Transnationality in the Terraces

In this episode of Meanderings with Manos, the host explores the concept of transnationality in soccer supporter culture in Los Angeles. Transnationality refers to the coming together and influence of different cultures in a geographic region. Los Angeles is a prime example of this, with its diverse population representing various cultures. Soccer, as a sport, has a unique cultural significance and acts as a unifying force for fans. The host discusses the three-tier system of soccer culture in the United States, consisting of British origins, American influences, and local identities. The case study of Chivas USA demonstrates how a team's careless approach in trying to attract a specific fan base can backfire. On the other hand, LAFC's success lies in their recognition of the fans' desires and their efforts to collaborate with them. The Ultra fanbase, originating in England, plays a significant role in shaping soccer culture, although it has evolved from its violent roots. Hello, hello, hello, good evening, good morning, good night, good whatever it is when you're listening to this, and I am glad you are. Welcome back to Meanderings with Manos, where today's episode, The Twists and Turns of Curves of Life, have brought me to sunny Southern California, specifically Los Angeles. Now I'm not here just to enjoy the sunshine and tacos, although my tan and up-going number on the scale suggest I've had more than my fair share of both. I'm here on a higher academic pursuit, which I've titled Transnationality in the Terraces, in which I track how transnationality can be seen and has influenced soccer supporter culture in Los Angeles. Now starting off with the basics, the foundation and building blocks of my work. What is transnationality? Well, on a very basic level, transnationality is when two or more cultures will come together, influence one another, and be present in the same geographical region. This can include the physical people, or an exchanging of ideas and theories. Los Angeles is very useful because, well, it has the very real people that represent the cultures that interact with one another. It is not simply a faint idea of Latin American culture, or a faint idea of what we consider to be American culture, coming together. It is the very real people, who bear that history on themselves, coming together to live in the same geographic area. Although there are, needless to say, far more cultures than those two I've listed, those two are of primary importance for me today. Now, transnationality in Los Angeles is interesting for two main reasons. The historical one is that it was originally founded by the Spanish in the 18th century, ceded to Mexico following Mexico's successful War of Independence, and then ultimately given to the United States in 1848 following the U.S.-Mexico War. Yet, although you can change the flag that flies on the pole no problem, you can't erase the reality on the ground, which is the people who live there, and who have lived there for generations at a time. That builds a real culture in the ground, which can be seen day in, day out, and which can be lived, which leads to the more modern problems any modern nation-state today needs to have, quote-unquote, secure and set borders. Yet, when the cultural reality is that those borders have already been bypassed, there are people who have equal parts, you know, histories living in Mexico and histories living in California. In Los Angeles, California used to be part of Mexico. So how does that come together? Aside from the Cinco de Mayo celebration, the United States has made a conscious decision through the funding of the border wall and other various systems, like detention centers, to not let that happen on a personal level anymore. Whoever is in, great. Whoever little we come in, we feel can offer us value, great. But for a large scale, no more. Yet, soccer interests me because it can't be regulated as such. Soccer is an expression of the people, as it's proven through its history. Originally, it is a British game, founded in Eton School in England, one of the elite private institutions, home of the Eton Mets, and most of the British Prime Ministers, neither here nor there. But what it also did was, there was a history of soccer at the same time, building from the ground, from the quote-unquote lower classes. And over time, those two traditions would amalgamate into the modern game we have today. Thus, especially in England, where the game has its roots traditionally, it is not an aristocratic game in the way that cricket is, to a certain extent, or a lower class activity, like they had considered drinking and theatre-going, well, cheap theatre-going. It was a game for all levels of economic standing, which caused an immense level of civic pride to build and form. Now, one of the ways this was done was simply through representing a specific geographic area. Names like Liverpool, the soccer team in England, represents the city. People have a vested interest. Yet soccer gains a specific cultural importance from a religious-based approach. I'm not calling soccer a religion, folks, but there are some commonalities. Namely, there is a routine, in the same way that people will go to church, for example, every Sunday. People will go to the soccer stadium every Saturday, in the same way that on the Sunday there are certain routines and traditions into when you do the sign of the cross, and when you say our Father who art in heaven. Those same traditions apply in soccer as to when you chant, when you cheer, when you put up your scarf, when you express jubilation or when you feel sad. And in that same process, those rituals become sacred in the fan's mind, and those that can bring that to them, i.e. the players and teams, are elevated in their own mind into a special standing, into a representation of themselves, the fans, abroad, as they play other teams and they go outside. Therefore, they have a vested interest in how the team and the fan base is displayed. This leads to two main ideas here. The way that this will be tackled is that, how does this form in the United States, is the basis of my analysis, and