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Article: Do you like soccer?
- Article from:
- Queen's Quarterly
- Article date:
- September 22, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Queen's Quarterly. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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IN its present form, soccer provides a special forum for large crowds to affirm their collective identities and display local or national loyalties and antagonisms. It is in its particular ability to mobilize and demonstrate a sense of belonging that one should look for the extraordinary popularity of this sport. Any soccer contest - whether it pits cities, regions, or nations against one another - takes the form of warfare, complete with national anthems, military fanfare, and the flags of various groups of supporters.
But the true fascination of soccer does not stem from its unique capability to mobilize crowds. Its real attraction lies in the drama it creates, ...