Ghana Soccer culture.

Football, the King of Sports

The sport of football or soccer as it is widely known in the United States, is the most celebrate and play sport in the world. Football can trace its history to the ancient times where various cultures played a sport that is similar to the modern day sport of football. The modern day rules of football were first developed in the nineteenth century England in order to standardize the sport for competition between various colleges. As the British Empire colonized one-third of the world, they bring the modern day sport of football and its rules to their colonies. Football became a very popular sport for the masses because of its simplicity and accessibility. In order to play football the players only need a ball and an empty field. As the sport became popular internationally the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) formed in Paris in 1904. This is the international governing body of football for the world. FIFA regulates international rules and organizes international tournaments most notably the World Cup.

Even though the sport of football (soccer) is not popular in the United States as in the rest of the world, it has a great effect on people lives. In the country of Ghana, football is a way of life; people would play, talk, and watch football with great passion. Football is often thought as a political tool of uniting and entertaining the masses. Football has it own culture in Ghana and can be trace back to the hegemonic culture of the European colonialism. The level of enthusiasm for the game and especially when their home teams win are so great that it can promote nationalism and multicultural existence. In Ghana the sport of football is promoting the hegemonic masculinity for it only supports the male gender and it objectify female players as the subject of the male gaze and not their athletic values. The sport of football is been used as a source of culture hegemony, nationalism and hegemonic masculinity in Ghana.

Ghana is one of the most successful African nations in the sport of Football. The sport become a favorite pass time for all ages on the street and the field. Football was first introduces to Ghana in 1903 by a group of students in the Cape Coast Government Boys School. The game became an instance favorite in Ghana and spread through the entire country. By 1911 the football club Accra Hearts of Oak was founded and it is one of Africa oldest and most famous football club. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup Ghana was the only African country that reached the quarter final and third African country to make it the quarter final in the history of FIFA.

Ghana became a British colony in 1901 and gained its independence in 1957. In less than a century, the British successfully colonized Ghana and have an everlasting influence on the culture of the Ghanaian people. The British brought football to Ghana as a form of cultural hegemony. In order to assimilate the Ghanaian culture to the" British colonial doctrine and imperialist policy, football is used as a mechanism for creating the condition of conformity to the Western hegemonic culture" (Paul" Darby 2002) Football introduced the native to western rules of the game, clothing like football boots and jersey. As football became popular it replaced traditional games and encouraged the native to follow the western trend and style.

One important aspect of football was that it excluded women from participating in the game. Football did not immediately created gender inequality in Ghana, but it did promoted the concept of hegemonic masculinity. Through the process of colonization, women were continually excluded from formal structure of rule (Bandana Purkayastha, Mangala Subramaniam 2004). The British constructed a culture hegemonic that favored masculinity in Ghana. Football was the representation of this hegemonic masculinity. The sport of football spread through the country and it popularity increase as women status decreases. When football became popular in a part of a country it is a sign that part of the country have already accepted the influence the British hegemonic masculinity culture.

Gramsci defines hegemony in "...popular culture [as] an arena of struggle and negotiation between the interests of the dominate groups and the interests of the subordinate groups" (John Storey 2003). Football was a symbol of British colonialism and a tool for implementing hegemonic masculinity. However, the British have underestimated the capabilities of the Ghanaian to absorb, modify and adapt cultural import such as football. Football was very much realizing the dream of a united Ghana. In fact, Ghana politicians had used football as tool to unify the country and even the continent to resist against the hegemonic colonial cultural influenced of the British.

At the eve of it independence, Ghana faced the problems of national identity and tribal tension. Like many of African countries Ghana was a victim of the European, "Scramble for Africa"( Thomas Pakenham 1992) where they compete with each other to carve out and claimed the most valuable land in the continent of Africa. These European nations did not care that they are putting difference tribal and ethnicity of people in the same territory. When the European give independence back to these African nations, there were chaos everywhere because suddenly the tribal division became clear and people could not bring themselves to work together for their nation.

Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah, utilized the popularity of football as a political tool to unite his people from the difference of tribalism. Nkrumah created Ghana's first national football team called the Black Stars. He hand picked the players and even invited famous African football players to coach the team instead of the traditional European coaches. The team made up of Ghana's best players and it was the only professional team that had an African coach in the whole continent. Nkrumah advertised his football team as a multicultural, multi-tribal team and a symbol of black African power aiming to gain the support of all African.

On such diverse continent football was a transcending factor. Football was the mean of expressing unity against the colonial powers and against the internal divisions such as tribalism. Nkrumah's Black Stars team was a success for it won the African Cup of Nations in 1963 and 1965. The Black Stars became the symbol of Ghanaian's football and bestowed on the people the senses of pride that they never experience before. The Ghanaian put down their differences and shared the senses of nationalism in the pride for their football team. Football was not only the unifier of countrymen but of nations. Nkrumah used his team stardom in Africa as ambassador to other African nations. He wanted to spread his gospels of anti-colonialism and the Pan-Africanism.