it is useful to think of it as a three-tier system. The base tier is of British origin, of British culture. The sport is English, the rules are the same as those in England, and the fan base structures, like the founding of Ultraroots, which I will go into a bit later, are fundamentally English. Yet, there comes the second tier. Those teams, like those I'm analyzing in LA Galaxy and LAFC, LA Football Club, are not in England. They're in the United States, they're in Los Angeles, and so they follow and are influenced by wider trends of American fandom, which, again, I will go into later. And the third is the ultra-local, the ultra-specific. How do these fans view their own background, themselves internally, and what they want to represent of themselves and of Los Angeles? Now, one case that sticks out is how this can be misused. In the case of Chivas USA, in 2004, Major League Soccer, the league in which the team's playing, would award Jorge Vergara a team. What makes Jorge Vergara a specific example is that he already owned the Mexican side, Deportivo de Guadalajara, very successful in Mexico, and so, in theory, why wouldn't he be successful in the United States? Well, he had an approach of garnering a fan base around an allegiance to Guadalajara and Mexico as a general. His team would be placed in Los Angeles, and they would be called Chivas USA. Chivas would be a nickname of the Guadalajara team, meaning goat. But the real team's name was modeled after the city, Guadalajara. This was not the case for Chivas USA. They were given the nickname of the Mexican team, treated as a farm system team for the Mexican team, and then just slapped on the USA at the end. Now, this carelessness can also be seen in their ad campaign, in which they simply just tried to pressure fans of a particular Mexican background to switch allegiances from LA Galaxy, the present team that was there at the time, into liking Chivas USA instead, with taglines like real passion, real action, essentially insinuating that if you did not switch to Chivas USA, you weren't really Mexican. This would deny people their own version of themselves. What did they believe to be Mexican? Some had been Mexican parents, had been immigrated from Mexico maybe, but they viewed themselves as American in the modern sense. That was not for the club to decide what they were, and it was reflected in attendance. The team would never be spectacular on the field, but necessarily that doesn't really matter, because fans did not show up anyways. The average attendance in the year before they folded was 8,000. Now the caveat has to be that the teams themselves record that number, therefore it is highly likely that those numbers are boosted anyway. Because when you were watching the game, it would be so quiet that you could hear on the television the players talking to each other throughout the course of the game, basic statements like man on and things of that nature. Aside from when stadiums were empty during COVID, that is unthinkable for soccer, regardless of how bad a team is. It is an anomaly, and it reflected the people's idea that a team would not tell them what it meant to be Mexican or what it meant to be themselves, and a team would not dictate how they were represented. That was for them to do. Now this is where LAFC comes in, and skipping ahead to 2014 when they are founded. And what they do so incredibly well can be summed up in the personal story of a fan Jimmy Lopez. Jimmy Lopez, as the name insinuates, has Latin background and is very proud of it. He would be president of the 3252 movement, which is an umbrella fan group for other smaller local fan groups of LAFC. So he was a big deal to be president of that. The club would hire him, would give him a job, and speak to him regularly with the main goal of being a liaison, a middleman, between the club officials and those surrounded with promotion of the team, and the fans. As Lopez quotes, I was on the front lines, it was just magic. And it was essentially that they wanted somebody from, his words again, the culture, to help navigate and make sure communication was always on the forefront. It's the key to the relationship between the 3252 and LAFC. LAFC recognized that they couldn't step in and influence the movement of what the fans wanted to be. They could simply abide by it, maybe try their hand at it, and roll with it, essentially the fans themselves would dictate. And this comes from the British roots of the Ultra fanbase. However, those roots are a whole lot more violent than the original formation of the Ultra fanbases in England in the 60s and 70s. There would be times of turmoil, as were in the United States, and Ultra fan violence in the football grounds would be, as theorized by sociologists, the main pressure valve reliever where anxieties of the quote-unquote lower class would be let loose in football grounds and football stadiums as they fought one another. Those would be choreographed and planned where they would meet and how they would do it. And the goal was never to kill one another. Murder was seen as a grave mistake. But there was intent to injure, there was intent to disrupt, and an intent to be known and publicized. That is not seen in the Ultra groups of Los Angeles. In fact, in District 9's website, another fanbase of LAFC, they have a code of conduct, something unthinkable for the British Ultra group when they were starting, which has zero tolerance for racism and discrimination or hate speech, zero tolerance for throwing objects, no conflicts between supporter groups, whether it be within LAFC or rivals, and absolutely no stealing. They capitalize on the website that, quote, we are not a gang and do not condone any sort of gang-like behavior. In this way, there is a clear break in the Ultra culture between the American version and the British version. Now, the British version looks much different today, but in its infancy, to when it's more closely related to LAFC's rise, being only founded in 2014, they were like gangs, and they behaved as such. LAFC's fan groups made clear that that is not what it is about. Another furthermore example of this can be seen in a recently