FYS 22 Understanding Society through Soccer
Beginning in England over 150 years ago, association football, commonly known as soccer in the United States, has evolved from a working-class tradition to a multi-billion dollar global industry. Argentina's World Cup final victory over France in 2022 had a global audience of roughly 1.5 billion people, making it a far larger event than the 2022 NFL Super Bowl's audience of roughly 115 million. Passion for the game connects fans in the legendary arenas of Wembley Stadium (England), Estadio Azteca (Mexico), and Maracanã Stadium (Brazil) among others, to the suburban fields of the United States, and makeshift pitches across the globe. Given its ubiquity, with possibilities to watch the game on television 24/7, not to mention on the small screen of everyone’s smartphone, one wonders, how can soccer be used as a prism for learning about society? Open only to first-year frosh.