Soccer against the enemy pdf

Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Dec 16, Paul Haspel rated it really liked it Shelves: soccer. Soccer has the most widespread appeal of any sport on Earth; everyone knows that. What may not be as readily apparent — especially in countries like Canada and the United States of America, where soccer lags in popularity behind football, baseball, basketball, and hockey — is how strongly soccer can influence social, cultural, and political life in the countries where it is most popular.

Throughout the book, Kuper explores both of these themes energetically and knowledgeably. The effort will be worthwhile. Which chapters of Soccer Against the Enemy interest you the most may depend on your nationality, or on your own prior experiences with soccer as player or spectator.

As an American, I particularly enjoyed Chapters 15 and 19, both of which deal with the place of soccer in the United States. Chapter 15 explores, among other topics, the uncertain future of professional soccer in the U.

I've observed how hard Major League Soccer has worked to market the sport; back in the 's, the Washington Post would print a bilingual page for the local MLS team, D. United, in a clear and welcome outreach to the Washington area's growing Hispanic and Latinx population. And those efforts at outreach may have paid off; I drove from my home in Northern Virginia to see my first D.

Stadium, and was impressed by the size and enthusiasm of the crowd as D. United thrashed the San Jose Earthquakes. Today, D. United has a brand-shining-new stadium on the Southwest Washington waterfront. Perhaps the future for professional soccer in the United States is better than Kuper seems to think. I hope so.

Similarly, Chapter 19 looks at the way soccer builds in popularity across the States with each new World Cup tournament, only to recede into relative obscurity for the next three and a half years. During the Brazilian World Cup, we all read the articles about how international soccer had finally arrived as a major American spectator sport. I remember reading the same articles during the United States World Cup of , and I look forward to seeing the same articles being dusted off and re-filed yet again next year, during the Qatar World Cup of — if it takes place.

Was this really part of the country I lived in? What does it say about us as human beings, that so many of us draw so much pleasure from hatred — and that sport in so many countries provides a socially acceptable outlet for hate?

That event — for Brazilians, a deep cultural wound and historic trauma, if not a national crisis — will certainly take its place within World Cup lore, along with many of the other historic events that Kuper chronicles and examines throughout his book. Updated from its original publication to include a new chapter on soccer in the Middle East and its ties to Islamist jihadism, as well as a new preface and postscript, Soccer Against the Enemy is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the cultural power and influence of soccer.

Jan 15, Tahazen rated it it was ok Shelves: sports. As a huge football supporter I refuse to say soccer -- this book is very disappointing. Don't read it. This book was written in , and reading it nearly 20 years later -- it is grossly outdated even with the updates in I had to put the book down 30 pages in because it was so dire.

I skimmed through other sections just to see if it was just as bad -- and it was. The writing is uninteresting and the stories are tiresome. Celtic is Catholic and Rangers are Protestant Be As a huge football supporter I refuse to say soccer -- this book is very disappointing. Berlusconi is a brazen AC Milan president and politician Holland and Germany had a bitter football rivalry in the s due to wounds from 30 years earlier The book is essentially this All these 'stories' you can read about in mins on wikipedia in essentially the same type of prose.

If this book was a famous football moment, I'd relate it to Roberto Baggio's missed penalty kick and hairdo in the World Cup. Just utter dribble. View all 3 comments. A beautiful book about the connections between soccer, politics and culture around the world. Feb 05, J. I got this book as a gift 11 years ago but only read it now One upside of Covid lockdowns is I've excavated my boxed up books from the basement and am working my way through them.

It's a bit dated as it was first published in , however that era is pretty vivid for me personally so I still found it interesting. A bit tone deaf in some sections see previous sentence but still a very enjoyable read with an endearing authorial humility.

May 28, alison rated it really liked it. Sep 02, Elliott Turner rated it it was amazing. This book has aged super well. We are spoiled by websites dedicated to niches of soccer culture, but two decades ago Simon Kuper shelled out five thousand pounds to travel the then still large world.

He interviewed generals, dissidents, and association presidents. He caught games on different continents and traveled like a pauper. The pacing is breathtaking, the descriptions detailed, and the characters vivid. Even if his conclusions are not so amazing soccer is a window into a nation's politic This book has aged super well.

Even if his conclusions are not so amazing soccer is a window into a nation's politics, but won't change it , the ride is a ton of fun. You'll be done reading this before you realize it, and wish there was a sequel. Jan 06, Elizabeth rated it did not like it. This book was absolute torture. I had to read it in pieces and only a couple of pages at a time in order to get through it. While he definitely has interesting anecdotes about the relationship between soccer and politics, and some amusing facts about various national soccer histories, to say the book left something to be desired is an understatement.

The title was a complete misnomer. My only comfort three months in to reading the book: the second half of the book was considerably less awful t This book was absolute torture. My only comfort three months in to reading the book: the second half of the book was considerably less awful than the first half.

At one point in the narrative, when Simon Kuper is describing the book he ultimately wrote to an interviewee in Argentina, he says that he's working on a book about "soccer and politics.

Find and replace is maybe not the best method of book editing. In any case, the Argentine being interviewed responds to Kuper's decl At one point in the narrative, when Simon Kuper is describing the book he ultimately wrote to an interviewee in Argentina, he says that he's working on a book about "soccer and politics. In any case, the Argentine being interviewed responds to Kuper's declaration with some sarcasm. As Kuper goes on to explain in exhausting detail, the ways in which soccer and politics meet are myriad and largely entertaining.

