As World Cup fans descend on North America, there have already been several viral moments of fans discovering American traditions. Some have argued that such sporting events are unifying moments and remind Americans how lucky they are to take such things for granted.
Others have pointed out that a Somali referee was denied entry into the US, as was the Iranian team who were forced to stay in Mexico instead of the US at the last minute until the night before their match, which has since been changed to two nights before their match. So, some have made the argument that while the World Cup could be a unifying moment, the US is causing division.
A National Post (Lean Right) piece said, “FIFA likes to insist that sport and politics do not mix. But there is nothing apolitical about silencing a people while accommodating their oppressor. A genuine commitment to keeping politics out of the stadium would mean treating a national heritage symbol as exactly that — heritage — rather than adopting the regime’s own definition of what counts as offensive. FIFA has not stayed out of Iran’s politics. It has quietly joined the wrong side.”
In The Sacramento Bee (Lean Left) a piece argued, “American capitalism is impossible to ignore in everyday life, but nowhere is its reach more glaring than on the World Cup stage — most notably in the guise of the so-called hydration breaks. What are these and, why do they matter? For American TV viewers, they mean more commercials. More commerce. More brands…The World Cup gives nations a chance to unite and celebrate cultures and common humanity — experiences that compete with commercial greed.”
An opinion in USA Today (Lean Left) said, “When you throw a global party, that means you have to welcome everyone, not just the folks you like. You don’t have to be happy Iran or a referee from Somalia is here. But you do have to show them the same courtesy as you do people from, say, Spain or Argentina…Hosting the World Cup could have been transformative for the United States. It could have drawn us closer to the rest of the world, and given us a new appreciation for people and places previously unfamiliar to us…Instead, we chose to show the world our worst selves. It is the biggest loss of the World Cup.”
Ingrid Jaques (Lean Right) argued, “America is so much bigger than one man, and it’s refreshing to see these candid takes [from fans] at a time when so many U.S. citizens (Democrats, anyway) are down on their country…Again, these soccer fanatics don't care about Trump. They care about the abundant American way of life that too many of us simply take for granted.”
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