It’s Not Just A Game
The World Cup is arguably the most popular sporting event in the world. Fans from all over the world rally around their home countries, all eyes on the month long football tournament (seeing as this is an international event, I am going to try to avoid referring to the sport as soccer. My apologies if I fall back into it). The World Cup is exciting—there is no doubt about it. Stadiums get full of crazy, screaming football fans. Those who cannot attend will stay up throughout the night to watch their national team live. People take to the streets to celebrate big wins. If you are like me, and thrive off of collective excitement, it is hard not to get swept away. I don’t even particularly like football. Sure, I can get down with a pick up game every once in a while and I will always come prepared with a soccer ball when working with kids (especially if we don’t speak the same language. This has proved to be a lifesaver time and time again). But please don’t ask me to name a football player who is not Beckham or Ronaldinho. So why choose the World Cup as the focus for this article if I don’t know a damn thing about soccer? Because, as per usual with international sporting events (see: just about every Olympics ever) there is another story that needs to be told. A story about the people whose country is being invaded by contractors and rich tourists. A story about the political and social upheaval that often accompanies such events. In this case, a new story about South Africa. Read the rest of this entry »
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