Apparently De La Hoya's soccer ties extend farther than just owning the Dynamo. The USMNT gets a mention here in an article about why so many in Oscar's own community have shunned him.
Comedian Paul Rodriguez, a friend of De La Hoya, said the audience that rooted most venomously against De La Hoya was "the Mexican who speaks Spanish and who roots for the Mexico soccer team over the U.S. soccer team, even though it's hard to understand why you're loyal to a country that wasn't loyal to you."
14 comments:
i experience that too in a sense. i'm the only one in a large group of friends that cheers the usmnt, and as a result i'm the subject of much bashing.
Unfortunately, this article sticks a dagger among many of us who are from Latino backgrounds. It never fails for someone to comment - "You support that American or American Team?". I for one support this country and it's USMNT and De La Hoya for the matter that my parents came here to give US, their kids, a chance at a good life. I am now the first in my family to have graduated from a University. I always tell my friends support your Parents National teams as well as the Country that is providing you the opportunity to live a good life. Where would we be without the opportunity this country has provided us. Yes, it might have been difficult for our parents and they may have faced some predujices... but we're here and we're going to be heard!
JSR
El Salvador
LARS - Section 138
I support the MNT and have many friends that support the USMNT. We talk smack to each other during matches, but other than that, we respect each other. It doesn't matter where you were born or raised, you should support any team you feel like supporting. Does it make you a bad person or disloyal if you support a different country in this sport, not in my opinion. I was born and raised in the United States, but as many will say, "A la Mexicana," and am very proud of my heritage. I have served this great country while in the Marines. I respect the teams and countries my friends and other people support and receive the same respect back. No matter where you were born or where you were raised, support the team that you want. Too many politics are being brought into this great sport. Let's stick to talking about the sport and not the politics involved.
Michoacano
Just to change the subject, how trashed will our beautiful pitch be for next weekend's game against Red Bull?
I was just getting accustomed to a beautiful pitch.
I'm Salvadoran but born in the U.S. and I always support the US national team. The one exception would be if beating the U.S. would put El Salvador in the World Cup, in that case, I'd root for El Salvador.
If I may speculate a bit, I think Central Americans are more willing or quicker to accept the USMNT and get behind their "new" flag without turning their backs on the old one.
Becuase of the rivalry though, it's less common with Mexicans. I'm a rare exception where being a Mexican [by birth] I still support and respect the US -- except in games against Mexico.
I'm not endorsing it, but this is simply the way it is in Mexico. If you're born in the U.S., you're not a true Mexican, no matter what the constitution says.
De La Hoya's managers tried to "pass the torch" on from Chavez, but Mexicans [myself included] were not open to the "torch" being passed on to a 'pocho' -- De La Hoya may have turned a corner here, but in Mexico he's still resented, viewed as a sissy, or just ignored.
Everybody [myself included] is watching Chavez Jr.
Maybe it's time for Mexican-Americans to start carving their own identity within America rather than trying to go back to a very harsh Mexico. Even I get the cold shoulder for having "sold out" by leaving Mexico and coming to the U.S.
Politics? It's not politics when you observe that because you choose to honor the country your parents, and grandparents brought you to. For this, you are called a "Pocho". That is not politics, like all name caling, what it is is childish. Ignorance even.
Paul Rodriguez has it right, "Mexico" (or stick the name of any country here) failed your anscestors, yet somehow you choose to honor that country over the country that is giving you a future, a dream? Call me "Pocho" all you want, just give me the American dream...and not the Mexican nightmare.
PanchoMiguelMoralesdeConejo
PanchoMiguelMoralesdeConejo:
I think you're onto something. Harsh words, but definitely something to be said in those statements.
The only thing I disagree with is: I don't think Mexico failed anyone. Rather I think it's Mexicans that fail Mexico.
It's a wonderful country, vast [unutilized] resources and conveniently placed between two oceans, the riches country in the world, and a huge market [south america]. Heck, it's not even an imposed system of government, it's the system we rebelled for and established.
