The fatedness of place: Basque football and national identities

ABSTRACT Wedged between Spain and France, the stateless nation of the Basques has a keen sense of national identity. The construction and maintenance of national identities has taken place in both the social and political terrains. At the heart of these constructions lies a deep sense of origins and difference. Basque sport, particularly football, is yet another terrain to situate Basque national identity in alterity. The first division Athletic Bilbao has earned its reputation due to a recruitment strategy they call la filosofía: since the early twentieth century, they have fielded Basque players only. Through constant discussions and decisions about whether a player is ‘Basque’ or ‘Basque enough,’ and what that means, football has greatly contributed to the construction of a national imagery that has revolved around place, political ideology, race and ethnicity, and transnational culture.