Civil Score (Week 1)

It's only the first week of classes and the amount of soccer discussion we're undertaking is impressive.  Futbol [as the world knows it] is an integral part of many peoples' lives, but even those who don't breathe the game cannot deny its prevelance in numerous aspects of history.  My grandfather played futbol for Panathinaikos - Greece.  Back then he was unpaid and the club was just establishing its roots.  However, today Panathinaikos has grown into one of the most popular teams in Europe.  Although I never had a chance to conversate with my Papou before his death, the sentiments imparted on him by Panathinaikos still echo with my mother's repetition to me.  "The Olimpiokos are communists and my father's Panathinaikos are democratic!"  After the Allies' [Greece] victory in WWII there was a very bloody civil war over the fate of Athens.  The communists v. those would see Greece return to its democratic past.  Although I havn't undertaken an indepth inquiry into the details, the basics are still there:  politics & war intermingling with futbol.  Dr. Bowman's "Origins of Futbol" dvd along with the Boca Juniors game we recently attended reminded me of all the many other aspects of the game that are often overlooked.  Is it the widespread international adoption of futbol that has allowed it to become infused with politics?  Is it the nature of the game?  Was it politics and politicians that chose futbol?  Has the futbol we know today resigned itself to the restricted field of a simple "sport?"  Answers to these questions are relative and drawn from individual experiences and opinions [on world events].  During my time in Argentina I will call upon the people and the Boca Juniors to offer me the '12th' spot on the field.  With active pursuit and immersion I hope to learn more behind the origins of Argentina's own 'Civil Score.'