Nobody Even Likes Soccer Essay Example

Soccer, ever since its establishment in the mid 19th century, has become one of the many sports that has a huge, enthusiastic fanbase or following. Whether a person is referring to a national, renowned team like the FC Barcelona team or a more locally known high school team like the Power Center Academy High School girls’ soccer team, it is evident that both the soccer players, coaches ,and fans indubitably have a passion and love for the sport. But, what's all the excitement for ? That's exactly why I sat out to see as I, an outsider to the soccer discourse community, decided to write an analysis the soccer discourse community. I also wanted to identify what set this community apart from others.

“Soccer Is A Sport, Not A Discourse Community”

Before one can indisputably say that soccer is not a discourse community, he or she must know what a discourse community is. A discourse community is a group of people who come together because there is a common interest in a topic. Some characteristics of a discourse community would be a specialized language used only within that community, which may also be referred to as Lexis or jargon. Also, to be a discourse community, a common goal should be shared amongst the members. Whether the goal is to make money, spread awareness of a topic, or even learn how to cook certain dishes, there has to be a goal within a discourse community. There should also be a means as to where members of that specific community communicate, which is known officially as a genre. An example of a discourse community would be a group of men who want to learn how to cook a salmon dinner for their wives. The goal would be learning how to cook that dish for their wives. An example of Lexis or jargon within that community could be cooking procedures or ingredients. While there are other factors that dictate the legitimacy of a discourse community, the ones previously listed are the main characteristics. Keeping this in mind, a person would be speaking hastily to say that soccer is not a discourse community. Through a series of interviews, I was able to get an understanding of the community of soccer as an outsider, and how the community seems to function.

Speaking With The Members

I asked several members a series of questions about their position in the discourse community, the different components within the community and how the community operates as a whole. I began by asking the members themselves if they believe that soccer was a discourse community ? Once I explained what makes up a discourse community, all of those interviewed felt as if soccer did meet the few requirements of a discourse community. Many discussed how soccer has Lexis or jargon, having a means of communicating, a way to gain and maintain membership, and having a common interest or goal.

I specifically asked “Is there jargon within your team ? If so, what are some examples of jargon? If not, why not? If not, do you believe the lack of Lexis discredits the community?” One member, Jordyn Harps, specifically said that “Yes, examples of our jargon is “front post, back post, middle” and “cover”. ” Now, as an outsider the community, I had little to no knowledge as to what these terms could mean. Therefore, I asked the member to further explain what it means when these terms are said. She said “they are just short-handed phrases used by members to get the message across quickly and efficiently. As a result of using these phrases, the members are able to tell where someone needs to be and what they need to do once they get into the proper position.” After listening to the explanation, it became explicitly clear that soccer does contain its own jargon, especially when these words or phrases are not common within daily dialogue outside the community.

Moreover, I asked the members more questions about factors within the discourse community. I proceeded to ask members about how they communicate with each other, how it can affect the overall performance of the team, and how it differs from the player's daily dialogue with others.. Specifically, a member named Brianna Armstrong, said “We usually just communicate verbally when we are in practice or during a game. Most of the time, we have to tell to make sure every member can hear what we're saying. However, sometimes yelling doesn't always have a positive effect on the overall performance. For instance, if the team isn't doing well in a game and I yell the usual phrases that I do, it may come off wrong among the other team members. On the other hand , if we're doing good, it gives the needed adrenaline rush and we do even better.” Since yelling usually carries a negative connotation, it can be hard for an outsider, like myself, to believe that yelling would improve the performance of the team. I asked Ms.Armstrong if she associated the same connotation with yelling and if she talks differently on a day to day basis. . She said “Absolutely, if I want someone to do something about my team, I'm going to yell it towards them. However, if I want my mom, friend or classmate to do something I wouldn't yell at them, unless they're far away. Even if they're far away, the tone I would use with them would differ from the tone I use with teammates.” This just further solidifies how the soccer team language and tone about things differs with people within the community and those outside the community .

Finally, I would like to accentuate what is important among members. Among all the members interviewed, there seemed to be common factors that were important to them. Most members , like Jaeda Brown, said that “Membership comes from who comes to practice, who actually tries, who wants it, who handles what needs to be handled on and off the field. Basically stating who puts forth that effort to prove that they belong on the field.” Another player, Jordyn Harps, made sure to emphasize how major participation and teamwork is important to her. Evidently, it can be said that the common motive of teamwork is within the community, further solidifying the soccer team as a discourse community.

To Sum It Up

After interviewing members from the soccer team, it is explicitly clear that soccer has definitely been a discourse community with its separate language and procedures of its own. Specifically, the fact that several members agreed that they mostly communicate by yelling further establishes the discourse community. Also, the language that players used left me dumbfounded until a player explained it to me. However, these are just mere factors that establish soccer as discourse community.