released song, just this February, called Por la Cultura, a title in Spanish, and the lyrics center around what it means to be one of them. Essentially, there are lyrics in English, there are lyrics in Spanish, there are the iconography, if one can see the video, feature symbols of Latin American culture, you know, like a lowrider, people working on the lowrider, restaurant businesses, things of that nature, to draw what it means to be one of them, and make clear that you are accepted and welcomed as who you are. Yet, who are these people that are super into soccer? Because when you go to the stadium of LAFC, quite honestly, you look the wrong way and you can miss it. It's not very prominent, and it is entirely dominated by the LA Coliseum, originally built for the Olympics, and then repurposed as the University of Southern California Trojan Men's College football team, which points to the American sporting tradition, where there are a lot of options, far more options than the British had, or Latin American people had until very recently, and, you know, the rise of television and cable networks. The American public had always access to leagues that were founded in almost political and bureaucratic terms, not through, you know, common movements and common associations. They would be founded as associations, the NBA, for example. But in college football, the notion that even collegiate kids, 17 to 21-year-olds, would be superstars, playing coliseums, and dominate the landscape, is unlike anything British alters would have ever understood or ever seen. Yet it is a reality for the LAFC fans and LA Galaxy, whose stadium is out in the suburbs of Carson. And yet that stadium bears a very real marker to how American culture impacts the soccer fan culture of Los Angeles, as in front of Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, is a gigantic bronze statue of David Beckham, better known as Victoria Beckham's husband. Now, Victoria Beckham's husband was also quite a good soccer player back in his day, an absolute superstar of the game. And so to have him over in 2007 was a really, really big deal. In fact, it would skyrocket MLS average attendance, and that is league-wide, not just in Los Angeles, by up to 40%. For the first time in DC United's history, in Washington, DC, they would sell out a game. This points to the American draw, the local Hollywood draw of Los Angeles, of stars, of celebrities. In fact, looking at U.S. history, one can make a case that it is a society that has always been obsessed with celebrities, from the Founding Fathers, who are now joined by an illustrious cast, including the Kardashians. But there has been a very clear pressure put on teams to provide them with stars, and L.A. Galaxy did that. They would bring David Beckham over in 2007 from Real Madrid, a huge global icon of the sport from Spain, and immediately following his signing that very summer, L.A. Galaxy, who was first established in 1996, following the 1994 World Cup in the United States, with the final held in Pasadena, would gain its first supporter group, the Angel City Brigade. And once again, we see the same trend as with the LAFC crowd, where the Angel City Brigade never publicly displays hooliganism or anything of that sort that we can consider. They like to be loud, of course, that's what the gig is. They like to be present, they like to be known. But it is all done in a safe manner, and safe is a very common word. They want people to feel safe and secure, a trend that is present throughout all of American sports. Think of all the precautions done in the NBA, the NHL, the NFL, just to get into the stadium, where you can't even bring in a bottle of water, and if you're served a beverage, it doesn't have a bottle cap in case you throw it onto the field. That, again, once again relating it back to the infancy days of professional soccer watching, as in it is most relatable to England, was absolutely unheard of. Yeah, there'd be checks, sure, but they were so easily circumvented that violence was never far away. And that is a theme as well that has a Latin connotation to it with the concept of machismo. Essentially, you put two groups of men trying to establish themselves as the quote-unquote alpha in the same confined space. You clearly identify an enemy, as those cheering for the other team, and it creates an atmosphere ready for a fight. Yet a fight, knock on wood, has rarely happened, very relatively little. And that can be partially to wider standings. The societal impact, in the same way that, say, the housing market crisis of the 1980s in England influenced violence to kick off, is what keeps these ultra-groups more relaxed and satiated because, like I said, the United States has essentially a target for the minorities that call Los Angeles home from before the United States had it. And so any negative scene that they would cause or would do would marginalize them, draw attention, further call them out, and allow people to portray them in a certain way. Therefore, the ultra-culture, which in England was about standing out in an edgy, rebellious way, making yourself known through violence, and making your cause heard, is in this case centered around positivity. These ultra-groups fundamentally want to promote a fun atmosphere. Yes, they mimic Europe in the use of flares, for example, which LAFC fans got fined for because you couldn't have them on the ground, but ultimately, barring any willingful nonsense, they are harmless. They mimic Europe in terms of the atmosphere they create. They want it to be fun, they want it to be loud, in a way that is not present in other sports in America. But they do not mimic the violence or the culture of rebellion. Sports is not the avenue for that. However, they promote positivity, positive influence, and community presence. Once again here, we see that there is a wider context at play. While in England, it would be far more acceptable for the ultras, they were just an accepted part of society, that every Saturday, these fan groups would get into fights. That is not acceptable in American culture. That does not happen. If it happens, it is massive news. Intervention is taken