This podcast summarizes the essence and key thoughts regarding the new book by Brenda Elsey and Joshua Nadel. The authors of the work tell the audience about the reality that took place at the end of the 19th century within the framework of cultural and ethical ideas of the public. It was a period of bold and relentless struggle, extensive plans, and great upheavals for girls and women in sports.
Thus, “Futbolera” illustrates the hidden fight of women for justice and equality, for organizing and playing sports, regardless of any categories and prejudices. These measures have been taken since the beginning of the twentieth century and continue today, despite external negative factors and opinions from the government, the press, medical professionals, or the church. Referring to the podcast, the author notes that the problem is not only throughout Latin America but also in many other countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile (Elsey & Nadel, 2019). Indeed, this book is a brilliant and unique opportunity to comprehensively and from different points of view to consider women’s sports. This happens in the spectrum of various movements, military dictatorships, and internal and external phenomena occurring inside and outside the country. In addition, Elsey and Nadel also focus on the majority’s worldviews, perceptions, and opinions regarding how a woman should behave if she has chosen to engage in sports and physical activity.
In short, the authors of “Futbolera” tell in the podcast about the unspoken struggle of women of all ages and generations for their true right and the opportunity to engage in physical activity. Therefore, such sport has often been perceived from time immemorial and in a slightly different form continues to be perceived with hostility, as something unnatural and unnecessary. Sometimes, these phenomena were accompanied by silence, unspoken protest, neglect, and up to an immediate ban of a particular sport for female representatives.
Reference
Elsey, B., & Nadel, J. (2019). Futbolera: A history of women and sports in Latin America. New Books Network. Web.