Hector Gonzalez

Professor Allison Bocchino

Football: Exploring Injuries and Chants from Society to Society

The global phenomenon of football, often referred to as the world’s sport, serves as a

unifying force that transcends cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic boundaries. This essay

explores the scientific perspective, as represented by Martin Hägglund, Markus Waldén, and Jan

Ekstrand in “Risk Factors for Lower Extremity Muscle Injury in Professional Soccer: The UEFA

Injury Study,” and the political viewpoint explained by Gaytan, Marie Sarita, and Matthew L.

Basso “The Political Economy of Puto: Soccer, Masculinities, and Neoliberal Transformation in

Mexico.” Looking into the scientific view we gain precise insights of risk factors and

consequences of muscle injuries among male professional football players using various

research methods. While the political view examines the Mexican football fans to provide a

broader landscape, revealing the intricate interplay between football, masculinity, and

neoliberal transformations, thereby showcasing the sport’s profound impact on culture and

society. The contrast of these different perspectives demonstrates how while the scientific view

offers specific information crucial for a player’s well-being, the political perspective reveals

socio-cultural pyramid established by football, solidifying its status as a global phenomenon

with far-reaching implications beyond the confines of the pitch.

Martin Hägglund’s study on lower extremity muscle injuries in professional football

players shows the details of the player’s well-being emphasizing the precise information

provided by his article. Their study focused on assessing the impact of many players and match
related factors on the occurrence of lower extremity muscle injuries. The cohort study involved

26 soccer clubs and 1,491 players from ten European countries between 2001 and 2010. This

study revealed 2123 muscle injuries including adductors, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf which

are the major affected muscle groups. The scientific perspective uses numbers and percentages

to make their article reliable. They used methods to find these specific, accurate, and precise

numbers. Their methods included the medical staff of each one of the clubs participating. They

would provide the numbers of injuries, what type of injuries, and who got the injuries. This gave

them data to work with. The data they gathered was used throughout the article to prove their

points. They would use individual player’s characteristics, including age, stature, body mass,

playing position, and previous muscle injuries. They took almost everything into account even

the smallest injuries. They collected as much information as possible to come up with the most

precise data. There are many examples of data found throughout the article. The article states

“Another interesting finding was that a history of previous injury to other lower extremity

muscle groups increased the rate of quadriceps and calf injury in the present study by 68% to

91%.” Writing down the data found in players with previous history of injuries allowed them to

make connections with increased rate in quadriceps and calf injuries. Using the information that

they found helped them write precise, reliable information for future use. This reveals how the

scientific view uses evidence they have found to show precise information allowing them to

share it with others to help prevent injuries in the future and to show what increases injuries.

The article being of the scientific discipline provides detailed and precise numbers of injuries

using various methods and participants throughout the years to find ways to build on data they

have collected to find ways to prevent injuries and also to find what causes these injuries. This
research not only helps professional players who participate in the study but also the players of

football all over the world from a kid player to a professional player.

In the political perspective through Gaytan and Basso’s article, “The Political Economy of

Puto: Soccer, Masculinities, and Neoliberal Transformation in Mexico,” the focus changes from

being a scientific view that’s precise and accurate to a broader exploration of the influence that

football gives on the cultural and societal dynamics. They highlight the intricate interplay

between the sport, masculinity, and the larger socio-political landscape. The study dives into the

chant “eh puto” that is screamed by the men of the Mexican society. The author argues that the

chant carries layered meanings that are homophobic. This chant is a media driven

interpretation. The authors use a combination of methods to research the issue surrounding the

infamous “eh puto” chant in football. They use ethnography, historical analysis, cultural studies,

interviews, and interdisciplinary approach. They researched firsthand and did field work to

understand the cultural practices and social dynamics. They would spend time observing fans

and interacting with them. This method of researched allows them to gain a deeper

understanding of the perspectives of the people involved. The authors researched the history of

chant which helped them connect to events such as economic transformations in Mexico.

