“Goalbalization” is more than a clever title. It is the one-word summation of an important and timely conversation regarding the interplay of soccer, globalization, and identity. On the heels of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, LAS Global Leaders and soccer aficionados, Ava Marginean and Kayla Constabileo, united to illustrate to our listeners that soccer is much more than a sport. In this episode, Ava and Kayla discuss conflict amongst opposing teams, tracing rivalries back to post World War II. They also expose the roles politics and religion play in soccer and, conversely, the role soccer plays in shaping and perpetuating culture and systemic economic structures.
