I was having a shower one night and something hit me: if I love the sports world, then I should have take a valid interest in what’s happening behind the scenes, instead of in front of it.
And after doing some research, here’s what I found out: I found out that in Brazil, most of the stars you see showing their skills on the Fox Soccer Channel come from areas that make the slums of New York seem like the Upper West Side. On the streets of Brazilia and Rio De Janerio, running water and electricity’s a bonus, not a right. I should understand, then, why they get on their knees and thank God after winning a World Cup, not get on their backs for declaring their faith on the sports field.
I found out that things are even worse for sportsmen in Zimbabwe. And if you’re a white Zimbabwean sportsman, you’ve probably seen most of your family get the hell out of hell because they are losing their livelihoods at the whim of the local dictator, Robert Mugabe. Oh, and you think getting a story’s tough? In `Zim’, a nasty word from a sports journalist about a man who makes George Steinbrunner seem like Jesus himself will land you 2 years of jailtime in an AIDS-infested Zimbabwean jail. Can you imagine playing under those circumstances? Or more’s the case, living under those circumstances?
To make matters worse, I found out that the “B” in Barclays English Premiership should stand for “Blood” not “Barclays”. You see the multinational, who sponsor the league, was found guilty by the UN for helping army officers to plunder the war-torn Congo of its natural resources. Makes the scenes of fans fighting each other on the behalf on their own team, as happens in some stadium every Saturday around Britain, seem a little more absurd, doesn’t it? But then again, I should be thankful that I’m not in a soccer stadium in somewhere like Rwanda, where I could be watching bullets, not balls, fly around the pitch, as executions are carried out.
That’s not all I found out.
I found out that some American sportsmen honestly believe that what they are doing is a service to society. No, gentlemen, what you do is a play a game. What people like Christine Garde, who’s works with youth in Harlem, does every day is a service to society. And she doesn’t get paid nearly as much as you do.