these, as well. Frankiln Foer explains some very intense feuds (to say the least) in his book “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization.” By analyzing, infiltrating, and interviewing some of Belgrade’s most committed football fans, Foer was able to uncover the very detailed workings and outcomes of some very violent acts, fueled by the allegiances of fans to teams such as The Red Stars. If murder and other acts of violence for the sake of football don’t show division between groups of people, I don’t know what does.

 “Glocalization” is a term used by Richard Giulianotti and Roland Robertson to describe how local cultures adapt and redefine any global cultural product to suit their particular needs, beliefs and customs. I don’t know about you, but this term screams out “football” to me. Some countries such as Australia even redefined football into a completely separate sport, forming new rules and regulations to form “Australian Football.” Rugby is also derived from soccer, formed in the late 1800’s by upperclassmen in England to distinguish themselves from the lower class who primarily played football due to how simple and cheap it was to play.

The use of football for glocalization is happening every day! Right now in Brazil, for example, the entire country is boasting its football prestige and infatuation with the sport (although not shared by everyone) by creating arguably the grandest World Cup tournament yet. The World Cup is being used as a means to show the world what a powerful and prosperous country it has become over the years, and the potential it has to become even greater. Brazil is accenting and implanting as many Brazilian traditions and customs into the tournament as it can, mainly through the use of media (commercials, etc.). I also see this as an attempt to unite the country to form a more powerful force that will hopefully propel Brazil into a better economic future.

The country’s complete devotion to this tournament is also creating an immense amount of tension within the country, too, due to the current economic status of the country. It is creating the argument of how this money should be spent elsewhere in things such as the poor education system, healthcare system, etc. Brazilian people are even regretting cheering for their beloved national team due to the current status of their country. A song named “Desculpa Neymar” (translated to “Sorry Neymar” and a link is posted below) is a perfect example of this point. The singer is essentially apologizing to Neymar, the most publicized player on Brazil’s national team, and other players about how they would love to be able to cheer for the team but can’t as it means that, in turn, the team’s success is tainted with the removal of funds available for necessary public services.

This tension is actually creating a greater divide, at times, between the people of Brazil; the very devoted fans excited for the presence of the World Cup and the people who see it as a burden and hindrance on the country. It is also accentuating the infamous class differences in Brazil, placing more focus on how the wealthier minority of Brazil can afford what the majority of Brazil can’t, such as proper education and healthcare.

International tournaments (such as the World Cup) are amazing examples of globalization and glocalization. As Giulianotti and Robertson state, “At major international tournaments, thousands of people from different supporter groups commingle, with each nation displaying distinctive kinds of dress, song, music and patterns of behaviour (such as in their relations with local people, other supporter groups, and the various security forces).”

This is exactly what stood out to me at the World Cup game that I attended last week (Nigeria vs. Iran on June 16). Within seconds of entering the stadium, I was able to meet people from all over the world. Iran, Nigeria, Australia, and the United States are only some of the countries that come to mind. Seeing people from so many different backgrounds, showing their national pride in their attire, chants, and other behaviours took my breath away. What was even greater was how I was able to take part in this event, “dressed” as a Nigerian fan and being so accepted by not only Nigerian fans, but Iranian fans as well.

Another example of how football can be used to bring people together is in the sport-development programs that I was able to help in recently. Here, I, along with several of my Canadian friends and colleagues, joined a couple sport development programs where we donated soccer equipment to the local children in favelas, as well as provided them with nutritious meals and an afternoon of playing football and other activities. Even though my Portuguese is very limited, making it difficult for me at times to communicate with the locals, football provided a very effective medium for us to communicate with each other and allowed us to develop

relationships that would have otherwise been very difficult. I am not saying that I created life-long friends only by playing football with these people and having this one common interest, but it allowed for me to gain enough of their trust that they were, at the very least, comfortable with my presence. I also believe that if I were to consistently go and play football with these individuals, as well, the possibility of gaining more meaningful relationships would be much easier.

At the end of one of the programs, as well, I noticed two people walking through the street and looking around. I greeted them and it turned out that they were from Australia and in the favela simply because they heard about this event through social media. I was instantly taken aback when I heard where these guys were from because it just hit me how huge a simple idea stemming from football can become.

