Soccer in Argentina, is an important way of life, for most young people, it is the only way of life. Children would clear pastures (fields) of rocks, and mark the goals off with stones. The people were so poor that there was no ball, they used women's stockings all wrapped up together. From a very young age the children were taught to play for the love of the game, nothing else. For these young children, Argentine soccer was a way of life, not just a sport, it defined who these people were.

More than 85% of the people that live in Argentina are of white European decent. 15% are a mix between European and Indigenous people, better know as 'Mestizos.' During the colonial period Argentina consisted of a large black population, but as the 19th century came about the population dwindled to a few thousand. The reason for this decline in the black population was due to many things: There were many wars which mostly blacks participated in, racially missed marriages took place, because there was a shortage of black men, disease and also the slave trade. "Overall, however, the substantially reduced numbers of Afro-Argentines — by some accounts the population totals only a few thousand — have enabled Argentina to deny the historic relevance of blacks and portray theirs as a white nation free of racism. An article appearing in The Montreal Gazette in 1998 quotes a Buenos Aires museum director's response to the possibility of an Afro-Argentine exhibit: "We have too many important events and personalities to show. We can't waste space putting things that don't have any relevance to our history." The country's self-image coexists with continued manifestations of racism. The same article explains that when the Argentine soccer team was to play either the Brazilian or Nigerian team in the Olympic finals, a sports newspaper ran the headline, "Bring on the Monkeys," eliciting protests from the governments of both potential opponents. As of the late 1990s efforts by scholars like Andrews, Goldberg, Chace, and others seek to confront such persistent racism and ensure that the historic significance of Afro-Argentines is not forgotten."(Roanne Edwards)

Soccer is one of the largest sports in the world, and grosses $250 billion dollars a year. The organization know as FIFA, promotes the "shared common values that transcend culture, social division and racial differences." (Rob Hughes) The world would be a better place, if it were more like a soccer field, Joseph Blatter (the president of FIFA) states. Racism has slowly made it's way into the soccer scene, throughout the years and is the greatest threat to the sport. There are many ideas to combat the threat of racism: "if, as soccer claims, it generates $250 billion annually around the world, the bulk of it in Europe where racism festers, one suggestion to disinfect the sport from nihilism could be a soccer intelligence unit. Rather than attempting to confront the thugs, the goal would be to infiltrate, observe and inform the police, who in some countries lack the resources and know-how to nip racism in the ugly bud. That, and considerably more meaningful punishments than a two-match suspension to a blatant racist on the pitch."(Rob Hughes)

Even though, racism does exists in Argentine soccer; like in Brazilian soccer the game is still played because it is an intricate part of the countries history. Soccer came to Argentina much like it came to Brazil. It started off as an elite sport and slowly transcended to the peasantry. Soon soccer became a way of life, people were playing it in the stadiums, parks and streets. The game began to embody the culture of the Brazilian people. Racism has been apart of the game and still is but, "when all is said and done they (the players) play for the love of the game and because they're bloody good and the game wouldn't be the same if they were not in it." (Miranda Pine) One of these players who played for the love of the game was Diego Maradona.

Soccer in Argentina, like Brazil, is not all about the players. Many things contribute to a good or successful game, one of the biggest things are the fans. In many cases there is extreme violence in soccer matches: between the fans, police, or players. Sometimes games are even stopped because the violence between one of these groups gets out of control. For example: in Buenos Aires "Five people were injured and two Argentine league soccer games were interrupted Sunday after fights broke out between police and local fans. A match between Banfield and Lanus was interrupted twice before it was finally stopped while Lanus fans and police fought in the stands.

Twenty-five people were eventually arrested and one supporter was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet, reports said. The violence started when police tried to remove a huge Lanus flag from the visiting fans' stand. Such banners are forbidden." There are many reasons why this violence erupt, but David Adams believes that it is because of the economic crisis that Argentina is going through. "The dilemma facing Argentine soccer is symptomatic of the country's wider financial crisis, say analysts. Just as corrupt politicians and businessmen are accused of bankrupting the nation's economy, greedy soccer bosses and club presidents are blamed for the soccer crisis. "The government needs to intervene and reform the entire structure of the game," said Carlos Ares, a leading Argentine journalist. "I see it as a great opportunity for the government. If they take action and solve the soccer problem it will send a message that things can be fixed in this country." (DAVID ADAMS) "Many people believe that soccer is one of the best parts of Argentine and Latin American culture, but there are people who are against the cause. From their view point soccer is a destructive force, with many games ending in violence and the related injuries. This violence come from fans known as "el hincha" who are extremely passionate about their teams. Hundreds of them go to the games together, forming small mobs called "hinchada." While arguments at home can get heated, it is nothing compared to what can happen at the games. The "hinchada" sometimes throw more than verbal insults to the opposing fans, creating injuries and animosity. The home "hinchada" and the visiting "hinchada" spend the game accumulating adrenaline over actions of players and fans, so by the time the game is over the two "hinchadas" are ready to brawl." (Santiago Cordero). These "hinchadas" fights are often related to race, once again racism rears it's ugly head in soccer. These two groups are comprised of upper-class Argentineans, against the lower-class, a struggle that most Argentine people deal with everyday.