Constructivism can be applied to soccer. Constructivism looks at how the identities of states determines their interests. For this theory to be applied to soccer teams, soccer teams must be considered as states, as they control their own territory within the stadiums of their sport.
As teams originate due to different countries of origin or religious backgrounds, the teams form an identity. The premise of the team’s identity is either religion or nationalism. According to Wendt, “A fundamental principle of constructivist social theory is that people act towards objects, including other actors, on the basis of the meanings that the objects have for them” (Wendt 1992, pg. 60). As the followers of the team chant for their team or make crude insults at the fans of the opposing team, the followers are assigning meaning to the teams. One example of this is when the fans from a team called Chelsea made antisemitic remarks regarding the Jewish tradition of circumcision towards the Jewish fans of the team from Tottenham. To shut down the heckling, the Jews from Tottenham responded to the anti-semitism by proudly showing off their circumcised private parts (Foer 2010, pg. 80). By participating in the heckling, the fans have created the idea of a “self” and “other” (Lecture 5).
The creation of identities may cause conflicts between the fans of the two teams, as was the case with Red Star Belgrade (the serbian team) and Dinamo (the croatian team). According to Foer, “a brawl engulfed the entire stadium, with the combatants identified by the color of their shirts” (Foer 2010, pg. 16). The stadium unrest was part of an ethnic war in Yugoslavia, as the stadium was previously equipped to prepare for a brawl of the ethnicities. The two teams had conflicting ethnic identities that led to chaos in the stadium.
In creating two separate entities, security communities may form. The Jewish soccer club called HaKoah took athletes from its other boxing and wrestling clubs that the team had, and turned them into bodyguards (Foer 2010, chapter 3). The bodyguards formed a security community, so that they could provide protection to Jewish fans in case antisemitic tensions would rise to an unsafe level. To protect people that hold the same identity from violence and civil unrest is to form a security community.
Constructivists also look at the idea that society is socially constructed. This idea can be applied to soccer as the teams and their associated cultures can also be socially constructed. The Celtics were created because the Catholics were afraid that members of their community were being converted to Protestantism. The Protestants had wealth and soup kitchens to attract Catholics and influence them. To unite the Catholic community, the Celtics were formed and worked/played hard to create their own success. As the Celtics became more successful, the Rangers were created and eventually became a Protestant institution. The culture of the two teams became polarized as the two teams held on to their religious identities. The Rangers would not hire Catholics and prevented promotion to those who married Catholics. Also, when at the games, fans are expected to associate themselves with a team. Foer was given a scarf to support the Celtics and was forced to stand during a goal (Foer 2010, pg. 51). As a result of these two events, Foer had to support the team even though he intended to be neutral. Due to the religious rivalry between the Celtics and the Rangers, the teams and their cultures are socially constructed.
Constructivism can be applied to soccer. The teams have identities, create a “self” and “Other”, form security communities, and socially construct the societies around them. The teams can represent states as they control the territory of their stadiums.
Good post!
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting how you were able to mold soccer into constructivism so well. All the points you made were accurate. Foer's book definitely gives many examples of how soccer explains the world we live in today. Soccer is forever changing and I think that is why it can be tied to constructivism better than any other IR theory. Constructivism changes because people change. Your post makes me question the origins of some of my favorite soccer clubs and how their identities shape the area they exist in.
Thanks John! I agree with you that Constructivism changes as people change. As mentioned above, the basis of identity come from nationalism, ethnicity, religion, or a combination of the variables. These variables are also important in international relations as identity can be a factor of the policies that a country makes. As a result, when a nation changes its identity, the domestic and international politics of the country will also change.
DeleteGreat post! I appreciate your refreshing connection between constructivism and soccer. Like John, I agree that soccer is most closely tied to constructivism because soccer is always changing but also because constructivism and soccer are both so heavily rooted in identity. With both soccer and constructivism within states there is a sense of loyalty. For states, to religion and for soccer to their home team. There is an interesting parallel between soccer and constructivism that I had not explored before.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tyler! I agree that there is a sense of loyalty. I did not think of loyalty as a factor of identity when I wrote the blog post. However, I think loyalty is very relevant to nationalism, religious pride, and ethnicity.
DeleteHarrison, I enjoy the way you cite specific pages in your post. You explain where soccer fits in constructivism well and make points regarding identity that resonated with me and are reflected in my own post. However, I would argue that not all team identity is constructed entirely on nationalism or religion. In the case of teams that are perennial powerhouses there is an identity built on winning. These teams have the big markets, attract the large fan bases, and pay the best players and have built themselves into symbols of winning known worldwide. I don't think teams like Barcelona or Bayern Munich or Manchester United specifically represent the country they are from or a religious group but that they are identified as transcendent powers consistently atop their respective leagues. Constructivism certainly weaves well with soccer and your post is well developed; some teams are just juggernauts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt! I agree with you; I had not considered your points when I wrote this post.
ReplyDeleteI like how easy-to-follow and how well-structured your post was, primarily based on constructivism. You lay out in detail how soccer clubs form self and other identities, how they form security communities, and how these contribute to the overall building of “the societies around them”. Kudos for citing a reading as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don’t know that statehood can so easily be stripped down to the three factors you identified. Soccer clubs may have all these factors, yes, but they are not considered states for a variety of reasons. Constructivism is very useful when applied to IR and looking at states, but it is not limited in its scope like realism. It can be applied to darn near everything humans are involved in, including such quasi-nations as soccer clubs and their fanbases.
Thanks Ben. I did not know that constructivism is not as limited as realism. Thus, I was arguing that it is applicable to soccer and instances of Foer's story. I agree with you that constructivism can be applied to almost everything that humans are involved in.
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