I find football to be much more uniting than dividing. Maybe this is become i am looking at the sport too optimistically, or maybe it is because I am not completely devoted to a specific team and am therefore more of a fan of the sport in general. Don't get me wrong, I am completely aware of the feuds and segregation between populations due to football and the sometimes even fatal results of them. I have also been able to witness some very heartwarming acts of sportsmanship and camaraderie in and because of football. Football has personally given me some of the most and best opportunities to meet people and form relationships from all over the world. I am not saying that football automatically unites or divides people, because really how can a sport alone do that? The point that I am trying to make is that football provides one of the greatest foundations for opportunities such as these, as the sport is so well-known and so adored across the world.



Monday, June 16, 2014

Did It Work?

I was able to participate in some of the greatest experiences of my life this past week. I, along with a number of my colleagues and close friends, was able to attend a couple of football-development programs in some favelas in Curitiba, as well as in the neighboring city of Pinhais. Here we provided the vast amount of underprivileged children with a variety of healthy food, soccer clothing and equipment, and many other things, not to mention our entire afternoon dedicated to playing with them. These will definitely be moments in my life that I will never forget and will always cherish.
But honestly… Was it enough to really make a serious impact on their lives? The optimist in me is screaming “YES!” but the healthy skeptic in me keeps asking “But how?” I know this is quite the mood killer, but hear me out.
Before I go any further I simply want to point out that I am an advocate of programs such as LionsRaw and Cheer for Peace (the two organizations that I had the privilege to work with) and would recommend supporting and participating in them whenever you have the opportunity to do so. Being able to make these children and families happy for even one day constitutes a success in my books. Their escape from poverty may not have been achieved, but there was still definitely success. However, there are definitely more effective ways to create lasting success and make a lasting effect on these children.
Although I firmly believe sports can potentially be a very effective tool in the education of a variety of life skills, I also realize the fact that this goal needs to be well planned and well implemented depending on the specific requirements of each child. As D. Parnell et al. explains, many football-orientated interventions (such as the ones that I accompanied) cannot adequately prove any true effectiveness in achieving goals such as the increasing levels of participation in sports and general healthy behaviour. This means that although there are countless football organizations aimed at increasing the quality of life of people all around the world, many may not achieve their grandiose ambitions due to the ways in which they go about their programs. Many programs claim to make their players better citizens as a whole, which is an impossible ambition through the use of sports alone.
Taking a step back, let me explain the first project that I worked with.
I went to Pinhais to work with LionsRaw, which was an organized soccer camp consisting of multiple coaches that help train and develop the football skills children of less affluent circumstances in the favelas in Pinhais and Curitiba. Here I was able to participate in some of the drills, play a game against the older kids in the group (aged 12-15) and help distribute some football clothes and equipment to some of the children. These drills seemed to be well organized and well executed, focussing on different age groups and many different football skills.
There was one thing that really stuck out to me with this project though… The main coach of the program whose name unfortunately I don’t remember was obviously a well-educated man in the world of football (apparently once being a professional goalie).  He was quite simply the heart and soul of this program. The way that the children treated this man with such respect and love showed me that this program definitely has the potential to make an impact on these children outside of the world of football, as well.
Now let me explain my second experience working with a football development program here in Brasil.
To be quite honest, the majority of my contribution to the event (held by the Cheer for Peace organization) was to entertain as many kids as possible, distribute jerseys, and, by the end of it, essentially be a piggy-back machine able to fit a maximum of 12 kids at one time. However, every time that I looked around I would see the many group organizers either helping children operate the bike that fuelled the blender to make juice, organizing more equipment to give away, passing a soccer ball within a group, or participating in a multitude of other activities with the kids and their families.
Now back to the article…
D. Parnell et al. continues to state that in order to maximize the potential of sport-development programs, they first have to develop and utilize effective working practices that specifically relate to the individuals who are involved in the direct delivery of the programmes. This is precisely what I experienced here in the favelas, as well. The main coach in the LionsRaw project knew exactly what he was doing right from the get go. He obviously had specific goals with each group of children (attending to individual children when they needed it), implemented these goals effectively with the help of his knowledgeable coaches, and in turn was even able to create a very powerful relationship with the children that he coached.
The second project that I attended did not have such a figure, however. That being said, I do also believe that this program was very effective in creating a very fun and enjoyable atmosphere for the children, as well as providing them with some essential soccer equipment. We didn’t merely provide them with a ball to play with, either. We showed them how to play with it, how to play with others with it, how to enjoy participation, etc. This is where I notice a glimmer of hope in the effectiveness of football and development programs. NO, this program was not a technical camp focused on the development of specific skills and techniques, but it was absolutely an opportunity to be an example of how to kick, pass, and control a football even if this wasn’t the main intention. For example, I was juggling with two boys aged 8 and 10 and showed them a couple tricks that I have in my limited repertoire. Half an hour later, I noticed that these same two boys were continuously practicing the tricks off to the side of the event, and were getting pretty good at it too! I am absolutely not going to take full credit for their skills and abilities, but I do not think it is much of a stretch to say that these kids were practicing these tricks more so after my example.
Finally, I believe when all is said and done, the most important thing in terms of the effectiveness of sport-development programs such as these truly revolves around the people creating the goals of the program and the ways in which they implement them. Stay simple and do not try to find the immediate cure is my best advice. The fact that the man from LionsRaw was able to create such a strong relationship with this vast amount of kids, as well as the way in which he did so (simple goals, well organized, no wild ambitions), makes me conclude that this project was the most successful at creating the possibility of having lasting effects on the lives of the children involved in the program outside of the world of football.




