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Beyond the Pitch

A Fútbol Reading & Discussion

The World Cup, Global Power & the Los Angeles Fútbol Community

"Nobody earns a thing from the crazy feeling that for a moment turns a man into a child playing with a balloon, a cat toying with a ball of yarn, a ballet dancer flying through the air with a ball as light as a balloon or a ball of yarn, playing without even knowing he's playing, with no purpose or clock or referee." — Eduardo Galeano, Soccer in Sun and Shadow

Every four years, the world turns its attention to the Men's World Cup. Every four years, activists, journalists, futbolistas, and scholars draw our attention to the links between sport, spectacle, political power, and profit. The last World Cup was held in winter in Qatar; before that, Russia played host. Now, the United States will share that privilege with Mexico and Canada. The game is coming here. How will the Los Angeles fútbol community engage the World Cup?

Join us for a literary reading and conversation featuring poets, scholars, and fútbol activists, exploring communities and countercultures of the game, considering what events like the World Cup mean at the neighborhood level, and reflecting on how we show up for one another, in play and in solidarity.

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