Before football became the symbol of nationalism and anti-colonialism in Ghana, the symbol was the Ashanti Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa. Before the British arrived, Ghana was part of the Ashanti Empire. Women play an important role in the social and political affair of the Ashanti society. The Ashanti used a matrilineal system to determined family lineage, land right, property inherited, and political title. Both men and women can get involved in the tribal politic. If men wanted to become a tribe chief he must first be nominated by a woman chieftain in his linage, than he must go through an election process held by the elders of both men and women in his tribe. When came to choosing the Ashanti king it is the eldest sister of the decease king (The Queen Mother) that nominated the future king candidates before the council of elders for an election. When the British colonized Ghana, they striped women of their political rights and dismissed the council of elder. The British implemented a system of government where they choose the chiefs without any approval from the people and they excluded women from all political activity. As women lost their political power their social important diminished.

The Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa feared of losing her power and furious at the British the exploitation of her country gathered a resisting force against the British. This was to become the Yaa Asantewaa War which immortalizes Yaa Asantewaa to the Ghanaian people. Yaa Asantewaa was a figure of bravery and power in both the Ahanti court and the battlefield. She is often compared to the Joan of Arc in France for she inspired, and fought for her people freedom. Nationalism and anti-colonialism are ideologies that fall into area of male masculinity because it is the manifest of the strength and power from the people. Strength and power are associated with masculinity, and Football replaced Yaa Asantewaa because it is a better symbol for masculinity. Also Ghanaian political leaders needed a symbol that can be understood and accepted in the international level. Yaa Asantewaa is a legendary figure, however she is only appeal to the Ghanaian people and the rest of Africa didn't recognize her. Football replaced Yaa Asantewaa because of representation of hegemonic masculinity and the political propaganda of the Ghanaian government.

Football has become more open toward women in recent decades. Ghana established their women national football team in 1989. However women football did not enjoy the same level of enthusiasm as men football in Ghana. Perhaps it is the legacy of the British colonialism and their culture hegemony. Women are not encourage to play football because football is viewed as a very masculine sport and it is not appropriate for women. The Ghanaian society today has accepted the hegemonic masculinity that British install in them. The roles of women role in society are subordinated to men. There are fears of unfemininity and lesbophobia when women play masculine sport like football. The majority of football viewers are men, therefore women football players are value for their sexual objectification to the male gaze rather than their performance. Therefore women football is been taken as less serious than men football.

Please help

The sport of football, or soccer as it is widely known in the United States, is the most celebrated and played sport in the world

As the British Empire colonized one-third of the world, they bringintroduced the modern day sport


FIFA is the acronym for "Fédération Internationale de Football Association (in French)," or "International Federation of Association Football (in English)."

Even though the sport of football (soccer) is not popular in the United States as in the rest of the world, it has a great effect on people's lives.

Football has its own culture in Ghana and can be traced back to the hegemonic culture

The level of enthusiasm for the game,and especially when their home teams win,areis so great that it can promote nationalism and multicultural existence.


I don't think you should talk about this aspect in this paragraph. Talk about the positive aspects in one paragraph, and then introduce the negative ones in a different paragraph.


Don't capitalize football unless it's at the start of a sentence.


I think this one should come after the sentence that goes like: "The game became an instant favorite..."

I have to go now. I'll come back as soon as I can.

I'm so thankful, Ershad and Suven. I'll add to the good work you already did to help Thanh.

The Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa feared of losing her power and, furious at the British the exploitation of her country, gathered a resisting force against the British.

Yaa Asantewaa is a legendary figure, but she only appeals to the Ghanaian people and the rest of Africa did not recognize her. Football replaced Yaa Asantewaa because of its representation of hegemonic masculinity and the political propaganda of the Ghanaian government.

Use an apostrophe to show possession:
Therefore women's football is been taken as less serious than men's football.

Use a comma here:
Football is a form of British hegemonic masculinity, for it excluded women.

As football became the symbol for British culture it also became the symbol for the loss of women's status.

Women football players are have been objectified by the male gaze, and their athletic performance has been disregarded. Football is the "king" of sports, because a "king" is masculine, and Football has historically been a men's sport and it is a matter of hegemonic masculinity.

Practice typing the sentences with the corrections we made, and you can improve your grammar. This essay has many interesting ideas, but I think it needs a conclusion paragraph. It ends suddenly. I think you should write one last paragraph to talk about your ideas about why Football is significant and how it is different today than it was historically when it was a matter of hegemony.