Part of the problem, in my eyes, comes from this idea that the abstract concept of "Mexico" has failed us, and we are free of all short-comings.
::Gets off soapbox::
Once again Andrea, your clever and insightful posts cause trouble. Ha ha ha.
its like this:
im mexican american but root for the MNT. but if it were an actual war, i wouldnt hesitate to fight for the USA.
(only if the war was just, lol)
AC or LB:
If you ever come through El Paso, you could create a fabulous story on this very issue.
El Paso/Ciudad Juarez is the largest international border community in the world, and the city is 75-80% hispanic, mostly (but certainly not exclusively) of Mexican heritage. The city's loyalties are predominantly with El Tri, but the support for the USMNT is vocal.
World Cup 2006 was especially interesting from a sociological perspective in this community. High School age kids are perhaps the most fascinating demographic.
In schools like Bowie High, located literally less than 100 yards from Juarez on the Border Highway, many students are recent immigrants; some even live in Juarez but study in El Paso. Their support is overwhelmingly in favor of Mexico.
A similar dynamic exists at UTEP, where upwards of 15% of the students cross the bridge each day to learn. The intensity of the US/Mexico rivalry, not to mention the vagaries of transnational politics, makes this a uniquely complex football town...
It's funny because I'm the last of my family to finish college and the rest of my family lives in Mexico City.
Actually, my Family is from Oaxaca...but anyway....sometimes...I've felt that I would have had a very similar life in Mexico that I live here...except surrounded by family.
My family is basically bourgeois...through a lot of hard work, but me and my cousins listen to the same indie bands, like the same movies and even wear the same clothes.
So I never bought into the idea of "Only in America" or "The American Dream" or just the concept as America = USA. It's never so simple.
Plus...1998 was the 1st WC I sat down and watch and the US was TERRIBLE.
While Mexico was gutsy, just pure guts...they were so small compared to the Dutch, Belgian and German players...but they held their own.
Actually...that's pretty much it. Blame the 1998 USA team for losing this 1st generation Mexican-American. Although I was born in Mexico City and have continued to take spanish in college...so I usually don't get hassled for being a Pocho since I have better diction than your average Chilango.
Michoacano said: It doesn't matter where you were born or raised, you should support any team you feel like supporting.
---I think the key word here is 'team'. I don't think supporting a Mexican Football Team amounts to supporting a country. Just like Michoacano did, thousands have fought for this country but still support other countries teams. Would you feel shocked if a Bostonian living in NY still cherished every time the Red Sox beat the Yankees? I don't thinks so. Does it mean he's ungrateful towards NYC? I don't think so.
I am a american born, but I support the MNT. I dunno why, even a friend was bewildered that I, a US born citizen would go for the MNT instead of the USNT durring the 2002 World Cup. He said he didn't get it. I only been to mexico twice, when I was 3 and 6, don't remember much. I grew up watching the Mexican league here in Idaho through Univision so I guess that is why...
I am Italian/Irish from NY (have lived in socal for over 30 years) who loves the USMNT and as a result can't stand the green weenies from south of the border..
My wife was born and raised in Veracruz state and came here when we married (she was an engineering professor at TEC de Monterrey/Tampico)and obviously supports Mexico..but as for our 7 1/2 year old daughter (fluent in both English and Spanish), she expects that our daughter will grow up to be a fan of all things USA (including the USMNT) and that for her to support Mexico over the USA will be a symptom of an overall failure in her life as a whole-picking ethnic identity and victim status as an excuse for her failure to be a productive member of the majority culture/society...
Mind you, my wife refers to Landon Donovan as "un perro" ever since he peed on the field in Guadalajara...and you can imagine what happened to my sex life after I dressed my daughter in a Landon USMNT shirt!
I will bet you that if after 3 generations or so you root for Mexico over the USA and cling to being "Mexican" instead of being "American", and think the USA is a rotten place, you probably are not doing as well as your cousins with similar backgrounds that took the opportunity to get educated and merge in to the majority culture...On that count, I suspect Rodriguez gets it right...
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