SWB to speak at "Soccer As the Beautiful Game" conference

Hofstra University will award an honorary degree to Brazilian and New York Cosmos soccer legend Pelé for his humanitarian work and contributions to the sport during an international conference examining the historical, political, and economic impact of the game, Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz announced this week.

Pelé, named “The Player of the 20th Century” by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, and one of the “100 Most Influential People of the Century” by TIME magazine, also will be honored with a plaque in Hofstra University’s soccer stadium. Pelé is the honorary president of the New York Cosmos, the team he led to a championship almost 40 years ago. The Cosmos are the reigning 2013 NASL champions and play at Hofstra’s James M. Shuart Stadium.

The conference, “Soccer as the Beautiful Game: Football’s Artistry, Identity & Politics”, will bring together more than 100 scholars, journalists, players and coaches from 25 countries on April 10-13, 2014 for one of the largest academic symposia ever convened about the sport in the United States. It is being presented in collaboration with more than a dozen academic and sports institutions, including the Cosmos, the Consulates General of South Africa and Brazil in New York and the United States Soccer Federation, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary. Hofstra History professors Dr. Brenda Elsey and Dr. Stanislao Pugliese are co-directors.

Topics will include women and soccer; soccer and philanthrophy; the semiotics, history and governance of the game; how the sport is represented in art and literature; and its influence on religion and cultural identity.

Read more and join SWB at the Soccer and Philanthropy panel on Saturday, April 12, 11:30am-1:00pm.