If you spend much time on Twitter, you’ll see all kinds of people calling for change in the beautiful game.
Hashtags like #ProRelUSA and #UncorporateSoccer are quite common here in the States, while influencers like Ted Westervelt offer a love/hate relationship in the social world. Overseas, players are still dealing with the more serious issues of racist chants, anti-antisemitism, neo-Nazis and the far-right.
Simply put, football and politics continue to be intertwined and not always in a good way. Creating change, especially of the positive variety, in either is not easy. But there is help on its way.
The second edition of Soccer vs. the State: Tackling Football and Radical Politics is the go-to guide to creating change and experiencing a paradigm shift in your thinking towards the game of football. It’s written by by Gabriel Kuhn, an author that has seen his fair share of controversy. The first edition was a slim 260 pages and drew rave reviews from ISN and just above everyone else all the way back in 2011.
The second is a hefty updated version that includes 332 pages of content. There are lots of true updates in the form of new content. Kuhn catches readers up to all the happenings over the past eight years, including the Middle Eastern uprisings, the FIFA scandal, and the strike by the Danish women’s team. There’s even a foreword from musician Boff Whalley, who is best known for being the former lead guitarist for Chumbawamba.
Kuhn is passionate about his work and that comes through loud and clear in Soccer vs. the State. This proves to be a must-read for any football fan that is not satisfied with the status quo. It is a text that will get you thinking. It will get you past the world of billionaire owners, celebrity players, and global brands, taking you back to the roots of a game that is called beautiful for a reason.
For those trying to create positive change in football, pick up this book and get to work. It will definitely show you the way.
