Academic interest in sports in Latin America is a recent tradition. Its debut as an object of study is defined by its significance in the vital agenda of individuals, by the instrumentation by the State and by its vigorous media presence. Nevertheless, its beginnings were stigmatized as being the updated version of “the opium of the people”. It was in Argentina and Brazil where the veil was lifted, assimilating its scrutiny to the investigation of society itself. Historical and thematic milestone of field studies in the region, emphasizing its flourishing in Colombia.