From the always excellent blog, CrossTraining:
"I Speak Soccer
Our last CoreTraining session with the team included the viewing of the soccer documentary “I Speak Soccer” (http://www.ispeaksoccer.com) and a discussion about the themes and issues raised by this look at the world’s game. Our journey went from Brazil to Thailand to Africa and interesting to all was a common theme that seemed to arise in that there is a token sense of spirituality that accompanies the “most beautiful game.”
For the Brazilians, there was much language which included “God” – how thankful they were to God for the game, the passion to play, the ability to play, etc. – and one almost felt invited into a family and welcomed even as a stranger into a home. For the Thai people, the expression was very different – as if the social, religious, and cultural values prevented certain formations of community and friendship – the “language” of football (soccer) felt more distant and cold with the Thai people than the warm, smiling Brazilians. In Nigeria, soccer and faith were again more tied together as soccer was a hopeful way out of the poverty, desperation, and suffering of the people.
If you have ever traveled across the borders of your own country or even the invisible boundaries that separate us culturally and ethnically within our cities, you know that there is a growing shift in the communities of the world. While technology claims to bring us closer together there is seemingly more that separates and divides and it is harder and harder to find common language and common ground... "
For the Brazilians, there was much language which included “God” – how thankful they were to God for the game, the passion to play, the ability to play, etc. – and one almost felt invited into a family and welcomed even as a stranger into a home. For the Thai people, the expression was very different – as if the social, religious, and cultural values prevented certain formations of community and friendship – the “language” of football (soccer) felt more distant and cold with the Thai people than the warm, smiling Brazilians. In Nigeria, soccer and faith were again more tied together as soccer was a hopeful way out of the poverty, desperation, and suffering of the people.
If you have ever traveled across the borders of your own country or even the invisible boundaries that separate us culturally and ethnically within our cities, you know that there is a growing shift in the communities of the world. While technology claims to bring us closer together there is seemingly more that separates and divides and it is harder and harder to find common language and common ground... "
Go here for the rest.
