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Tropic of Football: The Long and Perilous Journey of Samoans to the NFL
How a tiny Pacific archipelago is producing more players—from Troy Polamalu to Marcus Mariota—for the NFL than anywhere else in the world, by an award-winning sports historian
Football is at a crossroads, its future imperiled by the very physicality that drives its popularity. Its grass roots—high school and youth travel program—are withering. But players from the small South Pacific American territory of Samoa are bucking that trend, quietly becoming the most disproportionately overrepresented culture in the sport.
Jesse Sapolu, Junior Seau, Troy Polamalu, and Marcus Mariota are among the star players to emerge from the Samoan islands, and more of their brethren suit up every season. The very thing that makes them so good at football—their extraordinary internalization of discipline and warrior self-image—makes them especially vulnerable to its pitfalls, including concussions and brain injuries.
Award-winning sports historian Rob Ruck travels to the South Seas to unravel American Samoa’s complex ties with the United States. He finds an island blighted by obesity, where boys train on fields blistered with volcanic pebbles wearing helmets that should have been discarded long ago, incurring far more neurological damage than their stateside counterparts and haunted by Junior Seau, who committed suicide after a vaunted twenty-year NFL career, unable to live with the demons that resulted from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Tropic of Football is a gripping, bittersweet history of what may be football’s last frontier.
Football is at a crossroads, its future imperiled by the very physicality that drives its popularity. Its grass roots—high school and youth travel program—are withering. But players from the small South Pacific American territory of Samoa are bucking that trend, quietly becoming the most disproportionately overrepresented culture in the sport.
Jesse Sapolu, Junior Seau, Troy Polamalu, and Marcus Mariota are among the star players to emerge from the Samoan islands, and more of their brethren suit up every season. The very thing that makes them so good at football—their extraordinary internalization of discipline and warrior self-image—makes them especially vulnerable to its pitfalls, including concussions and brain injuries.
Award-winning sports historian Rob Ruck travels to the South Seas to unravel American Samoa’s complex ties with the United States. He finds an island blighted by obesity, where boys train on fields blistered with volcanic pebbles wearing helmets that should have been discarded long ago, incurring far more neurological damage than their stateside counterparts and haunted by Junior Seau, who committed suicide after a vaunted twenty-year NFL career, unable to live with the demons that resulted from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Tropic of Football is a gripping, bittersweet history of what may be football’s last frontier.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 31, 2018
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About the author
Rob Ruck
10 books5 followersRob Ruck teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. Author of Sandlot Seasons: Sport in Black Pittsburgh and The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic, his documentary work includes the Emmy Award–winning Kings on the Hill: Baseball’s Forgotten Men. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Maggie Patterson, his coauthor for Rooney: A Sporting Life.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 13, 2019
For those of us raised on the narratives of British imperialism, sport is easily placed in the discourse of empire: it travelled with various forms of settlers, administrators and ‘civilisers’ becoming part of the mission to introduce the ‘merits of Britishness’ to the less fortunate while also being a marker of the type of chap suited to run the Empire. In the world of the USA’s imperial aspirations, sport plays out differently but plays one similar role: it is an entry point for cultural transformation. We see these patterns in both formal and informal imperial relations – but would make a mistake if we were to see the pattern in the South Pacific as following these paths in any straightforward manner. Rob Ruck’s contemporary oral history of (American) football in one of the most contested of South Pacific island spaces, Samoa, is a valuable and essential contribution to an area where the body of work is limited (to be generous).
As is the case with many colonised peoples, Samoa is marked by an extensive diaspora with populations following the two major colonial relations – to New Zealand in the west and to the USA in the east. In tracing the engagement with football, Ruck traces this diaspora to its two primary US-based centres – the North Shore of O’ahu in Hawai’i and Oceanside, California – unravelling links and flows and counter-flows along the way. As suits an oral history of a relatively small, dispersed population group (the total population for American Samoa, including diaspora, is measure in the tens of thousands only) and one particular cultural activity (football) much of the discussion is built around the biographies of key figures – in Samoa, Hawai’i, California and elsewhere. There are good reasons for this, not the least that it enhances the accessibility of the text (fitting given the publisher) and allows the centrality of the argument about Samoan cultural life to be brought to life, although it does risk in places the perpetuation of the ‘great man’ (this is football, women barely feature) myths that so pervade much of sports history. To his credit, for the most part he avoids this trap, demonstrating a high level of understanding not only of the links between sport and empire in the American world, but the place of football in a kinship-based Samoan world.
