Soccer Politics

Produced by Students at Duke University in the Fall of 2009

These pages were written by students in Duke’s “World Cup and World Politics” class during the Fall term of 2009. The students all initially wrote individual research papers, and based on these papers we formed groups around the topics below. They then collectively produced these web pages. Please do not quote or draw from these essays without proper citation. The authors for each web page are noted at the beginning of the main page for each topic. To access the cites click on the page descriptions below or the links to the right.

Africa

Explore the History, Politics and Economics of the sport in Africa from colonialism to the present and look ahead to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa

by Katie Greenstreet, Cole Grossman,  Nelson De Oliveira, and Robert Weaver

Brazil

Learn about the history of football in Brazil through the biographies of great players: Friedenreich, El Garrincha, Pelé, Ronaldo and Kaká

by Federica Burelli, James Goldberg, Steve Johnson, Kayla Kirk, Chris Straka, and Quentin Ybarra

El Clasico as Spanish History

Delve into the roots and history of one of the greatest footballing rivalries on the globe: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

by Austin Esecson, Remy Lupica, and Neel Muthana

European Icons of the 1980s and 1990s

Follow the careers and controveries surrounding of some of the greatest players in recent European history: Beckenbauer, Keane, Cantona and Henry.

by Will Burke, Christophe Lafargue, Lucas Lallinger, Chris Senior and Andrew Wenger

Football and Politics in Europe: 1930s-1950s

Learn about the uses of and struggles over football in Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and Communist Hungary

by Hilah Almog, Emma Anspach, and Taylor Spragens

The Football Industry in Contemporary Europe

A critical analysis of the coaches, managers, players, and back-room deals that make today’s European football industry work

by David Lue, Sabreena Merchant, Jeffrey Nash, and Ethan Settel

The Middle East

The history and politics of football in Iran, Iraq and Turkey, and an exploration of women’s soccer in the region

by Velihan Erdogdu, Risa Isard, Brian Kim, and Danny Mammo

Players and Migration

Learn about the legal implications of the Bosman ruling and follow controversies and debates surrounding players of immigrant background in France and Sweden

by David Carlson and Aron Yassin

The Politics of Football in Latin America

Explore the intersection of politics and football in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay

by Will Flaherty, Courtney Ginn, Langley King, David Levine and David Nammour

Scotland

From the nineteenth century to the present, an exploration of the history and passions surrounding Scottish football

by Bradford Colbert, Tran King, and Cullen Sinclair

The Soccer Market in the U.S.

Soccer has struggled to find a place in the professional sports of the U.S.  Why? What does the future hold?

by Julia Fogleman, Lucas Nevola and Kelsey Ontko

The Soccer War

In 1969, a qualifying World Cup match between El Salvador and Honduras started a war

by Claire Lockerby, Steven McMullen and Yuriy Veytskin

The World Cup in 2018 and 2022

After 2014 in Brazil, who will host these future world cups? Find out about the process and its history and the current bids

by Stephanie Decker and Umberto Playa

Women’s Soccer in the U.S.

Learn about the development of women’s soccer, relive the 1999 World Cup, and explore the past and future of professional Women’s Soccer

by Gretchen Miller, Jon Scheyer, and Emily Sherrard

Zidane and the 1998 World Cup

Zinedine Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, became an hero and commercial icon in France after clinching the 1998 World Cup for France

by Sarah Murphy and Alex Tschumi

We welcome comments, critiques and suggestions. Enjoy!