Library ~ 11/9/07

I realized, reading Putnam, that the crux of this paper is the power of social norms to control relations, to influence institutions, and to socialize individuals. Put in the context of soccer, the community this represents comes to influence so many aspects of people’s lives. Politically this becomes an important tool because it reduces the necessity of legal enforcement (a costly and often polarizing undertaking) from the top, and allows for a much more subversive method of control. By making soccer a community affair, a sense of camaraderie is developed between players, families are more likely to interact with one another, and thus there will be more awareness of behavioral norms and of “others” moving into the community space.

As I witnessed in the few experiments done for HON 299, the power that these norms hold over me is significant on two levels; first is that I am largely unaware of this power because I never consciously challenge the boundaries, second is the level of control they exert over me when I come close to breaking them. What my thesis needs to explore is this relationship on a communal level. By looking at soccer as a construct, looking at its political past, and by looking at what civil society is, then it will be possible to understand the distinction between the institutionalized game and the casual one played in parks, on streets, and common areas.

When I am out in the community looking at soccer in a variety of settings, this is the interaction I am looking for. How do people respect each other (on the same team and on opposing ones)? Is this a result of social norms or strict governance by an authority figure?