It's not even necessarily an original aim in English writing, either. Franklin Foer 's " How Soccer Explains the World An Unlikely Theory of Globalization " sets out with largely the same mission: To examine the actions of nations through their individual relationships with the beautiful game. As a soccer junkie, I was largely entertained by the soccer stories presented throughout by Mr. As the book was written in the early 90s, in the lead up to the World Cup, many specifics will feel outdated and in the most recent publishing, a new forward admits precisely as much , but the author takes enough time to examine the past actions of nations.

The story of Argentina and their actions surrounding the World Cup are particularly harrowing: The mass "cleansing" of undesirable citizens by a military junta determined to charm the watching world into accepting their terrible regime as legitimate.

Terrible stuff, but Mr. Kuper thankfully avoids drifting into grand sentiment, letting the primary sources speak for themselves. Elsewhere the book meanders a bit too much: An examination into the lack of passion in American soccer fans remember: he's writing in the early 90s draws no conclusions and the obligatory chapter on the Old Firm the infamous rivalry of Glasgow teams Celtic vs Rangers brings nothing particularly new or compelling to the table.

Still, Mr. Kuper is an excellent writer and a reader with even the slightest interest in soccer will no doubt find much to like within. I'm just not sure I could possibly recommend the book as a text on politics; in regards to that subject, it's often just too light and circumstantial. Aug 24, Kirsten rated it liked it Shelves: books , soccer , sociology , world-history.

I wish I could give this book a higher rating, as I like the premise and I enjoy Kuper's style and often witty insight. But there are two major reasons I can't. First, the US edition could have stood for some better editing. It seems someone went through a document and did a find and replace for the word "football.

This results i I wish I could give this book a higher rating, as I like the premise and I enjoy Kuper's style and often witty insight. This results in sentences like "I nudged the soccer with the tip of my toe. Second, the addition of the Croatia section made me question the credibility of the other chapters, as it's obvious Kuper didn't have a good grasp of what was going on during the war. The breakup of Yugoslavia is complicated, yes, but he's unable to identify correctly which sides are fighting against which.

As I don't know the history of the other regimes he outlines, I'm not sure of the errors there, but that also makes me less confident that what he wrote is correct. Jun 16, Matt rated it it was ok Shelves: war , international , non-fiction , political , travel. First of all, don't read this. It just isn't worth your time. And I'm not saying that because I hated it or that I hate the author - Simon Kuper's book Soccernomics is excellent - but because it just doesn't deliver what it promises.

I was going to give this one star until I made it to the final chapter, which was written probably about a decade after the rest of the book. It's the only one that doesn't fixate on Kuper's own irrelevant travels and interviews, and rather deals with the subject at First of all, don't read this.

It's the only one that doesn't fixate on Kuper's own irrelevant travels and interviews, and rather deals with the subject at hand. The epilogue helped me change my mind as well - in it, Kuper reveals he was about 22 or 23 at the time of writing this book, and my thought when I found this out was, "oh, that's not that bad for a 22 year old.

And often, the anecdotes are totally irrelevant to the point he's trying to prove. This is a book about football politics around the globe. It was written in the period.

It starts with a look at the Dutch national team and their hatred of the Germans. I wasn't very impressed by the initial chapter but after that the stories are excellent. The stories include a look at corruption at clubs in the former states of Russia and how East Germans would try and watch West German teams when the two countries were divided. In fact corruption is a theme that reappears in different c This is a book about football politics around the globe. In fact corruption is a theme that reappears in different countries throughout the book, a subject that is of great interest to me.

Soccer has turned into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Professionalism and commercialization dominate its global image. Yet the game retains a rebellious side, maybe more so than any other sport co-opted by moneymakers and corrupt politicians. From its roots in working-class England to political protests by players and fans, and a current. It's about looking at data in new ways, revealing counterintuitive truths about football and explaining all manner of things about the game which newspapers just can't see.

This collection offers a crucial insight into the hope that soccer can provide, how it captures the imagination and embodies the values and dreams of its followers in the complex, dynamic and politically fraught societies of the Middle East. Professionalism and commercialization dominate its global image. Yet the game retains a rebellious side, maybe more so than any other sport co-opted by moneymakers and corrupt politicians.

This book not only traces this history but also reflects on common criticisms—that soccer ferments nationalism, serves right-wing powers, and fosters competitiveness—exploring alternative perspectives and practical examples of egalitarian DIY soccer. Soccer vs. The diverse geographical and cultural array of contributions to this volume highlights not only the variety of how fans express themselves, but their commonalities as well. The collection brings together scholars of North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa to present a global picture of fan culture.

The collection shows that while every group of fans around the world has its own characteristics, the role of a football fan is laced with commonalities, irrespective of geography or culture. This book was previously published as a special issue of Soccer and Society. It's about looking at data in new ways, revealing counterintuitive truths about football and explaining all manner of things about the game which newspapers just can't see.

Visual representations of sport have previously been little examined and under-exploited by historians, with little focused and rigorous scrutiny of these vital historical documents. This study seeks to redress this balance by engaging with a wide variety of cultural products, ranging from sports stadia and monuments in the public arena, to paintings, prints, photographs, posters, stamps, design artefacts, films and political cartoons.

By examining the contexts of both the production and reception of this historical evidence, and highlighting the multiple meanings and social significance of this body of work, the collection provides original, powerful and stimulating insights into the ways in which visual material assists our knowledge and understanding of sport.