123 CHAPTER 6 Mexico “on Top:” Queering Masculinity in Contemporary Mexican Soccer Chronicles Patrick Thomas Ridge “¡¡¡Puto!!!” Fans of El Tricolor (El Tri), Mexico’s national soccer team, frequently direct this stadium taunt at the opposing team’s goalie. The four-letter obscenity, meaning “fag,” aims to demasculinize the goal- keeper, whose sole purpose is to prevent his team’s goal from being “penetrated.” Taking this into account, soccer players not only defend their team’s chances of winning, but also serve as representatives of the nation, especially when it comes to international soccer competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, sporting events that symbolically measure national potential and greatness. Matches between countries like Mexico and the USA, regional rivals, extend historic conlict onto the ield of play. In this way, victories can symbolize national superiority, even more so when the game results in 11 triumphant men defeating or even dominating their 11 “inferior” opponents. This dynamic not only upholds hegemonic masculinity, but it also reproduces the heteronormative gender binary even in the © The Author(s) 2017 J.W. Kassing and L.J. Meân (eds.), Perspectives on the U.S.-Mexico Soccer Rivalry, Global Culture and Sport Series, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55831-8_6 P.T. Ridge (*) Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA