Copa de Corruption
Making sense of my love/hate relationship with the World Cup.
Photo by Connor Coyne on Unsplash
Sports are the opiate of the masses.
While humanity is engulfed in war, genocide, and climate catastrophe
the masses huddle in front of screens
putting all their hopes and dreams on the shoulders
of grown men playing with a ball.
And, did you see Vozinha’s heroic goalkeeping,
His 40-year-old frame
soaring through the air,
lifting the spirits of just over a half million Cape Verdeans?
Why would anyone support an organization like the
Foundation for
International
Financial
Atrocities
where corruption runs rampant
and bribery blossoms into an art form?
And, did you see the Japanese fans
clean up after themselves before departing the stadium?
And the Brazilian fans who followed their lead
After their team eliminated them from the tournament?
Who could support a tournament
where a host nation (the U.S.) doesn’t grant visas
for participants (Iran) to enter
forcing them to commute to their games from Mexico?
And, did you see the Mexican fans who embraced the Iranians
with the phrase “Irán, hermano, ya eres mexicano”?
Why should I support a spectacle that fuels nationalism
in an already polarized world
getting people to identify themselves with nation states that
will never have their best interests at heart?
And, did you see the Brazilian fans who literally lifted the spirits
of a heartbroken Japanese fan after his team was eliminated?
Who could support a game where the president
can Trump the decision of a referee,
reversing a red card, allowing the teams’
star player to compete?
And, did you see the U.S. team
playing actual futbol
stringing together poetic passes
and bending the ball brilliantly into the back of the net
potentially inspiring a new generation
to dedicate themselves to the world’s favorite game?
Who could give their attention
to a circus which generated $13 billion
for some of the world’s greediest individuals,
while more than half the world lives on less than $13 per day?
And, did you see the men crying in public?
Some of the most masculine, athletic men on the planet
cried on international television
for losing the game
for winning the game
for being a fan of the team who won or lost the game.
Yes. It’s all true.
And, yes, I saw all of it.
Dedicating my sliver of alone time every day
for 5 weeks
to devouring match highlights
and marveling at the atrocities and the beautiful acts
which humans are capable of
both on and off the field.
And, I will be back for more in 2030.
Felicidades España!