It's Only a Game

By now many of you have probably heard of the tragedy that occurred the other day in Port Said, Egypt when 74 fans were killed in a riot following a soccer game. Over a thousand others were injured as the stadium devolved into a deplorable scene of complete and utter chaos. The angry spectators rushed the field after the home team Al-Masry upset Egypt's top team, Al-Ahly, based in Cairo. According to CBC many of the dead had injuries caused by knives or blunt instruments, which is tell of the nature of this country. Clearly security is lacking in a nation that has been rattled be civil unrest and many protesters took to the streets ater the game to make their political agenda clear.

Sports has been part of society for hundreds of years, the Olympics with their motto Faster, Stronger, Higher (by which standards I strike out) is meant to be the epitome of the human body. We revere athletes like few others and sports are more than a way of life for many. They have become billion dollar industries, run for profit instead of the love of the game. Fans become obsessed often seemingly dependent on their team. I myself have been guilty of over sensationalizing a sporting event and what it means, living and dying with every pitch, shot or save, mesmerized by the ability of these tremendous athletes. This doesn't mean that we should downgrade the importance of sport, its effect on a nation's pride or it's ability to bring people together, but with that power comes great responsibility. The responsibility of each and ever individual attending a game or cheering at home to remember that when the dust settles and the last whistle blows, it's only a game.

The kind of irrational violence seen in Egypt only serves to show what terrible things we are capable of and in no way should be seen as acceptable. Much like the riots in Vancouver last June, these were people who took things too far and deserve to be punished severely for their actions. It not only taints their nation, but the overall image of the game. Soccer hooligans have become notorious over many decades of rampaging across Europe and Africa and there is no more clear example of what kind of calamity this can cause if left unchecked. The 'beautiful game' is often anything but and has received yet another black eye. Perhaps we are to far removed to truly understand what lead up to these events or the hatred that spawned them, and perhaps sports simply served as the backdrop for much deeper seeded political turmoil, but whatever the case, this is not what sport is meant to be. Sport is meant to be an escape, to be enjoyed in ones leisure time, to be something we play with friends, as after all in the end, it's only a game.