Episode 173 – Futbol is This Filipino American Life! with Anton del Rosario

FUTBOL IS THIS FILIPINO AMERICAN LIFE!!

What is the most popular sport in the world? You guessed it!  It’s football! And no, not that kind of football with the oddly shaped ball that’s thrown around with hands mostly and occasionally kicked. We’re talking about futbol, or more commonly known to TFAL (and maybe you) as soccer.  Although the popularity of this sport worldwide is massive, in the United States and Philippines, its popularity, one can arguably consider, is still in its early stages.  In 2018, over 3.5 BILLION people watched the World Cup. And in 2022, the World Cup is estimated to have an audience of 5 billion people worldwide (that’s over HALF of the world’s population).

So why don’t more Filipinos and Filipino Americans play it?

Today, we talk to Anton del Rosario, an American-born Filipino footballer who plays for Maharlika Manila, of which he is also a co-founder and co-owner. He represented the Philippines national team from 2004 to 2014.  We talk about the life of a professional athlete, how soccer played a major role in his life, and his desire to use the “Beautiful Game” as a vehicle to create more opportunities for Filipino Americans and Filipinos across the world.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on this page, find us on Mixcloud or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. And for folks on Spotify, you can listen to us here.

Do you play football/soccer?  What are your opinions on more Filipinos playing it? Leave us a voicemail and let us know 805.394.TFAL or email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com.