Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Other Readings
Just one more hit of related writing on the World Cup.
These two from Dooney's Cafe.
Wally Hourback's World Cup, eh?
Stan Persky's The ABC's of World Cup, interesting if only for the juxtapositioning of semiotician and plumber.
The following excerpt is from a review of Paddy Agnew's "Forza Italia"
"So why is soccer so important in Italy?
"I think it matters to Italians for a combination of reasons. One is you have that whole tradition of bread and circuses dating back to the Romans," Agnew recently told CBC Sports Online. "Historically, the tradition of spectacle has always been important in Italy. It's a culture in which what goes on in public really matters, the public perception matters … and therefore spectacle matters, and by extension [soccer] matters because it is a great spectacle."
Agnew also explained that everyday life in Italy is weighted down by forte raccomandazione - systematic string-pulling where you can only get ahead if you know people in high places - and that Italians turn to soccer because it is a true meritocracy.
"In Italy, a lot of people instinctively feel [suspicious] of a guy who gets named director of the local bank or the local hospital because they don't know if he has the skills to do it or if he landed the job through raccomandazione," explained Agnew
"But in [soccer], if you get picked to play in goal for Juventus and the goalkeeper starts letting in a lot of goals, you can quickly see he doesn't have the skill for the job. You can't hide [any shortcomings] on the [soccer field]. So I think Italians care about [soccer] because, to a certain extent, there's an element of clarity to it that everyday life in Italy doesn't offer."
Spain, a short piece from "The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup" by Robert Coover.
I'll be adding some more later; still having a difficult time seperating myself from this every-four-years event.
These two from Dooney's Cafe.
Wally Hourback's World Cup, eh?
Stan Persky's The ABC's of World Cup, interesting if only for the juxtapositioning of semiotician and plumber.
The following excerpt is from a review of Paddy Agnew's "Forza Italia"
"So why is soccer so important in Italy?
"I think it matters to Italians for a combination of reasons. One is you have that whole tradition of bread and circuses dating back to the Romans," Agnew recently told CBC Sports Online. "Historically, the tradition of spectacle has always been important in Italy. It's a culture in which what goes on in public really matters, the public perception matters … and therefore spectacle matters, and by extension [soccer] matters because it is a great spectacle."
Agnew also explained that everyday life in Italy is weighted down by forte raccomandazione - systematic string-pulling where you can only get ahead if you know people in high places - and that Italians turn to soccer because it is a true meritocracy.
"In Italy, a lot of people instinctively feel [suspicious] of a guy who gets named director of the local bank or the local hospital because they don't know if he has the skills to do it or if he landed the job through raccomandazione," explained Agnew
"But in [soccer], if you get picked to play in goal for Juventus and the goalkeeper starts letting in a lot of goals, you can quickly see he doesn't have the skill for the job. You can't hide [any shortcomings] on the [soccer field]. So I think Italians care about [soccer] because, to a certain extent, there's an element of clarity to it that everyday life in Italy doesn't offer."
Spain, a short piece from "The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup" by Robert Coover.
I'll be adding some more later; still having a difficult time seperating myself from this every-four-years event.
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