Hector Gonzalez

Professor Allison Bocchino

Writing 2

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,”1 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.”2 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. This

essay highlights the differences between the disciplines and the scholarly communities that are

made through their approaches in understanding football but argues why more than one

discipline is needed on a topic.

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. They provide concrete examples of the scientific perspective. This

highlights the significance in understanding the sport in a broader view. 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 2010.1 This study revealed 2123 muscle injuries including

adductors, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf which are the major affected muscle groups.1 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%.”1 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. By Utilizing precise methodologies and

analysis, the study highlights specific risk factors that are associated with these injuries. The

scientific approach contributes to the players safety and gives a broader discourse on football. It

provides evidence to promote the health and longevity of athletes. Thus, the study is a testament
to the role of scientific research in advancing our understanding of football and the impact it has

on a player’s well-being.

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

of Puto: Soccer, Masculinities, and Neoliberal Transformation in Mexico,”2 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. The article offers a political perspective

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 a variety of research methods including 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.”2 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 disciplines 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. Not only was

the methods different but the structure of the articles differed. The scientific article has a more

formal tone while the political is more analytical and objective tone. Both used subheadings and

endnotes but the scientific had a lot more detailed information. 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.1 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

1
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. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/853075/pdf.

2
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.

https://journals-sagepub-com.proxy.library.ucsb.edu/doi/epub/10.1177/03635465124706

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