Built by the two Varelas: The rise and fall of football culture and national identity in Uruguay

► We analyze the impact of football players' migration on national team performance. ► We provide a theoretical model and empirical evidence. ► Migration of national team players improves international football performance. ► This result holds particularly for countries with lower quality football clubs. a b s t r a c tWe analyze the impact of human capital formation through migration on performance by studying the impact of football players' migration to foreign clubs on their origin countries' international football performance. In our model, migration to foreign clubs allows players to improve their skills. Its impact on national team performance is positive and increasing with the difference in quality between foreign and home country clubs. To test this prediction, we have collected information on the club of employment of national team players for most countries in the world. We have constructed an original migration index, weighing each emigrant player by the quality of the foreign club employing him. We find strong and robust support for the theoretical prediction that migration of national team players improves international football performance, particularly for countries with lower quality football clubs.

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“…5 See e.g. Giulianotti (1999), Maguire (2008), Andreff (2004Andreff ( , 2009). 6 For a review, see Docquier and Rapoport (2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When drains and gains coincide: Migration and international football performance

2013

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“…Soccer provides a constant cultural production, displayed for all. Giulianotti (1999b) found that soccer helped to establish a sense of national identity in Uruguay. For the supporters of the chant on Twitter, the chant reified their culture and their national heritage.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

#FIFAputos

Rodriguez

2016

Communication & Sport

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The word puto introduced semantic controversy into the 2014 World Cup. The word has been equated by some to a homophobic slur among the ranks of fag and faggot. American media and equality activists petitioned against the use of the word in Entertainment and Sports Programming Network and Univision broadcasts. Mexican soccer fans who used the word in a chant during matches argue that the word has no homophobic context in its use and is instead geared at distracting the opposing team. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) opened up an investigation into the use of the word by Mexican soccer fans and concluded that it was not a violation of their code of conduct and permitted its use; however, debate around the word still exists. Even though the debate was covered thoroughly by American media, stories failed to express the views and perspectives of those in support of the chant. The current study employed a textual analysis of tweets defending the chat that included the hashtag #FIFAputos. Employing the theoretical lens of McCormack’s homosexually themed language, the findings add nuance to the cultural, temporal, and spatial context of semantic meaning. Four themes also organically evolved from the analysis.

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“…[43] The number of young football players travelling from Africa and South America to Europe is not known; in the late 1990s it was estimated that about 400 young players left Uruguay to play in Europe. [44] Sports trafficking has only recently been brought to public attention and reliable data to quantify this problem are largely lacking.…”

Section: Some Professional and Competitive Sports Have Become Burdenementioning

confidence: 99%

Meeting the Global Demand of Sports Safety

et al. 2008

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Sports and physical activity are transforming, and being transformed by, the societies in which they are practised. From the perspectives of both competitive and non-competitive sports, the complexity of their integration into today's society has led to neither sports federations nor governments being able to manage the safety problem alone. In other words, these agencies, whilst promoting sport and physical activity, deliver policy and practices in an uncoordinated way that largely ignores the need for a concurrent overall policy for sports safety. This article reviews and analyses the possibility of developing an overall sports safety policy from a global viewpoint. Firstly, we describe the role of sports in today's societies and the context within which much sport is delivered. We then discuss global issues related to injury prevention and safety in sports, with practical relevance to this important sector, including an analysis of critical policy issues necessary for the future development of the area and significant safety gains for all. We argue that there is a need to establish the sports injury problem as a critical component of general global health policy agendas, and to introduce sports safety as a mandatory component of all sustainable sports organizations. We conclude that the establishment of an explicit intersection between science and policy making is necessary for the future development of sports and the necessary safety gains required for all participants around the world. The Safe Sports International safety promotion programme is outlined as an example of an international organization active within this arena.

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Built by the two Varelas: The rise and fall of football culture and national identity in Uruguay

Cited by 12 publications

References 11 publications

When drains and gains coincide: Migration and international football performance

When drains and gains coincide: Migration and international football performance

#FIFAputos

Meeting the Global Demand of Sports Safety

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