Finding the Game:
Three Years, Twenty-Five Countries, and the Search for Pickup Soccer
Gwendolyn Oxenham
Out of college in her mid-twenties,
Gwendolyn Oxenham, her boyfriend, and two friends set out to discover how
soccer, the game she loves, connects communities around the world beyond the
lights of the Premier League and the World Cup. During her journey around the
world, Oxenham documented the group's attempts to find, and participate in,
pickup soccer games and other non-professional matches. While her love of soccer
and her appreciation of the game's ability to unite people across language and
cultural barriers are evident throughout, Oxenham occasionally lapses into
preachiness or misplaced self-congratulation. The book can't quite decide
whether it's an exploration of the global nature of the game or a
travel/self-discovery memoir. While both of these elements sometimes coexist in
harmony, there is often a tension between them as the writing whips back and
forth. The writing is sufficient and the passion more than enough to sustain
the story as the group proceeds through its many adventures, both expected and,
well, less so. From initial disappointments in Trinidad and Argentina to surprising success on the rooftops
of Tokyo , Oxenham
and company chase the game, but throughout much of the book there's a feeling
of emptiness as the travelogue eclipses more meaningful analysis. The chapters
on Iran and Israel stand
out for their brilliant combination of straightforward storytelling and examination
of the political ramifications of their journey. While hopeful activists praise
soccer's ability to unite disparate Jewish and Palestinian communities, Oxenham
witnesses a more complicated situation on the ground as sides of each ethnicity
meet on the field but ultimately leave in their own isolated pockets. In Iran , the
situation is more tense as the group must weather the tensions that plague any
Americans visiting the country, let alone a group intent on mingling with anyone
and everyone, despite the warnings and discouragement from the official tour
guides. Readers will be drawn to Oxenham's obvious appreciation for soccer and
for the entertaining stories of her round-the-world trip, but those hoping for Finding the Game to present a deeper
examination of meaning may ultimately be disappointed.
Grade: B
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