Central to his analysis is a nuanced, implicit, understanding of representation where Samoan athletes come to stand in family, village, school, island, Samoa/ns in various contexts – a not uncommon experience in sport – and how that makes sense and must be read through a lens provided by ‘aiga as kinship network, as source of social security and identity, as encapsulating the basic organising principles of Samoan life. He also, at least early in the piece, incorporates the notion of malaga, a form of visiting/touring that helps bind together social relations although I would have lied to have seen this notion explored further in his discussions of more contemporary settings including the experiences of fans and supporters although recognise that this would have been a different book (or perhaps an intriguing PhD thesis). What is missing, or at least is excessively implicit, though is the sense of relationality that pervades Samoan social organisation, where perhaps a further exploration of malaga might have helped explore the idea of va, the space of the enactment of social relations. Sport and other forms of physical culture have long played a vital role in maintaining the va and I can’t help but wonder how perhaps a greater anthropological sensibility might have enriched some of the discussion.
That said, this is an historical exploration, not an anthropologist at play, with a secure sense of the dynamics of empire and colony. Ruck is very good on the contextualising his case in the changes in Samoan life, in the impacts since WW2 of increasing commercialisation and commodification, although most American Samoan land remains ’aiga owned he highlights the extent of the unravelling of the ’aiga systems resulting from diaspora and the impacts of colonising institutions. He is particularly strong also in the place of the church in social relations, and the dual impacts of the military and the LDS in driving migration to Hawai’i, also the key fit between these institutions any many of the core concepts discipline, responsibility and hospitality, alongside the notion of tautua, of ‘giving back’ to the community from which we have come.
Ruck has achieved a balance many of us in academia aim for: disciplinary rigor and wide accessibility. The narrative is strong, although the shifting geographical focus does lead to some repetition for the most part this allows him to make different points about circumstances in Samoa, Hawai’i and California. What is more, in emphasising a Samoan cultural frame he challenges many of the simplicities of understanding of achievement sport by decentring the individual (despite the biographical focus) and emphasising the collective of and beyond the team. This is a valuable addition to the literature not only on American football but sport studies more generally as well social and cultural histories of sport, empire and colonial relations. Hopefully it will inspire further study.
As is the case with many colonised peoples, Samoa is marked by an extensive diaspora with populations following the two major colonial relations – to New Zealand in the west and to the USA in the east. In tracing the engagement with football, Ruck traces this diaspora to its two primary US-based centres – the North Shore of O’ahu in Hawai’i and Oceanside, California – unravelling links and flows and counter-flows along the way. As suits an oral history of a relatively small, dispersed population group (the total population for American Samoa, including diaspora, is measure in the tens of thousands only) and one particular cultural activity (football) much of the discussion is built around the biographies of key figures – in Samoa, Hawai’i, California and elsewhere. There are good reasons for this, not the least that it enhances the accessibility of the text (fitting given the publisher) and allows the centrality of the argument about Samoan cultural life to be brought to life, although it does risk in places the perpetuation of the ‘great man’ (this is football, women barely feature) myths that so pervade much of sports history. To his credit, for the most part he avoids this trap, demonstrating a high level of understanding not only of the links between sport and empire in the American world, but the place of football in a kinship-based Samoan world.
Central to his analysis is a nuanced, implicit, understanding of representation where Samoan athletes come to stand in family, village, school, island, Samoa/ns in various contexts – a not uncommon experience in sport – and how that makes sense and must be read through a lens provided by ‘aiga as kinship network, as source of social security and identity, as encapsulating the basic organising principles of Samoan life. He also, at least early in the piece, incorporates the notion of malaga, a form of visiting/touring that helps bind together social relations although I would have lied to have seen this notion explored further in his discussions of more contemporary settings including the experiences of fans and supporters although recognise that this would have been a different book (or perhaps an intriguing PhD thesis). What is missing, or at least is excessively implicit, though is the sense of relationality that pervades Samoan social organisation, where perhaps a further exploration of malaga might have helped explore the idea of va, the space of the enactment of social relations. Sport and other forms of physical culture have long played a vital role in maintaining the va and I can’t help but wonder how perhaps a greater anthropological sensibility might have enriched some of the discussion.
That said, this is an historical exploration, not an anthropologist at play, with a secure sense of the dynamics of empire and colony. Ruck is very good on the contextualising his case in the changes in Samoan life, in the impacts since WW2 of increasing commercialisation and commodification, although most American Samoan land remains ’aiga owned he highlights the extent of the unravelling of the ’aiga systems resulting from diaspora and the impacts of colonising institutions. He is particularly strong also in the place of the church in social relations, and the dual impacts of the military and the LDS in driving migration to Hawai’i, also the key fit between these institutions any many of the core concepts discipline, responsibility and hospitality, alongside the notion of tautua, of ‘giving back’ to the community from which we have come.
