Posted by curtisjs on Friday, June 3, 2016 in Blog posts.

Jack Curtis

Interview with Davide on 5/30/16 at 15:00

In my interview with Davide, we discussed sports in Sicily.  Since sports is a significant part of the culture of the United States, I wanted to gain a Sicilian’s perspective on sports in Sicily.  Davide works at Culturforum and is the daughter of Vittoria, our tour guide.  He grew up and currently lives in Palermo where he plays tennis and enjoys scuba diving.  While he occasionally claims his English isn’t very good, he spoke very clearly and accurately (this is a common occurrence that I have noticed with Sicilians).  I asked Davide several questions including: What sports are popular in Italy?  How important are sports to Sicily?  Do you play a sport?  What are your favorite Italian sports and sports teams?  Do you follow any American sports, and if so which ones?  Do most people in Cefalù cheer for the same teams?  And, finally, are there school sports teams?  His answers were extremely insightful and thought-provoking when comparing the culture of Sicily with that of the United States.

According to Davide, soccer is hands down the most popular sport in Sicily.  He also mentioned that racing, rugby, and cycling are also all very popular.  I found this fascinating as I consider myself a huge sports fanatic, but of this group I have only watched soccer.  He asked me which sports I played in high school (which include basketball and cross country), and he commented that basketball is currently rising in popularity.  Davide stated that basketball is one of the few sports that schools play each other in, and that the important university games are occasionally televised.  When I asked why schools don’t play each other in soccer (the most popular Sicilian sport), he informed me that a majority of sports here are often played by club teams, not school teams.  This cultural difference shocked me.  Collegiate (and high school to a lesser extent) sports teams are massive sources of revenue for their institutions and are watched by many American families.  When asked how important sports were to Sicilian society, he responded by saying, “Sadly, not that important.  Most people start playing sports around age 10 and play for one or two years before stopping.”  This is vastly different from what we find in the United States.  Parents frequently put a basketball, football, or baseball in their children’s hands from the moment they can walk (I began playing basketball when I was four).  I believe that I learned many valuable life lessons through sports – such as teamwork, dedication, and hard work.  When asked who his favorite sports icon was, Davide answered with Roger Federer as his favorite tennis player (he added that most people from Cefalù are Juventus fans, but he does not watch much soccer).  I also found this somewhat strange initially – it seemed odd that his favorite athlete was someone from another country.  However I have noticed an increasing number of my friends have international stars as their favorite athletes as well (such as Messi and Ronaldo).  With the increase in the popularity of soccer in the U.S., Americans are beginning to be exposed to more and more international players.  Orlando recently received an MLS team with soccer stars like Kaka and Antonio Nocerino (who has played on the Italian national team)!  Davide mentioned that he does not follow many American sports, but he occasionally watches some NBA games.

Lastly, we discussed the emphasis, or lack-there-of, of sports and physical activity in schools.  He said that there was no Physical Education requirement!  This was astonishing to me as I had P.E. classes starting in Kindergarten and extending through my freshman year of high school.  Based on observations, Sicilians also appear to have far less obesity problems than Americans, which initially seems contradictory.  The country without any required Physical Education classes appears to have overall better physical health.  The answer may lie in the attitude each of our cultures takes towards sports and physical activity.  By making it a class in the United States, physical activity appears to be like any other frequently feared school subject (such as Math, English, History, etc.).  This may make it seem to be a chore and something that kids just have to get through.  Also, a large portion of sports activity for American youth is centered on participation in formalized sports teams and training, where there is often pressure to compete.  Based on Davide’s input, in Sicily children do not view sports as a requirement but as a fun activity to engage in with their friends.  Even though Davide earlier said that sports are not heavily emphasized in Sicily, he mentioned that you will constantly see kids out on the streets playing pick-up games of soccer or basketball.  In the U.S., it is rare to see kids playing in parks or the streets.  In Sicily, youth sports appear to be less-organized and result more from the initiative of kids wanting to have fun, which would, in turn, cause them to participate more in sports on a regular basis.  Engaging in sports activity for amusement could be a reason for the occurrence of less obesity in Sicily than in the United States.  In conclusion, my interview with Davide revealed not only the many variations between American and Italian sports but also highlighted the underlying cultural differences between the United States and Sicily.