Changes in football fans and shifts in political and cultural landscapes were also connected to

the chant. Finding the history and context of the chant allowed them to understand the

evolution of the chant over time. Cultural studies allowed them to examine the chant as a

cultural expression embedded in Mexico. They explored its connections to the issues of

masculinity, economic changes, and broader cultural shifts. The media sources were analyzed

including news articles, interviews, and the football events. This research method helped them
understand how the issue is portrayed in the media. Quotes were used from the soccer fans,

officials, and media sources. The author conducted interviews to provide them perspectives,

motivations, and attitudes of the individuals commenting on the issue. The author writes, “In

interviews and articles from 1998, the band insisted that the lyrics were not about

homosexuality but were “about being a coward.” This interview helped them understand the

perspective of the bad on the meaning of the chant. Finally, they used many similar methods

like sociology, gender studies, history, and cultural studies to analyze the issue from various

angles. By combining these research methods, the authors provide an informative

understanding of the chant and its societal issues in Mexico.

Looking into two different studies on football, one being scientific precision investigating

lower extremity injuries and the other being a political perspective exploring cultural dynamics

through the “eh puto” chant revealing a contrast in disciplines. Hagglund scientific investigation

examining injuries in professional football players utilizes an approach that emphasizes

precision, accuracy, and reliance on concrete numerical data. Their study, using cohort studies

with data from 26 football clubs and 1,491 players in ten European countries between 2001 and

2010 provided detailed information on the factors of 2,123 muscle injuries. While in contrast

Gayton and Basso’s article takes a political perspective using the qualitative and exploratory

approach. Their research consisted of ethnography, historical analysis, cultural studies,

interviews, and interdisciplinary methods to figure out the layered meanings of the chant

screamed by Mexican men during football matches. They both research for a purpose to better

the sport beyond just football, but in the fans and players themselves. The methods of research

were very different and each focused on a different part of the sport to overall find a way to
improve football. They each used their own disciplines to find ways to make the sport better

using sources and methods. The scientific way was to help prevent muscle injuries that occur

throughout the players and the political way to help find what the chant means to figure out

how to make fans better overall. In summary these studies offer a valuable perspective to

contribute to football but are different in their focus and perspectives. Some people may think

the method Gytan and Basso use aren’t as reliable as the methods Hagglund uses, but each

have their own uses. Hagglund’s study is a lot more precise because he uses data and numbers

to research muscle injuries, but this way of research wouldn’t work to find the meaning of the

chant “eh puto.” It’s the same for Gytan and Basso, their research method wouldn’t work on

finding the factors of muscle injuries. They’re both reliable in their own fields of study.

Depending on what you want to research tells you what methods you want to use. Both

research methods are just as reliable they just have different focuses on the sport football. This

is why there are many disciplines researching one subject the way these two disciplines

research football. There are many ways to research something and depending on your goal

some research methods are better than others allowing people to explore a topic in many

different ways finding new information and data.

In conclusion, exploring football through both scientific and political disciplines shown

by Haaglund’s study of lower extremity muscle injuries and Gaytan and Basso’s investigation on

the chant “eh puto” in Mexican football presents a different insight into the global phenomenon

of the world’s sport. Hagglund’s scientific study using cohort studies to dive into specific risk

factors and consequences of muscle injuries contributing to the well-being of athletes. While

Gaytan and Basso adopt a political viewpoint using exploratory methods to find the meaning of
the chant, the contrast in disciplinary approaches in both studies contribute an important

understanding of football to improve the sport’s impact on culture and the players themselves.
 Work Cited

Gaytán, Marie Sarita, and Matthew L. Basso. 2022. “The Political Economy of Puto: Soccer,

Masculinities, and Neoliberal Transformation in Mexico.” Frontiers: A Journal of

Women Studies 43 (2): 28–61. [Link]

Hägglund, Martin, Markus Waldén, and Jan Ekstrand. 2013. “Risk Factors for Lower Extremity

Muscle Injury in Professional Soccer: The UEFA Injury Study” The American Journal of

Sports Medicine 41 (2): 327–335.

[Link]

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