Soccer or association football is one of the most popular sports in Mexico. While lucha libre and bullfighting are part of Mexican identity, soccer can and has been a source of pride and nationalism for the country. This can be seen in the Mexican soccer league’s greatest rivalry, in its national teams’ successes, and in how the sport is a part of many Mexicans lives.
Mexico, like many nations, had soccer introduced to it in the late 19th century by British transplants and workers. In Mexico the British miners introduced the sport to the locals and in 1901 founded the first club, Pachuca. At this time in Mexico, foreign influence, including sport, was seen as a modernizing force by the upper class and the government. Parrish and Tyler state that:
The prevailing philosophy at the time included emulating cultural practices from North America and Europe as a means to demonstrate progress and modernity. While the government focused on gaining access to foreign investment for the purposes of developing an expansive rail and communication network among other national projects, common citizens could participate in the modernizing process through sport. Therefore, a leisurely football ‘kick a bout’ or tossing a baseball in the park was both political and hedonistic (774).
This idea that a sport, like soccer, could help change or shape international views of Mexico continued through the 1980’s when Mexico hosted the world cup. Arbena points out that, “This sports festival would open a new stage in the flowering of the national tourist industry and in the cooperation between government and private investment in developing programs of international acclaim” (1). Soccer, because it is the only truly global sport, was the best way for Mexico to relate to other countries. The shared love of the sport made it easy for others to relate and therefore do business in Mexico’s borders.
It is out of this new past time that the Mexican soccer leagues developed, and “By 1902, sufficient interest in football existed within the expatriate community to establish the first league. Companies began sponsoring teams for employees and private schools provided opportunities for students to participate in the sport, ostensibly to foster character development” (Parrish and Tyler 774). Out of these many soccer teams came the big two, Club America and Chivas de Guadalajara. Club America is based in Mexico City and associated with the cultural hub of Mexico. Chivas however has its home in Jalisco over five hundred kilometers away. Club America over time became associated with the upper class, partly due to its originally Spanish founders and partly because of its ownership by the largest television conglomerate in Mexico, Televisa. Parrish and Tyler state that, “For fans of the club, being Americanista is consistent with the club’s ability to acquire top domestic and international players as well as the success that comes along with such acquisitions” (775). Americas ability to acquire stars is a part of its elite identity. In contrast to this Chivas, “embraced the nationalist sentiments that swept the nation after the revolution and its puros Mexicanos (pure Mexicans) creed now serves as the basis for the Chivas brand” (Parrish and Tyler). Chivas plays only Mexican players in a creed that is a holdout from older nationalist sentiments and is in direct opposition to the ideals of Club America. This rivalry between global capitalist interests and traditional Mexican nationalism is an important battle in the hearts of many Mexicans.
While domestic rivalry is intense in Mexico, there is one thing that unites all Mexicans, international football. The world cup is the most coveted prize in world football. While Mexico has never won a world cup, their participation is a large source of pride for the country. For many Mexicans just seeing their team participate in the world cup is a point of pride. “Mexican leaders and other nationalists showed increasing interest not only in expanding the extent of international representation but also in promoting a variety of internal athletic programs” (Arbena 354). In the documentary Ilusion Nacional, it is shown that in the first world cup in 1930 Mexico faced both Spain and France. The narrator points out, “It’s impossible not to recall the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 when the much smaller Mexican army beat the powerful French” (Ilusion 17:10-17:19). While France defeated the Mexican team with a 4-1 score Mexicans viewed their participation as important. Refacing the former colonial powers such as France and Spain as their own country was no doubt important to the sense of Mexican pride and nationalism. Not only being their own entity but also being able to field a team of players under the Mexican flag. They would not participate in another World Cup until after World War 2 was over. Mexico would not win a world cup match until 1962 but from there their performances would vary over the years but with increasing quality. In the 1980’s Mexico hosted the world cup, a sign of increasing relevance on the world stage and another source of national pride. In an interesting anecdote from Ilusion Nacional, “The speakers at Azteca stadium where the Mexican National Anthem would resound, weren’t working” (43:50-44:00). In this match between Mexico, the host, and Belgium, the host’s national anthem would not play. In response the Mexican crowd sings the national anthem themselves in a moment of patriotic fervor. While Mexico have not yet won a world cup, they have won an Olympic gold medal in soccer in 2012. While not nearly the same level of significance as a world cup it is still an important trophy in the sport.
One of the most interesting aspects of Mexico’s national team history is its rivalry with the United States. In the documentary Ilusion Nacional, the narrator points out, “Their new rival: the most uncomfortable among all possible adversaries for the national team…Defeats or even draws with the United States have a very deep impact on Mexicans, a particularly devastating effect. And it makes sense; the United States always wins everything! (1:13:00-1:13:45) They also state that “Even when they lose, their propaganda machine manages to make their people and the world believe that they won” (Ilusion 1:13:55-1:14:05). Both teams have traded eras where one dominated the other. The rivalry began in the first world cup in 1930 and with each subsequent competition the rivalry has been fueled by geopolitics and various other factors. However, for the majority of the history of the sport Mexico has dominated, “From 1934 until the 1990s, the balance of power shifted, and Mexico dominated its northern neighbor on the pitch, regardless of where the matches were played” (Apostolov 2). However, as the U.S. interest in the sport increased, and with the emergence of American clubs and leagues, the rivalry became less one sided. This along with the formation of CONCACAF in the 1980’s, which confederates the soccer leagues in the North and South American regions, allowed for increased competition between the two countries. This unity allowed for more matches for the two teams and many Mexican “friendly” matches (exhibition matches) were played in the United States because they drew crowds. The rivalry between Mexico and the U.S. has become one of the oldest rivalries in international soccer. It is increasingly fueled by nationalism by both countries and the rivalry increases with relevance every match as both teams become better. In a way the “class” rivalry that has been a part of Mexican soccer finds its way here, as Mexico has generally been the poorer of the two countries. And the rivalry between a rich team and the scrappy team mirrors that of the domestic teams America and Chivas mentioned before.
Mexico, as the U.S.’s southern neighbor, has a colorful history that is usually overlooked by those that live north of the country. Despite this, Mexico has a huge sense of pride and nationalism that extends all the way down through one of its national pastimes, soccer. Soccer in Mexico is important to Mexicans and this is expressed through the domestic rivalry of Chivas and Club America as well as in international rivalries such as with the U.S. The countries history with soccer goes back over a century and over the years has become a source of pride for the Mexican people as the national team has participated in many world cups and while they have not yet won a world cup the Mexican people take pride in being a stalwart of the competition.
Bibliography
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Rubio, Olallo, director. Ilusión Nacional. 4 Apr. 2014.
Pieces of Cal and Peace of Mind 