Faculty at Home: Nic Poppe

Please join Professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies Nic Poppe for a talk entitled “The Most Important of the Least Important Things: Soccer and Society in Latin America.”

Sayings of uncertain origin that widely circulate often convey profound truths. “Soccer is the most important of the least important things” is attributed by some to Jorge Valdano—the Argentine former footballer who began his career at Newell’s Old Boys and ended it at Real Madrid, before coaching Tenerife, Real Madrid, and Valencia—while others assume the words came from Arrigo Sacchi—who never played professionally but became one of the most influential managers in Italian soccer history—yet it doesn’t really matter, does it? Soccer has no essential bearing on our human existence, yet it has become central to how we live our lives. To say that it the most popular sport in the world seems almost too obvious. And it is, without a doubt, the most popular and important sport in Latin America. Touching upon the case studies explored in his course Soccer in Latin America, Professor Poppe will discuss intersections of the sport and society in specific historical contexts. In so doing, he hopes to show how something that is ultimately so trivial became so important in Latin America.