Very quickly into this book, you will be presented with one of the central claims of the author: that soccer serves a vital role in integrating different backgrounds and cultures. It is something we have already been discussing in class: This is a relatively new “history” to study, and as such, there is not much academic work done. This presents challenges, but by studying a specific club (Club Atletico Atlanta) and its relation to a neighborhood (Villa Crespo), he can explore how one of the most prominent Jewish communities in Argentina was formed. Additionally, the author spends a lot of time in the Introduction and first few chapters talking about the clashes and challenges of desiring to retain a culture inside a new one.
Rein spends the first chapter talking about the influx of Jewish Immigrants into Argentina, and this is where he presents one of the first examples of “Jews becoming Argentinians.” As he puts it, “These Jews, striving for acceptance and belonging, embraced football, among other things local, as a way to shed their Old World traits and become Argentines” (Rein Ch. 1). There are plenty of rich examples outside of football that Rein presents, one of them being the creation of the idea of the Jewish Gaucho. I bring up this example because I thought at first it was a throwaway example, but when reading, I began to understand just how big the ramifications for this were. It made a Jew a legitimate Argentine. It showed that the Argentine Jew was a true part of Argentine culture and had “solid roots.” Lastly, it showed a Jewish contribution to Argentine soil for farmers-heavy places.
One of the author’s goals in these first few chapters is to emphasize the difficulty of immigrating for these Jews. The reason for this was to emphasize the importance of the Americas (specifically Argentina). For these Jews, escaping the situations that they were experiencing in Europe (the Holocaust), the Middle East (invasions and war), and all around the world was worth any difficulty to make it to these beautiful lands of opportunity. The problem that I think the book will get into further down the road, was the difficulty with assimilating once they arrived and settled.
