ABSTRACT
While talking about the importance of football in the daily life of so many porteños (inhabitants of the city of Buenos Aires), Carlos, one of my informants who is in his early forties, said: ‘Los argentinos somos de raza futbolística’ (‘We Argentinians are of football breed’), and added, anticipating my answer, ‘Yes, I know, women are not of the same breed, although they accompany us, they tolerate us, and there are men who do not agree with the majority of us.’1 He continued:
You know what I mean. We must learn to think as a united people, as a society. Argentinians are very individualistic, with little national feeling…except when the national football team plays. Then our patriotism emerges, including many of the people who feel that football is not important. We enjoy being well represented, that the national team plays well, and we like to win. In many senses it is a demonstration of what we are.
