A Thinking (and Drinking) Fan’s Guide to the World Cup: The Social Science of Soccer

As the World Cup kicks off in Brazil, join our YPs, the rapid and the soccer-curious, and Andrew M. Guest of University of Portland, for a look beyond the pitch and the roar of fans. Explore the global phenomenon of soccer as a mirror and a lens of nationalism, happiness, identity, development, etc.  Guest, a professor of Psychology/Sociology and previously a columnist for the online soccer publication Pitch Invasion takes us on a roundabout tour of the World Cup that includes:
•         The Places (what are both the social issues surrounding Brazil's hosting the games as well as the broader meaning of sport to the various participating countries?);
•         The Players (how do stresses of elite performance, celebrity, and pressure to be role models play out?);
•         The Fans (how is nationalism, fan behavior and social identity amplified by the electricity of the World Cup?);
•         The Future (will the US ever win a World Cup? What are the bigger issues or cultural challenges with future hosts like Qatar and Russia? Can capital from World Cup have positive effect on development in Brazil?.