immediately, as can be seen in the NBA case of the Malice in the Palace, where widespread fights broke out between the fans and players, even. And the teams essentially had their seasons derailed because of it. In England, it was a regular Saturday. That is not followed in the United States, regardless of the concept of the ultra-culture. Furthermore, how is LA specifically featured as well, aside from David Beckham? Once again, I've mentioned the concept of por la cultura. They want to create a local atmosphere. They want it to truly be about cheering on LAFC or LA Galaxy, and not necessarily about a wider fan base idea. Now, in terms of the wider idea, and the wider clue, and how transnationality impacts soccer fan culture here, it is clear that, sure, the very game is British, and the wider fandom culture in which, in terms of wider society, liking soccer is still relatively niche in the way that the ultras do it. The NBA is far more popular, the NHL is far more popular, and the NFL is certainly far more popular. But there is still the influence on stars. And when stars are present in the league, fans are present in the league. But it has to happen relatively organically. Transnationality cannot be forced on a group of people, in the same way that Los Angeles neighborhoods like Boyle Heights has an organic sense to it. Yes, these people were redlined into certain districts, absolutely. But how they interacted with one another, the relationships they made, as can be seen in places like the Evergreen Graveyard, come from natural sources. They come from their own initiative. No club like Chivas could ever come in and instruct people on how to behave, or what it means to be a fan of their team, and how to best represent that. That has to happen naturally. Which is why it is so incredible that it is allowed to happen. And it has. The L.A. soccer scene is truly unique because of the people that it comprises of. It has the British roots of the game. It has the American Hollywood draw of stars, of Americana, of Elvis Presleys, of Marlon Brando's, of even David Beckham's. There is a local, multicultural approach to being a fan, in which they are very cognizant that there is not just one group of them. You can't lump them in and just say, oh, they're Hispanic. Each individual person comes from an individual nation, with their own traditions of watching the game, and their own relative traditions of life. And this can be seen in the fan culture, which is very tolerant for ultra groups. One cannot overstate the violent, bitter, and exclusive nature of British ultras. From the homophobia, to the racism, to the xenophobia, anything that ends in phobia, they had it, and they wanted to make it known. Here, as promoted by the fans in Los Angeles, they want to be an inclusive group. They want their ultra group to be a force for good, stemming from a different culture, a culture in which these people had to rely on one another to get through laws and histories that wanted to wipe them out, or certainly exclude them from wider society. In soccer, that is not possible. Well, not anymore, it's not. You can't exclude people from the ground. Fans will come together, regardless of backdrop and background, and will support the team in an organic and unified manner. Which is a contradiction to the modern nation-state of the United States, of having a set border, and having Americana be Americana, and Latin American culture staying Latin American. Transnationality can be seen in far more than mariachi music or tacos, for example, in Los Angeles. It can be seen in the very people that carry it with them. And soccer is a relatively unregulated way of letting loose. It creates a community atmosphere, where people feel drawn to the team, they are related to the team. Like I already mentioned with the church theory, for example, where there are certain rituals and passions ascribed to being a fan, that they carry with them, and that they practice every game day. And practice it they do. There are whole routines and rituals, one has to get down the choreography and the chants. And there is a great source of acceptance. Humans are naturally fearful of rejection. It causes feelings of anger and disappointment, and for some, humiliation. But acceptance is a two-way street. Chivas was not accepted by the wider public, because they did not align with what the wider public wanted. So these ultra-groups, like LAMC does, where they reach out to the ultra-groups, have to accept the club. But at the same time, the ultra-groups have to promote an image of themselves that is conducive to attracting people. And one of those is inclusivity. And in a transnational climate where inclusivity is not exactly a word that would be used, the wall is a testament to it. The U.S. is excluding Mexico as much as it possibly can, Mexico, Haiti, Guatemala, excluding those people from entering its own country. In the terraces, that's not the case. It doesn't matter where you're from. What matters is you like LAFC, or you like LA Galaxy, and you are down to learn what it means to be a part of the ultras. And by that, it doesn't mean fighting the other fans like it would in England. It simply means having passion, learning the chants, and displaying what it means to be a Los Angeles resident and a fan of these teams, whether you are Mexican, whether you are Haitian, whether you are American in the European sense. Which creates for an interesting case study in my mind, because people can be free in the soccer stadium. There is the idea of group anonymity, right? If you are just by yourself in a public park screaming, well, not to odd. People don't do that and you're isolated. If you are in the soccer context, you're in a group, you're in a setting that allows that. In a way, within the ultra groups, these people are allowed to be free, and that version of who they are as free is intrinsically linked with the transnationalism experience seen and very much present in Los Angeles, no matter what goes on in the wider context and moving forward. Thank you for listening. Make sure to subscribe, keep us in your podcast rotation, and take care, folks. Stay educated. Goodbye.