The Meaning of Soccer to the Hispanic Community

As a part of the Hispanic community, the meaning of soccer is big for our society. Growing up the only sport anyone ever cared about was soccer and there was a big meaning to everyone around me. Like any other culture, it has a sport that means a lot to us.  For example, Americans care for football more than soccer and Hispanics care more for soccer than football. Most of the FG soccer team belongs to the Hispanic culture and have been taught to watch soccer and play soccer. They grew up playing and admiring this sport because that’s how they were raised. They truly have a passion for the sport. Some of the boy’s varsity soccer team players were interviewed and asked some questions.

Due to the fact they have a Latino/Hispanic background, in the interview some questions asked were “How did you start playing soccer and how were you introduced to it?” Elvis said, “I felt like it was in my blood, like I was born with it. My family got together on Sundays and watch soccer. My dad really encouraged me to play and since then I’ve been continuing to play”. We also included Brian Custodio and Jose Diaz in the interview. Brian said “I started playing around seven and I grew up watching soccer. My whole family was encouraging me to be a soccer player and I grew to love the sport.” Jose said, “I played since I was little and my family encouraged me to play.” During this interview, we also asked them, “How do you guys feel when you lose and win? And how do you guys feel like when your family/friends support you?” Elvis states, “When we win it feels good we represent FG and it makes us feel proud but when we lose I feel empty and a lot of sadness.”  Brian said, I feel a lot of sadness when we lose but when we’re out there playing I get nervous and I remember we represent FG. When we win it means so much to us. We’ve gotten a lot of support this year and when family and the crowd cheered it feel amazing and rewarding.” They expressed their connection and meaning through soccer, which means a lot to them. The importance of this sport was truly amazing and strong and that’s proved to be true through their dedication and love for the sport.

Through the eyes of the supporters and fans of the sport as well as the players, it is clear that this sport means a lot to the Hispanic community. Having the amount of passion that the players have when they play soccer shows a lot in the field. Growing up hearing and watching the sport sparks passion in many to play the sport. Soccer has always been the main sport for the Hispanic community and some like to play it for fun but also because they want to play it professionally. They feel soccer brings people together since it is a really competitive sport in which one must try their best as an individual but also their best as a teammate. Players bond through this sport and build a brotherhood. It’s important to be competitive but it’s also important to the players to have good sportsmanship because it shows to the crowd, family, and friends that they are going to be humble no matter what. This sport brings people together and becomes a big community because it’s a sport that has always been supported by the Hispanic community for a long time.

Soccer means a big part of the Hispanic culture so much that they watch soccer games every Sunday and talk about it. It represents a bond between the people that support the same team. The passion has been taught through many generations and has grown into their children to help spread the meaning of soccer. Soccer means the same to the crowd as to the players: they feel the victory and they feel the losses like the players do. When the players play the people watching pray and wish them the best luck. Soccer really opens many different levels of passion and encouragement to the players and the sport.