For weeks leading up to last Wednesday, one question was on everybody's lips, "Are you going to the game?" "Did you get tickets?" On the Spanish-language radio, the DJs talked up the soccer game between the Mexican national team and Iceland. And finally on Wednesday, the day arrived. I won't say it was anticlimactic, because, despite all the hype, and the fact that only the Mexican bench and junior players trying to make the last spots on the World Cup squad showed up, or that the match ended in a 0-0 tie, it was still one of the most exciting sporting events I've ever attended.
Why? Well, first off, outside the stadium before the game, there was an ocean of green jerseys, of fans with their faces painted, of flags and banners showing pride in Mexico and the provinces where people come from, of adults and kids, for many of whom this was their first opportunity to see the Mexican national team play in person. Second, both outside and inside the stadium, this mass of people translated into a wall of sound, with noisemakers, cheers, dancers dressed in Aztec headdresses and beating drums, noise sticks, etc. It was the loudest Panthers Stadium has probably ever been. Third, although Mexico was highly favored to win, Iceland's team made it a close game and held Mexico to a tie. Finally, the folks I went with had tremedous seats, three rows back from the field.
For those of you who don't care for sports (here's looking at you, mom) and might remark that this was just a soccer game, I would tend to agree that it really doesn't change the grand scheme of things, except for one nagging detail. In the Charlotte Observer on Thursday, an article by Scott Fowler described the match. The article is mainly positive, a write up in the typical vein of, "Look at the non-Americans, so crazy for soccer which we think is a boring sport here." But if you look below at the comments, suddenly coverage of the game becomes a stalking horse for the slow destruction of America by immigrants. If it's just a game, then why does it provoke such hatred and vitrol?
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/03/25/1334846/el-tri-sends-mexicos-fans-into.html?pageNum=10&&&&&&&&&&&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container
Maybe it's the symbolism of Mexicans taking over space downtown for one night, disrupting traffic patterns, showing that they (and soccer) deserve a place in Charlotte? Or is it that Mexicans too can engage in mass sports consumerism, having corporate "fun zones" and ads in Spanish on the giant stadium television screen?
Franco Ordonez, a reporter who write a blog on Latino issues for the Charlotte Observer, wrote about the Fowler story and the backlash. Here is his blog entry:
http://obsthisland.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-did-article-about-soccer-turn-in-to.html
And finally here are some pictures of the game:
Fans of "el Tri" gather in front of the stadium-
Ruben passing out stickers for Immigration Reform prior to the game (with Tony):
There were a few Iceland fans in attendence:
Aniel, Tony, me and Isaac, by our seats:
A true fan:
A free kick:
No trip to see Mexican soccer would be complete without a visit to the taco truck afterwards.
Sam, I really enjoyed this post. I read those comments in the Observer article and they made me sick! It'd be interesting to see what kind of economic impact the game had on uptown Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteAlso...I heard you had some trouble getting a taco???