In the quarter finals of the 2011 Women’s FIFA World Cup located in Dresden, Germany, the USA women’s soccer team defeated Brazil with a nail biting shootout that advanced the USA team to the semi finals, but failed to defeat Japan in the finals. While watching the game, I couldn’t help but marvel at how far human relations around the world have advanced since the age of world wars and discrimination. By watching the FIFA World Cup the past 2 years, I have realized what the tournament truly symbolizes: country redemption and country pride, as opposed to pure winning and losing. While I am proud to see the USA, Japan, and Germany working together despite their turbulent history, it was last year’s FIFA World Cup that hit closest to home. Although rich soil and high rise buildings now occupy South African terrain, South Africa has evolved from its practice of apartheid when times were so bad that it imprisoned world leader Nelson Mandela for 27 years. In the past decade South Africa has worked to shed its image of hatred and racism, thus resulting in being named the host country for the 2010 Men’s FIFA World Cup tournament. As I reminisce on watching a slice of the world occupy one stadium with the colors and flags of their respective countries, I am proud to see both black and white South Africans coming together in solidarity to cheer for their national football team.
No comments:
Post a Comment