| The primary objective of this study was to provide a historical account of how soccer was used as a vehicle aiding or inhibiting the adaptation of ethnic groups into society in Windsor, Ontario. Furthermore, it was to determine the value that ethnic groups of the 1972 South-Western Ontario Soccer League placed in regards to maintaining their own culture and identity, creating and maintaining relationships with other ethnic groups, and comparing how the adaptation strategies differed across the teams of the league. Teams representing the Italian, Hungarian, Greek, German, Croatian, English, Scottish, and Serbian communities at the time were examined. The information retrieved through one-on-one, semi structured interviews with two individuals from each of the eight teams revealed the degree of cultural and structural assimilation experienced by their members. In addition, an accurate account of the way in which each ethnic team generally addressed the questions posed in J.W. Berry's model of ethnic group adaptation was revealed. |
