Finding the Game
Three Years, Twenty-five Countries, and the Search for Pickup Soccer
by Gwendolyn Oxenham
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Pub Date Jun 19 2012 | Archive Date Sep 01 2012
Description
Across two dozen countries—from back alleys to remote beaches to the roofs of skyscrapers—an eye-opening journey into the heart of soccer
Every country has a different term for it: In the United States it's "pickup." In Trinidad it's "taking a sweat." In Brazil it's "pelada" (literally "naked"). It's the other side of soccer, those spontaneous matches played away from the bright lights and manicured fields—the game for anyone, anywhere.
At sixteen, Gwendolyn Oxenham was the youngest Division I athlete in NCAA history, a starter and leading goal-scorer for Duke. At twenty, she graduated, the women's professional soccer league folded, and her career was over. In Finding the Game, Oxenham, along with her boyfriend and two friends, chases the part of the game that outlasts a career. They bribe their way into a Bolivian prison, bet shillings on a game with moonshine brewers in Kenya, play with women in hijab on a court in Tehran—and discover what the world looks like when you wander down side streets, holding on to a ball.
An entertaining, heartfelt look at the soul of a sport and a thrilling travel narrative, this book is proof that on the field and in life, some things need no translation.
Advance Praise
GWENDOLYN OXENHAM received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, where she was awarded the Nicholas Sparks post-graduate fellowship. A Duke University soccer alum, she played professionally for Santos FC in Brazil in 2005. She teaches English and plays in pickup games in Southern California.
"It seems Oxenham excels at everything she does--soccer and writing included. More than just a book about the sport, Finding the Game transports you around the world with humor, wit, and excitement on every page. You don't have to be a sports fan to devour this book."
-- Anson Dorrance, head coach, University of North Carolina Women's Soccer, and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee
"They say music is the world's language, but Oxenham will convince you that soccer now owns that distinction. An unparalleled journey that invokes more than just passion for soccer."
-- Rob Stone, ESPN commentator
"Finding the Game proves the reality of the phrase 'Soccer is the world's game' and shows that the idea of playing a sport for the joy of it still exists. Gwendolyn and her friends used their passion for soccer to visit places and meet people that would have been unimaginable to most of us. Best of all, she allows the reader to become a part of the adventure."
-- Chuck Korr, coauthor of More Than Just a Game
"It's not just an adventure that all of us would have liked to have had. Oxenham can write, too. A brave account of soccer as a universal language."
-- Simon Kuper, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Soccernomics
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781250002044 |
| PRICE | $36.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 304 |
