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Culture, Migration, and Sport: A Bi-National Investigation of Southern Mexican Migrant Communities in Oaxaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Bernardo Ramirez Rios, Ph.D. Graduate Program in Anthropology The Ohio State University 2012 Dissertation Committee: Jeffrey H. Cohen, Advisor Anna J. Willow Reanne Frank Morgan Liu Copyright by Bernardo Ramirez Rios 2012 ii Abstract My dissertation focuses on the relationship of sport and community building. In Los Angeles, CA and Oaxaca, Mexico the cultural practice of basketball is a productive social tool that is used to enhance community relationships. This research starts with individual identity (micro) and the cultural motivations that relate to communities in Los Angeles and Oaxaca. I begin with an individual perspective to discuss the impact of prime cultural motivations on larger social processes (transnational, migration, globalization, etc). I used traditional anthropological methods (ethnography, participant observation, visual data collection) to examine the sport of Oaxacan basketball in Los Angeles and Oaxaca. Through an iterative process data was collected from 2007-2011 to develop an ethnographic account of Oaxacan basketball in Los Angeles and Oaxaca. Results from the data show that basketball in Oaxaca is a rich cultural tradition that has a significant history that pre-dates the “modern” explosion of sport during the last 25 years. I will discuss ethnographic and visual data to support my conclusion that Oaxacan basketball is a cultural sport with transnational and global outcomes. This research contributes to theoretical models of migration, sport, and identity by focusing on cultural practices. Keywords: Sports, Community, Oaxaca, California, Identity. iii Dedication This is for my parents: Anselmo “Sam” Rios Jr. and Maria Christina Ramirez Rios. iv Acknowledgments I want to thank my parents for their support and dedication to my education. They put my education before anything else and for that I am forever grateful. Olivia and Tony inspire me every day and I love them dearly. I never would have made it this far without the motivational push from Dr. Ramona Perez. She is the best. I also would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey Cohen for taking me under his wing and dedicating his time to help me become a scholar. Thank you to my committee Dr. Reanne Frank, Dr. Morgan Liu, and Dr. Anna Willow for your time and guidance. I want to thank my colleague A. Russell Jerry for looking over portions of this paper. Thank you LeRoi, Big D, Mike, Wolf Pack, Garbiel, Jill, Robin, Kellee, Karla, Aldo, Cesar, Luna’s, and everyone else who helped me on this journey. O-H-I-O v Vita 2003................................................................B.A. Anthropology, San Diego State University 2007................................................................M.A. Anthropology, San Diego State University 2007 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University Publications 2011 The Socialization of Sports in Latin America: Basketball and Culture in Oaxaca, Mexico and Los Angeles, California. ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Spring 2011. Folklore Series. 18-22. Bernardo Ramirez Rios. 2010 The Ethnography of Culture, Symbols, and Identity: Sport Jerseys and Team Names in Latino Recreational Sports in the U.S. The International Journal of Sport and Society, 1(4): 35-46. Keith L. Kleszynski and Bernardo Ramirez Rios. 2009 The Value, Costs, and Meaning of Transnational Migration in Rural Oaxaca, Mexico. Migration Letters, 6(1): 15-25. Jeffrey Cohen, Bernardo Rios, and Lise Byars. 2008 Torneo Transnacional: Shooting Hoops in Oaxacalifornia. PAST Foundation Press, Columbus, Ohio. Bernardo Ramirez Rios. Field of Study Major Field: Anthropology vi Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................v Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Basketból Oaxaqueño.........................................................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Organization .............................................................................................................2 Lola y Eliana Feliz ...................................................................................................3 Bank Shot .................................................................................................................8 A Ride Up the Mountain ........................................................................................11 Arriving in Comogocho, Oaxaca ...........................................................................15 Entering the Household..........................................................................................18 Playing for the First Time in Comogocho .............................................................20 Fiesta Time, Game Time........................................................................................24 Chapter 2: The Game Plan .................................................................................................30 Sports in Anthropology and Society ......................................................................30 Anthropology of Sport ...........................................................................................31 Leisure Activities ...................................................................................................32 Sport in the US .......................................................................................................35 vii Sports development in Latin America and Mexico ...............................................39 Middle East and Europe .........................................................................................44 Sport and State .......................................................................................................46 Field of Play ...........................................................................................................48 Ethnohistory ...........................................................................................................50 Movers and Non-Movers .......................................................................................57 Chapter 3: Exploratory Ethnography .................................................................................64 Ethnographic Narrative ..........................................................................................64 Ethnographic Traditions.........................................................................................79 Participant Observation ..........................................................................................80 Meta-Narrative .......................................................................................................81 Explorative .............................................................................................................83 Chapter 4: Oaxacalifornia ..................................................................................................89 Familia Sol .............................................................................................................89 The Beginning ..................................................................................................90 Homemade meal ..............................................................................................92 Lobos................................................................................................................95 Respect and Dinero ..........................................................................................96 Los Lakers ........................................................................................................98 Kobe Jordan Reyes ..............................................................................................100 Basketball .............................................................................................................102 Cooperation and Community ...............................................................................104 Chapter 5: Crossing Over.................................................................................................109 Torneos ................................................................................................................109 viii Copa Oaxaca (LA) ...............................................................................................109 Copa Juárez (Los Angeles) ..................................................................................117 Copa Juárez (New Jersey) ....................................................................................126