04/25/24
December 14, 2006
Athletes under siege: In Iraq sport has become entangled in the politics and violence, meaning that it really can be a matter of life and death.
"The idea is to destroy the sports system in Iraq because it is symbolic of how all creeds can come together in a common cause"
This is awful. Even the dig at the British for not helping out, which would normally be pretty funny, doesn't really help. There's only so much anyone outside Iraq (or inside, from what it sounds like) can do to encourage people to stick with it. I guess it's good that people believe in peace and the unity of the country enough to keep training and competing. Fixing this really is going to take a while, isn't it.
posted by chicobangs at 12:54 PM on December 14, 2006
I'm not so sure it can be "fixed". Certainly not when one is viewed as the cause of the breakage.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 01:47 PM on December 14, 2006
Normally, I'd be all for sport as a unifying factor, and the general tone of the piece. It is sad when people can't get together to enjoy sports, however I do take issue with the political spin implied in the article. I note it comes from a Murdoch paper, still pushing the 'Liberation of Iraq Was A Good Thing' line. The corollary of this is 'See How Our Enemies Are Trying to Destroy the Democracy We Created? /can of worms opened
posted by owlhouse at 02:12 PM on December 14, 2006
'When we leave the house we know we may not come back' Sport in Iraq carries the risk of kidnap and murder. Our correspondent meets the men brave enough to stand up to the insurgents Couldn't this be said about a majority of the populace of Iraq? I think the Guardian should be more concerned about those who aspire to be a member of the police force and who are killed with more frequency.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 03:31 PM on December 14, 2006
I note it comes from a Murdoch paper, still pushing the 'Liberation of Iraq Was A Good Thing' line. The corollary of this is 'See How Our Enemies Are Trying to Destroy the Democracy We Created? I'm no fan of Murdochery, and less a fan of this tragic situation being used as anyone's hobbyhorse to promote any POV other than "jeezum crow, they're athletes, can't ya just leave 'em the hell alone?" I think this is a case where we have to distinguish between messenger and message, but where in the classic case it's the messenger that's neutral, this time it's the other way around. As I obliquely noted earlier, athletes being under threat in Iraq is not a new thing: do a websearch on "Uday Hussein" and "Olympics", and have a barf bag handy. gradys_kitchen, the situation of athletes is not unique in Iraq, but it's also clear that athletes are one of the populations that constitutes an attractive target. I don't know if anyone is keeping count of the numbers or percentages of athletes vs. police who are getting whacked, but honestly, that seems like a pointless calculus to me. As for who the Guardian, or any other news organization, should be concerned about, I don't know if you can make the argument that concern is a finite thing. Certainly, though, it is not an either-or thing.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:10 PM on December 14, 2006
I think this is a case where we have to distinguish between messenger and message If only we could, LBB. Unfortunately Murdoch runs a particular line through his media and I believe that this is just another manifestation of that. I'm sure it's not beyond him (or his editors at The Times) to take such a story about attacks on athletes to advance the News Limited agenda. For me, the whole situation is such a tragic mess (some friends of mine were caught up in the bombing of the UN mission a couple of years ago) that could have, and should have, been avoided. PS: I am well aware of the Uday Hussein background - you might also want to check out his 'management' of Iraq's football (soccer) team.
posted by owlhouse at 03:53 AM on December 15, 2006
I didn't really see it as a "liberation" was a good thing article, although rereading it now I do see what you mean, but I tend to ignore the political messages of newspapers (they're all biased). However given the final paragraph of the article it seems to me that the sports people in Iraq don't want it to be part of any political message, course that is pretty hard in Iraq.
posted by Fence at 05:34 AM on December 15, 2006
LBB - I wouldn't ask for a body count comparison between any segment of the Iraqi population, I just question why athletes above all other citizens would be highlighted as being in danger. This should be a given by now. And if you agree with your own statement: "that seems like a pointless calculus to me" you might also agree with me that it is pointless to spotlight athletes over the other citizenry.
posted by gradys_kitchen at 01:17 PM on December 15, 2006
The legacy of Uday Hussein. This really is one of the saddest stories in sports.