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AFRO-DESCENDANT SOCCER STARS AND THE INCONSISTENCIES OF RACE, CLASS, AND IDENTITY IN ECUADOR By CARLOS A. INIGUEZ A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2012 1 © 2012 CARLOS A. INIGUEZ 2 To my mom and dad 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank all those who have guided me on this personal and academic journey. To my committee, Dr. Wood, Dr. Sorek, and Dr. Deere, thank you for your support and patience throughout this process. In particular, Dr. Wood, your guidance and encouragement helped keep me focused and motivated even as I felt the pressure of time. I thank all the soccer players, managers, agents, coaches, and other industry workers that gave me a glimpse of what it's like to be an Afro-descendant playing sports in Ecuador. I was embraced with open arms by everybody I met and candidly spoken to about the issues. My contacts allowed me an entry point that enabled me to relate to all respondents- I was not an outsider at any time. I thank my aunt Zaida and uncle Humberto for helping me with my initial contacts. In Quito, Pablo Acosta opened the golden door to some of the most important people related to Ecuadorian soccer. My cousin Holger and Professor Sixto gave me the most exclusive access that even a seasoned sports journalist could not enjoy during the most important dates for Ecuadorian soccer in 2011; without them my project would have been impossible. Thanks go out to Laureano who introduced me to his network of relatives and friends around El Nacional and Deportivo Quito. He gave my cousin and me a tour around the villages of the Chota Valley, and became a good friend in the process. Special thanks go out to Santiago and the other directors at Liga Deportiva Universitaria for their openness and receptiveness to my presence at their training centers for three weeks. I am grateful to the players of El Nacional and Deportivo Quito for allowing access to their facilities for interviews. Thanks go out to my aunt Caty, uncle Gustavo, and cousin Pablo for all their generosity, love and hospitality during my entire stay. My cousin Fernando volunteered his car and time to join me on research trips outside of Quito. 4 Thanks go out to my cousin Jorge for giving me late-night rides back from national team training grounds. I learned from everyone in Quito, El Valle Del Chota, Esmeraldas, and Quinindé and hope that this thesis will be useful for further discussions at home or in public. Additional thanks go out to my program colleagues and friends in South Florida for their support and excitement in my project. Thanks go out to my parents for the unconditional love and support throughout my entire academic career- it all boiled down to this moment. Finally, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to pursue my interests and passions and for reminding me why I love this sport. I continue to believe soccer to be the world’s "Beautiful Game." 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... 8 1 AFRO-ECUADORIANS, SPORT, AND SOCIETY .................................................. 10 The Afro-Ecuadorian Population ............................................................................. 13 Conceptualizing the Inconsistencies of Race, Class, and Identity ........................... 15 Methods of Research and Implementation .............................................................. 17 Thesis Structure ...................................................................................................... 20 2 INCONSISTENCIES IN CLASS IDENTIFICATION ................................................. 22 The Troubled History of Africans in Ecuador ........................................................... 22 Afro-Ecuadorian Soccer Players and the Construction of Status Identity ................ 25 The Perils of Retirement .......................................................................................... 27 Solidarity with Their Home Community ................................................................... 29 Segregated Places .................................................................................................. 33 Conclusion............................................................................................................... 39 3 RACIAL ISSUES IN ECUADOR AS SEEN BY MIGRANT AND NON-MIGRANT SOCCER PLAYERS ............................................................................................... 41 Ecuadorian Immigration .......................................................................................... 41 Sports and Society .................................................................................................. 43 Aspiring Youth: Rural-Urban Migration, Career Paths, and Pitfalls ......................... 48 Non-Migrant Professional Players ........................................................................... 53 Professional Players: Migrants and Return Migrants: A Need for Change .............. 57 Conclusion............................................................................................................... 65 4 SOCCER TEAMS, CONTESTED NATIONALISM, AND FANS .............................. 67 Contested Nationalism and Identity ......................................................................... 67 Language ................................................................................................................ 69 The Stadium and Crowd .......................................................................................... 69 Ecuador U-20 vs. Panama U-20.............................................................................. 71 Ecuador vs. Mexico ................................................................................................. 72 Copa America: July 1 (3) – July 24 (13), 2011 ........................................................ 73 Paraguay 0 – 0 Ecuador .......................................................................................... 75 Venezuela 1 – 0 Ecuador ........................................................................................ 76 Brazil 4 – 2 Ecuador ................................................................................................ 78 6 Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito (LDUQ) vs. Club Sport Emelec (Emelec). July 27 .................................................................................................................. 80 Conclusion............................................................................................................... 83 5 CONCLUDING REMARKS...................................................................................... 85 Research Findings .................................................................................................. 85 Policy Recommendations and Implications ............................................................. 90 LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 92 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................................................................ 95 7 Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts AFRO-DESCENDANT SOCCER STARS AND THE INCONSISTENCIES OF RACE, CLASS, AND IDENTITY IN ECUADOR By Carlos A. Iniguez May 2012 Chair: Charles Wood Major: Latin American Studies Afro-descendant soccer players occupy “inconsistent statuses” within Ecuador’s system of social stratification. Status inconsistency is relevant to this study as it conceptualizes the unique status of soccer players in Ecuador. They are high on some dimensions but low on others. My objective is to use the concept of status inconsistency and apply it to Afro-descendant soccer players to structure the analysis of race and national identity. Targeting these inconsistencies can generate novel insights about the character of Ecuador’s race relations. The research was conducted in seven weeks based on-depth interviews of Afro-descendant players, journalists, and a children's social worker, and informal interviews with sports fans. Afro-Ecuadorians and whites differ with respect to elements that enter into subjective perceptions of status identity. Black soccer players still consider themselves belonging to a social underclass. Racism, histories of financial hardship after retirement, and solidarity with family and friends stuck in poverty are explanations for this persisting identification. Children view soccer players as examples to imagine a life away from poverty and social exclusion in rural areas. Nonmigrant soccer players are likely to maintain that issues like racism or social 8 inequality are not a problem in Ecuador. These young men are more likely to endorse culturally-dominant notions that all races have equal chances of success in Ecuador. Older players and retirees use their experiences from abroad to formulate new ideas of what Ecuador should be. Upon return they were able to identify social and institutional racism and would not accept the status quo. New experiences and exposure to different social norms make them critical of regionalism, racism, and poverty. The stadium becomes