Soccer allows us to feel like we have something in common with people around the world. We can relate to each other through the game, and perhaps that is what makes this video so disturbing.
Yes, we have all known for quite some time that Iraq is a war-torn, dangerous place. We have heard all the arguments, seen all the documentaries, and read all of the news stories. But that clip brings it all home.
The whole scene starts out peacefully enough, for lack of a better phrase. We get a blurry view of an organized soccer match. There’s sparse cheering. The players are running across the pitch, as they do.
Then, 5 seconds in, everything changes. After the explosion, there are no screaming adults or wailing children, just a few seconds of complete and utter silence. That silence is filled not only with shock, but with recognition and acceptance. Nothing new had happened, just the same terrifying old.
Gradually, the expected sounds of chaos arise. There’s the gunfire, and the shaky camera, and all of the sudden we are watching a scene out of some Nightline news report that we have all seen before.
Chaos in battle is something that we have grown accustomed to seeing footage of, but we’ve rarely heard that silence. Soccer has always been a cross-cultural experience, but usually in a way that displays the best of what a people can offer.
Today, we’ve glimpsed the worst of what many have gotten used to.
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