Final Remarks |
From my interviews
and research, I learned the history of Latino soccer leagues around Boston,
the infrastructure and organization of the current league in Somerville,
and the multi-faceted role of Latino soccer leagues in community building
and strengthening for Latinos in Somerville. My paper, For the Love
of the Game: Latino Soccer Leagues in Somerville, aims to describe
the history of Latino soccer leagues in order to provide a context for
the current state of affairs. It next explains the current organization
of the Central American Soccer League in order to 1) document the work
and activities of a sorely unrecognized, underrepresented community, and
2) provide specific details about the league that can then be analyzed
as either having a cultural impact or reflecting a cultural attitude or
practice of the Latino community in Somerville. Lastly, it describes the
different socio-cultural services provided by the soccer leagues that
help create and sustain strong community ties as well as ease the transition
for newly arrived immigrants. Overall it was a wonderful experience on
my part working with the Latino community in Somerville, and hope that
my work helps promote and support the continuance of the wonderful cultural
phenomenon of these soccer leagues.