Charles Parrish

Fútbol cantitos: negotiating masculinity in Argentina

Fútbol as a source of national identity for many Argentineans has been documented by several scholars. Literature on how it represents the broader scope of Argentine society continues to develop. During the most significant period of modernization, many dwelling within Argentina searched for representation of the cultural and social essence of their respective locales. Social clubs became well organized throughout the country and each served as the pillar of identification many sought. Fútbol competitions soon offered an outlet with which to construct and affirm particular identities. Argentinean futbol fans continue this practice today. How football supporters live and enact their fandom have been explored widely in Europe. In particular, recent work has begun to examine the popular cultural forms that emerge from sports fans, particularly songs, chants and the use of musical instruments. An analytical study of the songs and chants composed and delivered by the militant (barras bravas) and casual fans from the various fútbol clubs provides for a broader social understanding of the pratice of fandom in Argentina as well as the expressing of ‘maleness’ in contemporary Argentina.

Are You Ready for the Extra Inning? An Exploratory Study of the Evaluation of Professional Sport Teams’ Websites as Marketing Tools to Prospective Meeting/Event Customers

Professional sport organizations and stadium administrators strive to create additional revenue sources beyond sports events to maximize profits due to their limited usage of facilities on game days. This study evaluated professional sport teams’ website contents and features/services offered to prospective non-sporting event customers. The results indicated that a majority of the professional sport teams were not efficiently utilizing their websites to market their stadiums as non-sporting event venues. The findings of this study offer a starting point for both researchers and practitioners in the professional sport stadiums segment of the event/meeting industry to identify specific areas to improve their website marketing efforts

Sports Stadiums as Meeting and Corporate/Social Event Venues: A Perspective From Meeting/Event Planners and Sport Facility Administrators

Meeting and event planners are constantly searching for unique venues to increase attendees’ satisfaction by providing a one-of-a-kind experience. Many newly constructed or renovated sport facilities strive to position themselves as a unique meeting/event venue. This research investigated the perceptions of meeting/event planners (buyers) and sport facility administrators (sellers) to identify and compare their perceived quality of professional sport stadiums as a meeting and corporate/social event venue. A qualitative research method (mix of interview and open-ended questionnaire) was used to collect data. The findings indicate there are differences and similarities in perceived advantages and disadvantages by each side. The event/meeting planners perceived inferior quality of audio/video (A/V) and food and beverage (F/B) service, a complex planning process, and unknown price structure as disadvantages. Notably, sport stadium administrators perceived their high quality on-site F/B and comparable A/V as their advantages as a unique event venue. This study provides useful information for sports stadium administrators striving to develop effective marketing and branding strategies to enhance the positioning of their facility as an attractive meeting and corporate/social event venue.

Pibes, Cracks and Caudillos: Argentina, the World Cup and identity politics.

Scholars of Argentine fútbol have explored the construction of fútbol criollo and how this style of play has factored into the broader debate over national identity in Argentina. Focusing on the performance of the key Argentine personalities at the FIFA World Cup from 1958 to 1990, this essay explores how fútbol represented a contested vision of the nation across five decades. After a 24-year absence at the FIFA World Cup, and in the wake of the overthrow of President Juan Perón, Argentina underachieved at the 1958 tournament. The country would later experience a number of disappointments en route to eventually winning the 1978 and 1986 World Cups. However, across this time span (and beyond) the team’s style of play and identity became the subject of intense debate. Popular discourse revealed a preference between two approaches seemingly in juxtaposition to each other. On the one hand, traditionalists favoured the criollo style, which celebrated the pibe (the young kid from the streets) and the potrero (the dusty fields where fútbol is practised) as emblematic of the nation. These symbols represented the working class and elevated the life of the barrio as an anchor to the nation’s humble beginnings. On the other hand, reformers preferred approaches that proved successful in Europe. Sometimes described by critics as anti-fútbol, the emphasis was on physicality, strict adherence to tactics and data-driven training. Proponents in Argentina equated this European approach to progress and modernity. Between 1958 and 1990, notable Argentine personalities at the FIFA World Cup embodied both of these philosophies.

Building Character and Socialising a Revolutionary: Sport and Leisure in the Life of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara

This essay focuses on the role sport and leisure played in the life of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara during childhood and adolescence. Specifically, the essay conceptualises how his sport and leisure experiences contributed to making Guevara the revolutionary and guerilla fighter. To be sure, a number of works on Guevara do recount his participation in sport but few specifically reflect on how these experiences may have influenced his later life. To accomplish this, I provide case examples of Guevaras engagement with sport and leisure during childhood and adolescence and link those experiences with the theoretical and philosophical foundations that position sport as a useful socialising agent and character-building tool. The goal of this work is to provide a paradigmatic lens that argues sport and leisure played a significant role in the development of a young Ernesto Guevara. These early experiences influenced and, in some cases, altered the path of the ambiguous adolescent who would later become the iconic twentieth-century Latin American revolutionary known around the world as Che.