Rodrigo Futema on his Passion for Soccer and Social Change
“A short, stocky Asian businessman walks out onto the construction zone and stops mid-step to assess the site’s progress. With a year left before the beginning of the controversial 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup, the entire country is working at maximum capacity to finalize infrastructure projects. Rodrigo Futema, the head coordinator at FIFA is in charge of ensuring timely completion of all the necessary physical preparations for the global competition. A dedicated supporter of ethical soccer, Futema has used the beautiful game to promote youth education and the decreased use of indentured labor in Qatar.”
I hope to be remembered in that fashion over the next decade. The Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars (FDDS) Program at American University (AU) has elevated my success so that I may one day attain my dream position in soccer administration. A challenging, but endlessly rewarding undergraduate experience, I was inducted into the FDDS second class in 2011 with the hopes of giving back to the world through a career in international service. However, the eighteen year-old freshman, Rodrigo Tamashiro Futema, has grown to become the twenty-one year-old senior. Over the course of my four years in FDDS and AU I have learned to distinguish quality liquors, think critically, select lifelong friends, and gained greater self-awareness.
When I arrived at American University my interests lied in the field of International Relations and Political Science and my future goal was a career in Diplomacy. However, as I began my coursework and spoke to my professors I quickly realized that politics, in the traditional sense, was not my calling. I then ceased my Political Science major and searched for an alternative field of study. With the help of FDDS Innaugural Director Thomas and his diligent mentoring I stumbled upon a major in Sociology. At the end of my freshman year I was sure that I wanted to pursue an international career and continued my International Studies, but was in academic and professional limbo. It was amidst this conflict that Director Thomas suggested that I participate in an Alternative Break Trip to Rwanda.
Award winning movie Hotel Rwanda is perhaps the best exposure the small Sub-Saharan African country of Rwanda has received in the international scene. Based on a true story, the movie gruesomely portrayed some of the horrific scenes that occurred in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. Unfortunately, the movie was also my only background to the country prior to my arrival. Throughout my three weeks in Rwanda our small group of American University students travelled the country learning about the reconciliation process amongst those affected.
At first, adapting to a new completely different environment and culture was difficult. Considering my only extended stay in any location was the East Coast of the United States and my birth city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Rwanda was a dramatically dissimilar place. However, I soon discovered a similarity: soccer. I fiercely debated, played, and watched soccer for three weeks and realized that I needed to change my passion into my dream.
During my stay in Rwanda I witnessed how a simple soccer ball can unite the sons and daughters of both genocide perpetrators and victims. Soccer was a form of reconciliation. Additionally, the sport brought Rwandans, Europeans, and Americans together. These experiences were replicas of the scenes I saw in Brazil. How could I not fall in love with the sport? I found my calling. I knew that I needed to use soccer to unite and uplift marginalized communities.
Upon arrival, Director Thomas and the FDDS program adjusted to better help me attain my newfound objectives. Director Thomas mentored me for a year as I worked closely with him in the program’s office with marketing and general administrative duties. He then helped me attain my first undergraduate internship at the Case Foundation and attend the Yale Pre-MBA program.
Soon after those experiences I began my junior year at American University whereby I was fortunate to intern at the multinational, social entrepreneurial organization of Ashoka. Cumulatively, at the Case Foundation and at Ashoka my work benefited social entrepreneurs around the world who then elevated a diverse range of marginalized communities. I have learned both professional and personal values from these internship experiences, but it is my volunteer experiences in soccer that have left the most rewarding memories.
In the Fall of 2013, I served as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the DC chapter of the national NGO America Scores. This organization guides at-risk youth in urban areas away from negative influences through afterschool programs in soccer and poetry. For three months I coached middle school soccer. Although a short experience, I was able to see tangible results with my players as they grew both personally and athletically. It was this experience that affirmed my dream of working in the soccer industry as I experienced first-hand the positive effects of soccer on society. I continued this journey in the Spring and Summer of 2014 by serving as a operations volunteer at the local soccer club DC United.
As a DC United volunteer, I was not only able to watch home games, but I was also able to personally partake in the operations of a soccer club. Consequently, I expanded my view of the sport from a social aspect to a more direct business operations perspective. This experience was supplemented by a summer filled with World Cup Soccer as I enriched my international development background at an NGO called the Global Business School Network. Now, in the fall semester of my senior year, I am studying abroad in Madrid, Spain to learn about the international business of soccer.
The largest global sport, soccer, is deeply entrenched into a majority of cultures around the world. Thus soccer has been used to widen the social inequality gap, foster public support for autocratic governments, and act as catalysts for senseless murders. On the other hand, soccer has acted as a means for citizens to exercise political freedom, enhance social programs, and even completely cease bloodshed. With such immense social influence I believe it is the responsibility of players, administrators, and regulators to ensure that the beautiful game is not only accessible to all populations, but that it does not come at the cost of others’ liberties. FDDS and AU has provided me an exemplary undergraduate experience. As a passionate fan and supporter of soccer for social progress programs, I aspire to use these teachings to pursue a career that uses soccer as a means for social justice.
In a blatant violation of worker’s rights, the Daily Mirror stated in March 2014 that the preparations for the 2022 Qatar World Cup has already led to the deaths of over 1,200 people. Instances like these showcase the very urgent need for ethical and effective soccer leadership. There is a responsibility in the new generation of global soccer leadership that exemplifies the positive influences of soccer. Soccer needs to cease immoral initiatives. The pitch is not where blood should be shed, but a platform for dreams to be made and realized. It is a place where nations converge and share a common passion; the passion for the beautiful game.