Beyond the Field: How Soccer Built Community in the United States (Sport and Society) - Softcover

Bunk, Brian D

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0252088786 ISBN 13: 9780252088780

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 2025

Synopsis

Played by both migrants and native-born Americans, soccer created communities across the United States. Brian D. Bunk ranges from Pawtucket to Honolulu as he illuminates the deep and diverse origins of the American sport. Soccer took root as immigration, urbanization, and industrialization triggered immense changes across society. Matches built local pride as teams battled rival neighborhoods and towns. Teammates and supporters shared meals, raised money for fallen players, and attended each other’s weddings and funerals. If sometimes damaged by economic depression or shattered by war, clubs often bounced back to provide a steadying, resilient force in their towns. Bunk follows the story from the 1880s through World War I by profiling the struggles and joys of players while also tracing the overlooked impact of people of African, Chinese, Hawaiian, Jewish, and Filipino descent on American soccer culture. Engaging and rich in detail, Beyond the Field draws on extensive original research to expand our idea of the people and places that formed the American game.

About this title

About the Author

Brian D. Bunk is a senior lecturer II of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the author of From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0252088786
• ISBN 13: 9780252088780
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224