I haven’t played Anarchist Soccer much for a couple of years. It’s not my more-than-full-time job that motivated me to stop playing. It was the change in values.
There was a mantra that the score of the game didn’t count. And that seemed to be true for the first few years that I played. (I started in earnest in 2005.)
However, I found that people were passing only to those whom they thought would score a goal. Their choice in passing had little to do with inclusion of all of their fellow players. Thankfully I have some skills, though I’m far from the best. I would get passed to, except from the most competitive players. Some other participants had little to no reason to return because they weren’t passed the ball much at all. As time went on, the fraction of the most competitive players, and those who valued scoring over inclusion of their teammates, became the majority. Competition among teammates became commonplace. To some regular attendees, Anarchist Soccer became scouting matches for other local teams. Bad passes and less-then-stellar ball handling skills were scolded on-field by respected participants as “not real soccer”.
I raised this issue a number of times, but those who were interested in listening and understood (i.e. those who also saw what was happening) weren’t able to prevent what we saw as a decline.
If the score really doesn’t matter, why wouldn’t a player pass to whomever on their team is open, regardless of that person’s ability to score?
I’ve played plenty of soccer in non-Anarchist Soccer realms. I can enjoy it. However, that sort of soccer is not something I’ve wanted to make time for since I played UT intramural in 2008.
My impression as I faded away from attending Anarchist Soccer regularly was that this competition vs. inclusion atmosphere ebbed and flowed. Perhaps things have turned around again. In any case, even if it’s all about competition and scoring goals these days, I’m guessing that the people who are currently playing are having fun and that that is what is keeping them attending. The value of inclusion may have been lost, but perhaps the value of competition underlies the continued use of the name “Anarchist Soccer” in some way that I do not relate to.
I wouldn’t want to live in an anarchist world where competition among peers was valued above inclusion, so I think that’s why I rarely attend Anarchist Soccer. Again, some people do still attend and there is value in that.
Just send an e-mail to unsubscribe@********.org and
server will unsubscribe you automatically. I do not believe you need
any specific subject line or body.
I haven’t mentioned the website because I don’t think most of the new folks know it exists… for good reason. And I don’t think that reason has anything to do with the effort Simon put into it, which has been considerable(thank you!). But, no one uses it because the group of people who were interested in viewing the a-soccer game through that lense aren’t on the scene now. From our Sunday game this week, I think Jared , myself and Eddie were the only folks who know what an Antifa is.
Using that political language to describe what we are doing now is counterproductive. Getting emails, from people you have never met about ‘violence’(of any sort) at soccer games is less likely to make those new folks read things on the list or come back to the games.
I feel the website is a good place to have that language on display, and I hope the community that feels strongly about it will invest in that channel (the website and the ‘stuff’ list) for dialog. The culture at the games has shifted away from explicitly political language and into politics by the deed. The shape and character of a-soccer right now is maintaiined by the participants learning from each other without teach-ins, without hand-outs, without slogans. And that I believe is why people continue to come, we police ourselves and take care of ourselves. Sometimes better than others……sometimes we fight, sometimes we disagree….that’s good it’s healthy. But the games continue, and you can come back after you fuck up. You can apologize and play with people you don’t like, and it’s all good because the culture is open and respectful. They don’t come to get caught up on the latest infoshop rumors(although they could…)
The new list is also about reflecting that cultural shift.
People come to the space for the game. They come back if they dig it, and they learn the principals by coming and participating every week. We have lots of folks who play that can’t even read this list(espanol?) But they come back to the space because they don’t feel judged there, they feel welcomed and respected.
The new list is about getting people into the space, without demanding a history lesson, where the learning can happen ‘organically’, by the deed. If folks want to come and hand out fliers for events/websites/parties/
fundraisers at the games I would be excited to have them come out, I’d probably help flier. But let’s have ‘that’ dialog at the game, with the participants, in their space.
Only a few people are utilizing the list serve. I’m lazy so I don’t mind the current method. Although I am indifferent on the new list I would rather not lose anyone that didn’t switch over. Soccer has changed and so has the community. We need more dialog from others but it’s clear who is channeling their voice. I hope to see more posts about potlucks and gatherings like the good old days. 2009 was the last tourney and I can still smell the green grass…
From another member, Jake:
“this should also be sent to old list. I guess I will forward it so that everyone can see it. any objections?”
Sent to the new list only:
“Footie Tonight…7pm…Shipe Park…will be fantastcikal….
Here’s why:
weather tonight: 58 degrees, coudy, No Rain.
weather sunday:54 degrees , no sun, rain.
Come out tonight and have a blast like we did on Tuesday.
Eric, Rene, Mary, Joe, Alfonso, Jon, Pedro, Myself and two very
polite, cool friends
from the neighborhood I don’t know were out.
oh, and some cubscouts, and their parents, and whole lot of
glowsticks.
come early for the glowsticks.
