Fútbol in the Park: Immigrants, Soccer, and the Creation of Social Ties

You know the scene: amateur soccer players battling over the ball, spectators cheering from the sidelines, vendors selling their wares from carts. Over the past half century, immigration from Latin America has transformed the public landscape in the United States, and numerous communities are witnessing one of the hallmarks of this transformation: the emergence of park soccer. In Fútbol in the Park, David Trouille takes us into the world of Latino soccer players who regularly play in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood where they are not always welcome. Together on the soccer field, sharing beers after the games, and occasionally exchanging taunts or blows, the men build relationships and a sense of who they are. Through these engrossing, revealing, and at times immortalizing activities, they forge new identities, friendships, and job opportunities, giving themselves a renewed sense of self-worth and community. As the United States becomes increasingly polarized over issues of immigration and culture, Fútbol in the Park offers a close look at the individual lives and experiences of migrants.


Author: David Trouille
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 01/12/2021
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.52d
ISBN13: 9780226748887
ISBN10: 022674888X
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Sociology | Urban
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | American | Hispanic American Studies
- Sports & Recreation | Soccer

About the Author
David Trouille is associate professor of sociology at James Madison University. This is his first book.