Ruck has achieved a balance many of us in academia aim for: disciplinary rigor and wide accessibility. The narrative is strong, although the shifting geographical focus does lead to some repetition for the most part this allows him to make different points about circumstances in Samoa, Hawai’i and California. What is more, in emphasising a Samoan cultural frame he challenges many of the simplicities of understanding of achievement sport by decentring the individual (despite the biographical focus) and emphasising the collective of and beyond the team. This is a valuable addition to the literature not only on American football but sport studies more generally as well social and cultural histories of sport, empire and colonial relations. Hopefully it will inspire further study.
December 24, 2018
The Pittsburgh-based sports historian did a ton of legwork for this intriguing social history, which digs deep into the only culture outside the U.S. mainland to adopt American football as its own -- and in turn, making the inhabitants of this U.S. protectorate feel more "American." (The culture has produced such stars as Junior Seau and Troy Polamalu, though not all of them were born on the islands.) Ruck delves into the ancient and recent history of Samoa, and ably shows why its traditional culture is ideally suited to embracing football (basically, it's a very competitive culture, with a love of all things physical and a strong tendency to obey authority figures). The book is not as smooth a read as you might hope -- the narrative jumps around a lot, and Ruck gets into granular detail about sub-narratives whose main points we've already seen illustrated elsewhere. But Ruck's depiction of the sense of responsibility Samoan players feel toward their ancestral homeland -- and his sensitivity toward the socioeconomic struggles on the islands today, which lure youths into the football with the usually illusory promise of NFL stardom -- make this a worthwhile read for sports fans and social historians alike.
September 28, 2021
as rob ruck's works go - and as someone who studied under him at pitt and was even the "student member" of the search committee that awarded him a long-overdue tenured position - this is by far the most accessible. not necessarily the best (i'd give his rooney biography pride of place there) or his most "academic" (that would go to sandlot seasons, perhaps to raceball if one is willing to stretch a bit there).
tropic of football can be read in a few hours, one or two sittings, but it covers a lot of ground: you get background on samoa and what became western samoa, high school football in hawaii, early samoans in the nfl (first al lolotai, then the massive charlie ane), dick tomey's role in turning the university of hawaii into a samoan recruiting hub, the contributions of jesse sapolu, and current trends (an increasing tongan presence in the nfl, an obesity epidemic afflicting american samoa that has to be studied to be believed).
that said, there's room for much more here (which is no longer ruck's job - he did his part). at the very least, the market ought to support 1-2 books of good oral histories of polynesian footballers, since ruck at most could cover a handful in great detail.
tropic of football can be read in a few hours, one or two sittings, but it covers a lot of ground: you get background on samoa and what became western samoa, high school football in hawaii, early samoans in the nfl (first al lolotai, then the massive charlie ane), dick tomey's role in turning the university of hawaii into a samoan recruiting hub, the contributions of jesse sapolu, and current trends (an increasing tongan presence in the nfl, an obesity epidemic afflicting american samoa that has to be studied to be believed).
that said, there's room for much more here (which is no longer ruck's job - he did his part). at the very least, the market ought to support 1-2 books of good oral histories of polynesian footballers, since ruck at most could cover a handful in great detail.
April 16, 2022
Not being an NFL fan or knowing much about football didn’t really matter for this one. What interested me most was the sociocultural aspects, the familial ties and responsibilities players felt they had, and the different pathways players took to college or pro, education coming first (most of the time). It was great to learn more about the history of the Samoas and Hawaii as well.
March 1, 2023
Wonderful book, great idea to write about. The football in the Samoan population is big stuff. So reading this story helped me to better understand football place with the Samoan people.
June 13, 2025
Interesting to learn some of the history and culture of Samoa and how football meshes with it, but the book needed a healthy edit.
December 8, 2025
A change in score the more I think about it. I thought that this would be a case study of Samoan players trying to get to the NFL and figuring out the hardships to deal with living in such a remote part of the world, and to deal with the culture of both their homeland and the United States. What this was instead was a brief history of Samoa followed by an Encyclopedia of famous Samoans, and people who interacted with the Samoans, talking about the same things chapter after chapter. Some of the stories were impressive, especially when Mr. Ruck talked about the socio-economic divisions and how the community has evolved over time, but a lot were just profiles of famous Samoans who left their mark either on the NFL, or College and High School Ball. The chapters were dense, which would not be a bad thing if there was new information provided instead of the same formula over and over again. I guess I just had high hopes for this book that were not met.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews