Football, Nationalism, and Identity: Zinedine Zidane
June 30, 2014
Without immigrants, there are no Les Bleus – and some of the brightest stars in French football, including Karim Benzema, playing today for France, are products of Algeria’s fraught relationship with their former colonizers. For example, People’s Game featured guest Laurent Dubois writes on the politics of singing (or not singing) La Marseillaise for France’s…
The People’s Game Podcast #18 – 6/29/14
June 30, 2014The tragedy of El Tri, and the triumph of Los Ticos. CONCACAF takes center stage, as the nerve-fraying drama continues. Alan and Meleiza review the day’s action, and are joined by a heartbroken Fernando Romero, as well as fans from a Bay Area public screening of Mexico vs Holland. We also preview tomorrow’s matches with…
Total Football: Johan Cruyff
June 29, 2014Known as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Dutch icon Johan Cruyff brought philosophy and politics onto the field. In his career at traditionally left-wing Dutch club Ajax, and as part of the legendary Dutch national team in the 1970s, Cruyff was instrumental in developing the style of play known as “Total Football,”…
The People’s Game Podcast #17 – 6/28/14
June 29, 2014Brazil and Colombia advance, and so we focus on Brazilian and Colombian football. On today’s podcast we feature our entire conversation with David Goldblatt, author of “Futebol Nation: A History of Brazil through Soccer,” on the past, present, and future of Brazilian football and the nation. KPFK’s Mark Torres discusses Colombian football with former Colombian…
Victor Jara’s Last Words: Estadio Chile
June 28, 2014Futbol can be such a source of joy, as we applaud Chile’s valiant performance against Brazil today; but we must also remember it in relation to the tremendous suffering endured by the Chilean people. Words from Victor Jara’s last poem, “Estadio Chile,” written from the open-air prison of the Estadio Chile, before he and thousands…
The People’s Game Podcast #16 – 6/27/14
June 28, 2014We all take a collective breath and a moment for reflection before the knockout stage commences. Alan and Meleiza preview tomorrow’s matches in the Round of 16: Brazil vs Chile, and Colobmia vs Uruguay. Then, we feature a talk given in Oakland by Dave Zirin, who has just come back from Brazil and shares his…
Better Futbol in a Better World: Unidad Popular de Chile
June 28, 2014Much respect to #CHI’s superb play on the field, almost eliminating Brazil today; we pay tribute to the legacy of the Unidad Popular’s dream of a better kind of sport in a socialist society. Salvador Allende himself was a former footballer who played for Chilean club Everton Viña del Mar, named after the English club…
The People’s Game Podcast #15: 6/26/14
June 27, 2014The group stages are over, and the stakes are high going into the knockout rounds. On today’s podcast, Pablo Miralles analyzes Team USA’s 0-1 “victory” as they lose to Germany, but go on to the Round of 16. Alan and Meleiza recap Algeria’s historic advance to the knockout stages in light of the team’s inextricably…
Decolonizing Football: Frantz Fanon
June 27, 2014Just as soccer has multiple, contested meanings, so does the idea of the nation. Former footballer Frantz Fanon understood this well. Fanon played football in school, and organized matches as part of his work at Blida-Joinville Psychiatric Hospital, following his psychoanalytic approach that connected patients’ rehabilitation to the rhythms of everyday life. The importance, as…
The People’s Game Podcast #14 – 6/25/14
June 26, 2014On today’s podcast, Alan and Meleiza discuss USA’s chances against Germany in tomorrow’s match, and the conflicted politics of rooting for Team USA. Karen Anzoategui recaps Messi’s brilliance on the field, his two magisterial goals cementing Argentina’s place in the Round of 16. Fernando Romero reports on his experience of the World Cup in Brazil,…