Clemens Wergin of Berlin wrote on June 15, 2012 in the New York Times Op-Ed section in a piece entitled "Go, Fight, but don't Win" in which he tells us that although he is German, he does not want Germany to win the current European Soccer Championship. He feels that Europe is getting a little anxiety ridden about the Germans using their good economy (at present the strongest of all countries on the Euro) to dominate the continent politically. Therefore, it would be a sign of German humility to graciously lose the games - or at least not try to hard to win.
Well, Wergin, I'm going to tell you 2 things, please stick with me, friend.
1. Nobody is with you on this
Almost every car, tricycle, wheelchair, and shop window that I see is sporting the German flag right now. When the Germans beat the Dutch, people were literally celebrating on the street in front of my apartment building. And I don't really live on that busy of a street. (Way to publish a non-representative, not at all news opinion, NYTimes)
2. Soccer doesn't start or end international conflicts
If I'm wrong, please let me know - I am willing to learn. But wars are not started or finished on the soccer pitch. Yes, sports are important, especially to a nation's identity. They just aren't that important politically. Sports can't end an economic recession. Whoever wins, at the end of the European Soccer Championship, the Germans are still going to have their strong economy, and Greece is still going to be in the middle of a giant disaster. Yes, there are people who live and breathe soccer. There are people glued to TV screens, and there are people yelling in stadiums. There are people who will cry and scream and get drunk and tell their grandchildren about it one day. But there isn't a sane adult human being in this world who would trade a steady paycheck in a stable country for a little ball kicked into a large net.
No comments:
Post a Comment