Ines Cervantes / The SWC Sun
ACHIEVING A GOAL—SWC alumna Luz Aramburo’s book is a loving looking at the beautiful game and its often-intense fans.
By Nena López
Soccer – the beautiful game – is popular largely because it is simple.
Women who love men who love soccer, however, can find themselves in a very complicated situation.
Former Southwestern College Sun News Editor Luz Aurora Aramburo has created a brilliant guidebook for women looking for some soccer basics and some relationship strategies.
Aramburo said she originally wanted to write a guide to the World Cup as a “cheat sheet” for women to better understand soccer in general. Futbol is a prominent part of her Mexican culture, she said, but she did not grow up watching soccer.
“I felt like a little bit of a foreigner in my own country,” she said. “Part of the reason I wrote the book was so that I could learn more about soccer myself.”
While earning her master’s degree in business administration at Point Loma University and working as a barista, Aramburo began developing the idea. She immersed herself in soccer culture through documentaries, conversations and watching matches. She learned about Pele and Maradona, Messi and Ronaldo. She figured out the complexities of onside versus offside.
Conversations at the café where she worked became an unexpected source of inspiration. Customers from Brazil, Germany, Spain and other parts of the worlds were eager to talk about soccer.
A surprising theme emerged. Aramburo said a surprising number of her customers vented to her about their frustrating relationships with soccer-obsessed partners.
“I quickly realized this needed to be more of a relationship handbook than anything else,” she said. “Loving a sports fan can be tricky. One realization led to another and it occurred to me that men’s behavior toward sports and women’s ability to cope with it in a healthy way can be complicated. It was fun and interesting digging into those relationships.”
Aramburo’s 216-page opus, “An Illustrated Guide to Loving a Soccer Fan,” is meticulously researched, serious when called for and cheerfully insightful. There are chapters on soccer history and culture, rules and regulations, and strategies for engaging with futbol fanatics.
It also plunges into time management, making good choices and the psychology of healthy relationships. Her upbeat approach is optimistic and expresses her faith that healthy communication can help couples preserve and strengthen their relationships. She acknowledges, however, that therapy is often in order and that not all relationships are worth salvaging.
As the concept evolved, Aramburo said the focus shifted toward personal agency.
“It’s more self-assessment than anything else,” she said. “My hope is that women and men might recognize their situation and pick up some useful strategies.”
Rather than listing solutions, the book offers readers tools to better understand their own dynamics. Aramburo included patterns that she observed in conversations with customers, addressing topics like communication, participation, making games fun and emotional regulation, all framed through the lens of sports culture. She also discusses some of the darker corners of modern sports, including hooliganism, gambling and obsessive behavior.
Brian Velez gave Aramburo feedback on early drafts. He said Aramburo has created something accessible and meaningful.
“It’s a fantastic resource from a relationship dynamic perspective,” he said.
Aramburo said her time at The Sun and El Sol Magazine helped her to develop many of the skills needed to create a book she researched, wrote, designed and illustrated.
“The communal aspect of designing and creating is something I learned here,” Aramburo said.
Journalism Professor Dr. Max Branscomb spoke fondly of Aramburo and her work ethic.
“Luz is one of my top 10 favorite students ever,” he said, “She was an A student scholar, a very talented writer, an award-winning illustrator and a terrific photographer.”
Branscomb said her leadership style combined warmth with high expectations.
“Luz modeled very high standards for her classmates,” he said. “She inspired everybody to do excellent work and to always do their best.”
What does an MBA with a sports-themed book about relationships do next? Aramburo said she will work on marketing her new book, then write another. She said she is considering a series of relationship books written through the lens of other sports like baseball, football and basketball.
“The plan is to have no plan and to pivot as needed,” she said.
Branscomb predicted success for his former news editor.
“Luz is tremendously smart and an absolutely charming human being,” he said. “She’s one of those students that makes it a joy to be a teacher. She will find ways to translate her visions into reality. I wish her all the success in the world.”
