Marxism In Soccer

The most worldwide played sport in the world is soccer. Soccer is loved and played by many, but could soccer be seen in a punk and Marxist perspective? Many people play the game without considering the fact that maybe players can be being taken advantage of in a bourgeoisie system created by club owners and coaches. Soccer is a sport that could be seen as having and oppressed people like the proletariat and a higher class like the bourgeoisie. Throughout the essay, you will be informed on numerous ways systematic oppression can be placed on players by coaches and owners. In addition, you will also see ways that players can revolt against such oppression and take control in an effort to show the value of having a Marxist viewpoint. Therefore, …show more content…
Soccer players can relate to punk because they didn’t take any crap from society and revolted against systematic oppression and social norm. Soccer players have created unions and have banded together to form as one to create demands so that they are not taken advantage of. The players are ensuring that they are rightfully compensated for earnings and are able to make demands that should be met by coaches and club owners. If players choose to form together to boycott games they could force the coaches and owners to legitimize them as a strong meaningful group. In the article, Popular Culture and Revolutionary Theory: Understanding Punk Rock by Neil Eriksen he said “Publicity turns consumption into a substitute for democracy. The choice of what one eats (or wears or drives) takes the place of significant political choice. Publicity helps to mask and compensate for all that is undemocratic within society.” Meaning that publicity is a form of democracy and can eliminate any silencing forces. Furthermore, punk used clothes, hairstyles, music and publicity to let their message be heard by the entire world. Soccer players could use publicity to resist unfair treatment by boycotting games, holding press conferences, having protests, and creating media based movements. In result of such a public display of defiance they …show more content…
Players could also be considered as the higher power and influencing force because they overall create the revenue the owners and coaches make. Players can control how much money coaches and owners make, how good the team is and how much they are liked by society resulting in them having power. With that being said, players have a strong ability to reform the system in place to create a democracy which could lead to equality and fairness between the two groups. In the play, Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez, the theme was not to underestimate people because they are perceived to be of a lower class then you in societal terms. For example, in the play a robot perceived to be a human salesman was selling robotic Mexican workers to a woman so that she could use it at her job to work in administration. The robotic salesman was showing the lady numerous Mexicans that she did not find up to par because of the defects that came with them. Furthermore, the woman found what she needed from the salesman and still left with a defective worker not realizing that she had been defrauded. The Mexican workers played into the stereotypical ideals that she had learned from society and took her money because they believed that she could never fathom being out smarted by a Mexican salesman. In regards to the play and relating it to soccer, the