 “Cheer for Peace” Facebook page

Saturday, June 7, 2014

The Risks of Being Brazil

In order to be truly successful, one must be radical and extreme at times. In the case of Brazil, the decision was made long ago to become a world renowned force in the world of football. This goal is obviously quite a difficult task to achieve, meaning a number of sacrifices needed to be made in order to improve and maintain this status. This is especially the case with Brazil as the country has not yet become first world status, limiting the resources and funds available in comparison to countries such as Germany, The United States, France, etc. That being said, football is still quite obviously one of the most invested industries in Brazil, both with time and most importantly, finances...

I implore you to keep this idea in the back of your mind as you continue reading this article.

So how does Brazil create such a vast pool of talent in the world of football? The answer lies mainly in the development of youth through a multitude of training academies and facilities. These are primarily operated and funded by immensely popular football clubs such as Atletico Paranense and Coritiba. The fact that Brazil is currently one of the top exporters of high class football players in the world, exporting 1443 players into worldwide professional leagues in 2013 alone according to BBC (link below), simply shows how effective these training programs are at perfecting the talent of its youth. These organizations are able to do this through the use of extensive scouting strategies, utilizing immaculate training facilities, housing/accommodation centres, highly qualified coaches, and more in order to enhance the skills of the chosen players.

Another key to the success of Brazilian football is the source of the talent in the first place; the youth. However, it is not simply any children that make up these programs, but specifically children from less affluent backgrounds (aka. Favelas and other poorer neighborhoods).These children are sought after simply due to the amazing quantity available and their willingness to participate in the programs as they provide a ticket out of the life of favelas and a shot at being successful. As Paul R. Ford, et al. explains, through the use of soccer specific play, practice, and competition beginning at an early age, Brazil has been able to create very skillful players. “Players who accumulate relatively high amounts of hours in soccer-specific play activity during childhood have been shown to possess superior decision making, higher levels of attainment and possibly increased positive motivation” (Paul R. Ford, et al.). This is exactly the tactic used by these prestigious training academies.

So let’s back track a little bit. This goal of world renowned football is requiring a huge amount of funds in order to be so successful...

So what is the country losing as a result of pursuing this goal? Primarily the overall wellbeing of the very citizens that give Brazil its amazing football prestige; the less affluent children and families that are sought after. By investing so much time and money into the development of the football industry, a lot of resources are therefore being directed away from bettering the lives of the majority of these individuals, for example the construction of proper homes, proper education, etc. This has been going on for so long that not only has football made up a very significant amount of the Brazilian economy, but also has played a major part in modern Brazilian culture and identity.

The World Cup is simply a manifestation of the massive football investment that Brazil has been involved in for decades, attempting to have "A Selecao" (a nickname of their national team translated to be "The Selection") win their sixth World Cup title and get a large payoff for their decades of dedicated work and. By doing so, less affluent communities are in turn being severely harmed by things such as relocation in order to make room for new highways, stadiums, etc, and the severe limiting of these families’ potential income as FIFA has placed many restrictions on products available for sale during the World Cup.

Over time, football has become so engrained in Brazilian culture that by focusing on improving the lives of the less affluent, Brazil will in turn lose its world renowned soccer prestige as the soul of the industry will deteriorate. So Brazil, it is decision time. Possibly better the lives of millions of citizens or maintain a prestigious football title?