Week 11

This week’s module has furthered my knowledge of football, as I have learned that football is a significant site of political meaning, not merely entertainment. The idea of a “fury and failure” narrative in Spanish football has helped me to realize how national identity is created through stories that portray national character as passionate and strong, and how failure is explained in terms of external factors (Winkel, 2023). This has helped me to challenge my preconceived ideas and has shown me that football represents a country’s understanding of itself, particularly in terms of success and failure.

What stands out most in these readings is how football acts as a tool of power, both at a micro and macro level. In the Spanish context, football was used under Franco to promote nationalism and a sense of unity, while masking underlying tensions in Spanish politics (Winkel, 2023). However, in the article on Copa del Rey, football is revealed not just as a tool of power from above, but also from below, through football fans’ actions. The final acts as a stage where identity is performed, as witnessed in acts such as booing the national anthem, which represents resistance and dissent in regions and politics (Winkel, 2020). On the other hand, The World Cup as World History reveals football as a tool of power on a global stage, with nations using football to project their identity, prestige, and power (Bowman, 2019). From these readings, football acts as a tool in constructing, performing, and projecting political identity.

One such observation is the relationship between unity and division. Although the role of football is emphasized as being unifying, the Spanish experience indicates the existence of deep divisions between central and regional identities, which means football can also be seen as a force for division (Winkel, 2020). A significant question arises here: how aware are football fans of the fact that by engaging in football culture, they are expressing themselves politically as well?

In conclusion, this module has altered my point of view because it has shown me football is a complex cultural system where identity, power, and politics are constantly being negotiated at both the national and global levels.