Carlos Aguirre talks about the World Cup
Carlos Aguirre still remembers his first soccer ball.
It was a Christmas present when he was 3 or 4 years old -- quite a treat for a young boy growing up in a small town in northern Peru, where the neighborhood kids would wad up some socks or paper to play futbol, and use two stones or a pair of shoes to mark the goal.
"I grew up playing soccer virtually every day," he said. "We played on pavement or dirt or on the beach."
Today, Aguirre is an associate professor of history and director of the Latin American Studies Program at the University of Oregon. He remains an avid fan of soccer, and never more so than during the quadrennial FIFA World Cup, when he catches most of the games on television. He also incorporates the game into his coursework, teaching a freshman seminar called "Soccer and Society in Modern Latin America."
In an interview, Aguirre talked about the 2010 World Cup, and how the forces of globalization have changed the game in Latin America.
"The wealthiest clubs in the world are in Europe, so of the hundreds of South American players playing now in the World Cup, I would say 80 percent of them play in Europe," he said.
Young players in Latin America, such as Lionel Messi of Argentina, recognized as one of the best players in the world, are recruited by European clubs while still in their teens, and some never play professional soccer in their home countries, he said.
"That's becoming a trend, and it's very unfortunate," Aguirre said. "For the players themselves it's wonderful -- they take a lot of money, and they have an opportunity to play in the best leagues.
"But for the societies they are born in, for the future of soccer in these countries, it's really sad that the local fans never have an opportunity to watch these players play at home. It also affects this sense of community, of belonging.
"I love soccer but I cannot be blind to the presence of all these social and economic and political factors that affect the way we relate to the game."
Globalization also has changed the way the game is played on the field, Aguirre said.
"In the past, there was this distinction between the South American style and the European style, with the South American style being much more spontaneous, creative, fun to watch, not always effective, but beautiful, where individuals were given the freedom to make the plays they wanted.
"In opposition to that we have the European style -- much more rigid, based on strength and speed and collective effort."
But because so many South American players now play in European pro leagues, he said, "I think the distinction between these two styles is blurring. Now you need to be a little bit of both."
The United States' exciting run in this year's World Cup -- the U.S. team advanced from the preliminary round but was beaten by Ghana in the first game of the knockout round -- helped to generate more interest in the sport here, he said. Aguirre said he thinks the sport's popularity will continue to grow in the United States, though it will never surpass football, basketball and baseball.
"If you go to a bar, you see plenty of Europeans and Latinos there (watching World Cup games), but also a lot of U.S. fans," he said. "Not as many as we would like to see, but certainly it is growing. It is growing partly because it really is a beautiful game -- it is fun to watch -- but also because of the constant immigration from Latin America, and also from Europe."
On the day the United States played Ghana, Aguirre happened to be at Costco, and he noticed all the televisions were tuned to the World Cup.
"That's not something you see every day," he said. "So it's difficult, but not impossible to have soccer become a passion for many people in the United States, as it is in the rest of the world."
