Sport Culture Analysis - Santa Clara Men’s Soccer

Part 1

I am a student-athlete on Santa Clara’s men’s soccer team. It is a NCAA division 1 program where we compete against other universities across the U.S. To be part of our team you have to be able to compete at a high level on the soccer field and have good enough grades to progress in our school. That means that you have to come prepared every day to work and to achieve commitments and goals. Our soccer team has a set schedule where we train regularly and have team meetings, dinners, and activities. This culture is different from most cultures because we all come from different walks of life. For example, we have players from Norway, Canada, Spain, Denmark and from different states across the U.S. We are very multicultural and to be on our team you have to accept that there will be different characters and opinions. We definitely consider ourselves a team because we have common goals and we strive to incorporate everyone on the team. There are various ways to become a member on this soccer team. However, the most common way is to be a top student with excellent grades and be a hard worker on and off the field. That is the first thing our head coach looks at and after that he sees if you are a soccer player that can improve our team. It is important to remember that playing for our soccer team will be challenging and stressful at times, but it is those who get through it that are the elite student-athletes.  

Part 2

Wow! I walk into my soccer team’s facility and it is more modern and elegant than most other Major League Soccer facilities. We have so many televisions that are all turned on. We can watch so many different sports simultaneously. I see that the baseball game is on, the 49ers are playing the Cowboys and the Little League World Series final is on! We have cold tubs to recover from our training sessions and workouts. It is all set up so we can succeed because we even have a kitchen to cook our meals, or make nutritious smoothies. All of us players have two different pairs of runners, cleats and other clothing options. The drills that we do in training are performed with a high intensity and they are very well set up by the coaches because everything is timed; even water breaks. At our home games, the ambulance pulled up right by the field. I thought at first that someone was seriously injured, however, the paramedics just set up a small tent and enjoyed the game, and they were just there in case someone got seriously injured. The stadium is well seated and has a capacity of about 6,000 people, but that is if everyone would show up because during the game there was around 600 supporters, but proud ones of that. I also see that they are very well supported by the university because as I walk around campus there are many signs that say “come cheer on your broncos tonight at 7:30!” This is a supportive culture that has history in their program because of how successful the program has been. In fact, they have won a national championship in 1989 and have made the “Final Four” on multiple occasions. It is a very well respected program not just in the Bay Area, but across the nation because there are many players that come to this team from all 50 states because they have heard positive things about the program and culture. 

Part 3

When looking at Santa Clara university’s background you see that it has many beliefs the first one being that it has been known as a Jesuit school for a long time. That means that the sports team in the university will incorporate some of its rituals. For example, before the game we all get into a circle and say the Lord’s Prayer. I asked the seniors about this and they say that it is a tradition that has been around for a very long time. I was not in shock because I am catholic, but not all of my teammates believe in God. However, I feel that this shows that we are committed to something bigger than ourselves which helps our team chemistry. I also noticed that before we leave for away games everyone has to wear a suit because this helps us understand that it is a business trip when we go out to compete against other universities and it is important to have that mindset. Furthermore,  people respect us and give us compliments when we are on the road. They say things like “that is how things were done before” or “what a good looking team”. It gives us a higher status than other teams who do not do this. Even though it may be uncomfortable to travel in the suit across the country, we are all going through it together. This is an example of how our team values status and unity. Moreover, the strongest thing we have in common is the symbol that binds us together: the Bronco. We have a saying: “stampede together” that reminds us that who and what we represent is bigger than ourselves. I feel that it is very important to recognize how important this symbol is to our community, alumni, faculty, and current students. We all share this symbol to show who we are and what type of values we have, and to go through everything together, or not at all. This is a valuable symbol to me and I am very proud to wear Santa Clara across my chest every time we step out on the field. 

Part 4

Our soccer team is very inclusive and we all assure that everyone is comfortable with what we do and say. However, there are certain rules that we have to follow, for example, all first year students have certain rituals that they have to do before they are fully part of the team. I had to go through them and so did everyone who wants to be part of this close family. For example, incoming players had to keep their moustaches for the first few months of school, and if they broke the rules they would have to shave their heads. There are certain things that are unacceptable in our team like racism, or negative remarks about one’s culture, and we follow this to the letter because we want our team to be inclusive. The captains are one level below the coaches and we have to follow their orders in order to have a successful team. I believe the best teams are the ones that are the most family-like, who get through daily conflicts and figure out solutions on how to move forward. Those are the teams I want to be part of and represent. 

Part 5 

I have never reflected on what type of culture we have in our soccer team because I am not aware of it as I am doing it. During this assignment, I have found out new examples of what type of culture we have and how we do certain things without noticing it. For example, by now we know our duties and we understand that they have to be accomplished in order for our team to function properly. Lastly, we have a great culture here at Santa Clara and it will continue to be passed down year by year because some of the things we do are traditions that have been passed down to us for many years already. Of course, teams and goals change year by year, but the ideals of representing our team positively on and off the field do not change.