Time for a Union of Los Angeles Fútbolistas?
Alma Lopez, La Briosa
Acrylic on Canvas, 12"x12", 2006
Friday, March 5, 2010
Union of Los Angeles Fútbolistas
I just finished a workout in my local park here in Los Angeles, and got into a conversation about soccer with a park employee. He affirmed that when the city renovated the park, it placed (underutilized) baseball fields there to get rid of the adult Latino men who were attracted to the park for its soccer games. How, exactly, is that not discrimination? And what's up with these park rec centers and the near complete absence of programming for adult women (apart from Yoga and, like, cooking classes).
Time for a Union of Los Angeles Fútbolistas?
Time for a Union of Los Angeles Fútbolistas?
2 comments:
Feedback? Let me know what you think. Just an FYI: all comments posted to this blog are recorded, whether I publish them or not. I do not publish generally hateful comments - whether they be directed at me or at players and teams or other readers. I appreciate reader feedback, especially from those whose contributions add nuance and complexity to the story.
Jennifer: As the type of Mexican who grew up following baseball so closely he never gave a second thought to soccer until college, and as a zacatecano who knows hundreds of his paisanos play in their own leagues every Sunday (as you well know, Zacatecas has no first-division team, and a laugher of a second-division one), I can't accept the conclusions posited by the worker you spoke to. Your idea of a union, on the other hand, I can!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by the directness with which he confirmed my most paranoid rants about this particular park. re - a union - the women playing in LA Municipal are ripe to take this step - playing on the shittiest fields, in 8 weeks we have played 2 games, as a sprinkle of rain is enough to turn this pitches into puddles.
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