Sport in Panama

Why doesn't Panama, unlike it's Central & South American neighbours, have football as it's most popular sport?

The story begins in 1878. Panama was a province of Colombia at that time. In 1878 Colombia granted the contract to build the Panama canal to the French team that had just built the Suez canal. The French severely underestimated the task, within a decade 22000 workers died of Yellow fever and the company went bankrupt.

The US, sensing an opportunity pressured the French to sell the project to them. In 1903 the French Chief Engineer, Philippe Bunau-Vanrilla agreed to the sale. But the Colombian government refused the sale, so Bunau-Vanrilla approached the US government for help. Soon after, a revolutionary group declared Panama independent and the US promptly recognised the sovereignty of the new country. Within a year of refusing the sale Colombia lost a province, and with it, it's biggest source of income.

Following "independence", Bunau-Vanrilla, the Frenchman, was appointed the Panamanian ambassador to the US. Before the new Panamanian government could even assemble a delegation, Bunau-Vanrilla arrived in Washington and signed a new treaty giving away far more than originally agreed. In addition to the project, the US government was granted "sovereign rights in perpetuity" over an area extending 8km on either side of the canal, and a broad right of intervention in Panamanian affairs.

The canal was completed in 1914. The US operated the canal, stationed its military forces in the canal zone, and meddled in the county's affairs repeatedly since then. They ceded complete control and withdrew military only at the turn of the century (on Dec 31 1999).

So what's all this to do with Football?

Well, owing to the long US occupation Football didn't become the most popular sport in Panama. That title was won by Baseball.