Stephen Jay Gould, an American paleontologist and influential writer of popular science once said, “I’m not a great deductive thinker, but I will admit to having competence in a very wide range of things – not being afraid to try to write about baseball, choral music and dinosaurs in the same week and see connections among them.”
Many would say that making connections across various facets of life has a tremendous combination of entertainment and educational value. It is tough to top programming that provokes critical thinking while retaining a light-hearted atmosphere that encourages leisurely enjoyment. While the search for these kinds of media can be arduous, folks don’t have to look any farther than WCGR, Concordia University’s student-led radio broadcast network. The One-Two, a new radio program on Wednesday nights from 7:30-9:00, may be the go-to outlet for your healthy dose of soccer and politics. The intriguing combo that elaborates on both “the beautiful game” and current events is fueled by the dynamic duo of Rowand Esmiel and Diego Ramirez.
As far as the structure of the show, Esmiel explains “We will try to engender a lively discussion of every week’s Premier League games, La Liga games, and then an overview of title races around Europe. Then we’ll have a little current events section and a ‘guest corner’ where we have people of note give their in-depth opinions.” As far as to whether or not listeners need to have a working knowledge of soccer or follow it closely, he adds, “We’ll be very general in the beginning and try to be informative and talk about the basics of each league so that people who don’t have a specific understanding can become informed. If we say anything that is topical we will explain it in depth so we hope that nothing we say will be too steeped in jargon for people to get.”
For Esmiel, the show will bring together two of his life’s passions – soccer and politics. A senior at CUC, Esmiel has extensive knowledge in both categories. In addition to his studies in the area of political science, Esmiel has also had the opportunity to work in politics during a semester in which he studied in Washington D.C. where he worked closely with the House of Representatives and the progressive caucus in the house and senate. He cites working directly with a few congressmen as his most relevant experience in politics. Additionally, he described his role on his high school debate team as “an avenue to get into political culture.”
Esmiel also connects his interest in politics to his personal background. While his birth place was Hamilton, Ontario in his native Canada, his family culture actually hails from Kurdistan, a region in southeastern Turkey. He states that his Kurdish background and culture as a minority group contribute to his involvement in politics. “Not only in America, but in our own homeland we are a stateless people. We are the world’s largest population of stateless people [meaning] we don’t have a country so, obviously, it is not difficult to become politically active because that theme is always relevant,” Esmiel notes. He moved to the United States after about five years in Canada and a yearlong stay in Kurdistan, but the influence of his Kurdish culture would never fade. His mother and father both spoke Kurdish so, naturally, that was his first language and the predominant language spoken in his home growing up. “I was part of the culture in that there was Kurdish music in the house, Kurdish food, and even Kurdish clothing and gifts in the form of hats and shoes and all the images and symbolism of our culture,” he adds.
Continuing with politics, his father was the founder of a Kurdish discourse forum in Hamilton, Ontario hosted by his graduate school – McMaster University. “His watching of Kurdish news and current events was naturally in my peripherals,” says Esmiel. All in all, it is easy to see how politics are relevant in his life from a cultural perspective on an international level as it boils down to “Wanting to be current in my background translated into being interested in the news in general, so that’s how I became interested in current events,” concludes Esmiel.
Diving into the second aspect of the show, soccer is an integral part of Esmiel’s life and has been for quite some time. While he grew up playing the game mostly in his backyard and neighborhood in a casual environment, he has a bit of competitive playing experience that features two years as a member of the Junior Varsity team at Parkway West High School in St. Louis, MO. Nearing the end of his undergraduate college experience, Esmiel can still be found playing the game as he frequently attends futsal open gym sessions and intramural events on campus at CUC in addition to competing in indoor leagues when he returns home for breaks in St. Louis. “I think of myself as a bit of a Xabi Alonso, I like to dwell on the ball, look up and find a pass,” he says with a smile.
As far as becoming seriously involved in the depth of the sport, Esmiel adds that the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup were pivotal. “I’ve always had an interest in playing the game, but it was at that time that watching it blew up for me.” After these matches, Esmiel notes that he began closely following his favorite players – notably David Villa and Fernando Torres into their respective clubs. The interest in following specific players opened the door to social media platforms and “I found more subcultures of soccer that drew me into the debates, the storylines, and players that suddenly became interesting,” explains Esmiel.
Together with his co-host Diego Ramirez, a Sociology/Marketing double-major and member of CUC’s men’s soccer team, the duo hopes to inspire listeners to engage in an up-beat mix of soccer and politics.
Lastly, Esmiel communicates the idea that, “Soccer is a form of expression, a form of soft power to be wielded and displayed in the international community such that I believe there is an inherent link between politics and soccer. But also, it’s a form of escapism like reading a book that you really like or any kind of hobby that takes you away from your day to day life because soccer has its own drama, its own controversy, its own storylines and themes and characters to attach to.”
“We are prepared to be informed by listeners on things that they find interesting. We’re all about fresh content so we encourage conversation regarding any sort of interests, hobbies, or events that they find cool.”
