So today starts the Euro championships in soccer, which is
the toughest national-level trophy on earth to win in terms of sheer quality of
opponents.
…Possibly the craziest, least pleasant but wildest of wildcards to keep an eye out for is Racism. Racism is a very big deal in "World Football" (as they call it), which is to say, the
sport is in a multi-year, institutional, top to bottom fight against it.
In the way the NFL used to hype the United Way (and now, arguably, does breast
cancer), soccer has Racism, but much much more so. In the World Cup, in
every game, teams came onto the field and posed around big signs that said
“stop racism” or something before playing. I have no clue if individual
players care at all about racism, anymore than NFL players care about breast
cancer, but it’s a trophy topic.
You’d think this would be a) a big deal in the
by-definition diverse World Cup but b) less so in the “Euros”. But
apparently, its usually euro fans who end up being the most racist, so the
drumbeat is on (the tourney is in Poland and Ukraine, both apparently well
known for racist tendencies – several squads have made well-publicized trips to
Auschwitz).
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