What stood out to me from both readings were two completely different things but I personally believe are very interesting. I do have many thoughts from the readings. The first came from chapter six of Golazo! I understand in this time period how xenophobia was prevalent. But why? It is obviously self explanatory. Its racism and a superiority complex. With The World cup as History, I see a transitional period from war to seeking economic power. And that is what Brazil was trying to do. It sought to not only take over the game of soccer, but also economic and political power.
To briefly explain, there were already conflicts of Anglo saxon attitudes towards the Argentinians. Charles Buchanan, who was an editor of Football Monthly, believed that referees from England should come over and officiate the games. He believed that those with latin blood were hostile. To his point, the English referees did not have pistols in games like the Argentinians. But this was incredibly xenophobic and racist. Because that would have meant that Buchanan already had a disposition of how people were in Latin America. It seemed also to be an attempt to glorify those of Anglo-Saxon ancestry. But let’s fast forward past World War II and look at Brazil.
After World War II, Brazil sought to not only dominate in the sport of soccer, but also economically and politically. They had decided to do this through the sport of soccer. The Brazil government had decided that they were going to do this by investing in the sport. So in 1950 they had decided that they were going to host the world cup. They had also decided that they were going to build another stadium called Maracana. This was a testament to the significance of growth for Brazil globally.
What I can conclude from this while trying to tie down both together is this. Both seemed to push for some power and superiority. While one was doing it through xenophobia, the other did it politically. They both wanted something out of the sport of soccer. The question is by what means? They seemed to want to have their investments through those who supported the game. But at what cost? And the cost was revealed as the readings continued. Which involved a lot of propaganda.
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