Chicago Neighborhood Soccer

In this article, the authors argue that over-bureaucratization of the sport of soccer could have a deleterious impact on both the development of innovative soccer skills and the proliferation of beneficial social interaction – particularly for youth whose only exposure to sports is through pay-to-play leagues. This article relates these concerns to broader questions about democracy and grassroots interaction that have emerged in ‘social capital’ literature over the last twenty years. Curiously, while social capital advocates like Putnam posit a decline in formal participatory organizations, the number of organized youth sports leagues is in fact growing steadily. And, although Putnam would laud the merits of an increase in structured play, the authors highlight the negative repercussions of this occurrence. Specifically, the authors examine literature on the sociology of sport, as well as literature from public administration and political science, to explore the manner in which ‘pick-up’ games fit into the broader societal landscape. The authors then use this literature to construct a framework for comparing the Ghanaian soccer experience with that of the USA. Ultimately, this comparison reveals the differences in player development across the two cultures and crystallizes the implications that a decline in informal play poses for civic engagement in a democratic society

From the opening vignette that centers on the thrills and woes of a glorious missed goal scoring opportunity, David Trouille’s Fútbol in the Park beautifully uses soccer as a lens into the meaning and depth of the social world of a group of mainly immigrant Latino men who regularly play the sport at an upper middle-class neighborhood public park in West Los Angeles. Trouille takes us inside the world of these men (affectionately referred to as jugadores del parque) as they build relationships and experience a renewed sense of self-worth and community through regular “pickup” playing sessions. From over a decade of ethnographic research, Trouille successfully demonstrates the complexity of these men while highlighting the friendships, identities, and community they create through playing and talking about soccer as well as through fighting, drinking, and working with each other. The site of the ethnography is the Mar Vista Recreation Center which serves as a critical place of socializing and networking for the men and a key part of their social infrastructure. As a free, relatively safe, and familiar environment for socializing, the soccer field and surrounding park serve as the physical place for men to build relationships, establish reputations, and exchange resources. Trouille’s historical overview and qualitative work with park staff and local residents show us though that these men are far from welcome in the upscale park (171–176). This helps to make his powerful point that although these men and those like them are often welcome as workers in these neighborhoods, they are less welcome as people. Trouille’s engaging writing and in-depth immersion brings their stories to the forefront and humanizes an all-too-often stigmatized population.