I am not your traditional student. I am older than the average college student, I am a
retired veteran, and I am married with kids. I am thankful for the support that I received for this
experience from my family, UW Bothell, and the Veterans Affairs.
I applied to this specific program for two main reasons. First, I love soccer. I grew up
playing soccer, and soccer has given me the opportunity to see different parts of Asia, such as
Japan, Vietnam, China, Korea, and North Korea. Secondly, it has always been a dream of mine to
go to Spain, where my favorite team, Real Madrid, is based. Upon hearing about this study
abroad, I simply had to do whatever I could to attend. After applying for the program, applying
for the UW Study Abroad Ambassador Scholarship, and an interview with the program director,
Professor Ron Krabill, I was granted the opportunity to be a part of this experience. This
experience first took us to Madrid, then Leon, and finally to Barcelona.
As you may know, soccer, or better known as futbol, is the national sport of Spain. The
two most famous teams in the world are from Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Growing up, I
watched Real Madrid create magic on the pitch, the green battlefield. Having the opportunity to
be in Madrid itself was a dream goal (see what I did there). I was ecstatic to be able to
play futbol with the locals and immerse myself into the culture that treated soccer as a religion.
The morning after my flight arrived in Madrid, I went to the famous Buen Retiro Park in hopes
of kicking around the ball that causes so much joy and pain to millions of people around the
world. Futbol is a universal language that does not discriminate against socioeconomic status,
age, gender, nationality, etc. Much to my surprise, I did not see a single person kicking a soccer
ball. I was perplexed. To be in a major city where the beautiful game is part of their culture, I
expected so much more.
Leon was the city where we spent most of our time abroad. This was also the city where I was
taught Spanish from Centro de Idiomas de la Universidad de Leon.
What is a coach? A coach is someone whose primary responsibility is to motivate and push
others to improve. This can be done to develop old and new skill sets in order to achieve one’s
full potential. Through the use of assessments of one’s abilities, training techniques, and
psychological motivation, coaches prepare others for success.
Now, if these two ladies were dressed in soccer gear with the background being a beautiful green
pitch, you would automatically know that it was about soccer. They are my Spanish professors,
Celia and Marta. Whether it’s about soccer, business, language, or careers, utilizing the
constructive advice of great coaches creates an easier path toward success. With that being said,
a coach does not make any decisions for the player, nor is a coach responsible for the player’s
decisions, actions, or results. A coach cannot take the player where the player is unwilling to go.
Although I arrived in Leon knowing only two phrases in Spanish: Si (yes) and Donde está el
baño (Where is the bathroom), coaches Celia and Marta helped me to improve myself to become
a better version of me. They considered my educational background in Spanish (or lack thereof) and trained me to improve. I am not considering them as experts, but simply facilitators of
learning. One’s performance doesn’t solely rely on the coach. There has to be an effort on one’s
part to want to learn and a desire to improve oneself.
The photo above showcase the universal aspect of the beautiful game. Without being fluent
in Spanish, specifically the local dialect of Castellano, I was able to get onto the pitch and play
the game, just like back home. We were passing, shooting, scoring, and celebrating, all without
speaking. We all understood how the game was played, and the amazing thing was that skill level
didn’t matter here. The photographs shown are of people from all around the world: India,
Columbia, Norway, Ecuador, Spain, and Guam, just to name a few. On top of that, some of the
players never played soccer in their life, some stopped at a young age, some played on a national
level, and others just played for fun. At that moment captured, the only thing that mattered was
that we all shared the love of the game. I can definitely say that this specific type of soccer is
what makes the game the most popular sport in the world. We didn’t worry about rules (one team
may have had three goalies at one point!). We didn’t worry about who was better than who. We
were collectively enjoying each other and we all had fun without being fluent in each other’s
languages. This is why I love fútbol.
As part of a final assignment for this study abroad program, two people who would never agree
on who the best fútbol team in the world is somehow collaborated (although we all know that
Real Madrid wins that argument). Our presentation focused on the local professional team of
León, La Cultural Y Deportiva Leonesa, and its salvation from financial ruin by oil money. We
proposed the questions, which still remain unanswered: (1) is oil money a good thing for soccer
or not? (2) should companies be allowed to invest in soccer?
Let me elaborate. 1923, the team was born. 1931, the team ceased playing and restarted in 1939
after the Spanish Civil War. La Cultural bounced between different divisions until 2011, when
they were relegated to the fourth division due to debts. At this point, they were on the brink of
the team disappearing entirely, until Aspire Academy stepped in in 2015. Qatar-based Aspire
Academy bought the team and paid off their debts for €1.7 million.
Now, depending on who you talk to, the answers that you receive to the questions above will
change. For example, the perspectives of two of our guest speakers. Javi Calvo, the sports
journalist, explained that the club is important to the people of León but Aspire Academy was a
way for Qatar to “sports-wash” their own image. On the other hand, Sports Director for La
Cultural, Felipe Llamazares, held a firm belief that the Aspire Academy was a “savior and angel”
for León.
Although this debate can be held until our faces are blue, one thing remains a fact. La Cultural y
Deportiva Leonesa still exists, and they hope to make it back into La Liga one day. Personally, I
believe that it’s a good and bad thing, but necessary regardless. A sort of Yin-Yang. A fine
balance between good and evil.
