The common good of soccer
Many nations around the world promote their socio-political ideology on the playing field. The sports environment provides a civil, universally accepted way for rival and friendly nations to compete. In order to ensure peace and smooth functioning of sports competition, each nation must abide by the international rules that apply both on the playing field and off the field, .
Participating nations must realize that international rules may differ from those of their home nation. Developing suitable international sport policy assures that all participants from the players to the nations they come from full understand the rules on and off the playing field, .
Political issues of international soccer sports competition
There are various political uses of soccer sports competition: international cooperation, national ideology and propaganda, and official prestige. International soccer fosters cooperation and fair play between the competitors, . Nations that participate in international sporting competition have, more, or less, agreed to abide by international law. International sporting events provide a playing field where all participants play by the same rules that are, ideally, enforced fairly. The goodwill games created by Ted Turner during the cold war promoted friendliness between nations that would be free from political problems that consume Olympics, .
Sporting venues also create opportunities for political diplomats to settle on a satisfactory solution between them. For example, in 1999, following the World Cup championship match between the Unites States and China’s women’s soccer teams, political diplomats from the two nations met in an attempt to ease tensions. Soccer diplomacy emerged victorious where conventional diplomacy failed in resolving friction between China and the United states. This was attributed to good sportsmanship that the U. S. and Chinese teams displayed during their encounter in the women’s World Cup, .
Tensions between China and the U. S. were high in 1999, during the transition of Taiwan, which was reluctant to relinquish independence status to China and received the support of the U. S in its quest for independence. The soccer match helped break the ice, injecting a spirit of sporting competitiveness into a relationship that had seemed at times hanging dangerously on the brink of outright animosity. Decades earlier, United States and China used feeble diplomacy as a means to open communication between the two polarized nations. Today China and U. S. are more active in trade together than before, .
National ideology and propaganda
Most countries use sports as a propaganda tool. The nations participating in international soccer showcase prowess as an emblem of national, ideological superiority. Today, elite nations such as United States continue to use international soccer events to showcase their prowess. They also assert their development status title. The sport has also been used to emphasize hard work and maintain the spirit of work by ranking and awarding winners. The art of competition is also enshrined in the sport since different ranks are awarded different prizes based on approximated value, .
Official prestige
The concepts related to official prestige include national identity and self-image. International soccer sporting events provide a golden opportunity for nations of the world to earn prestige and positive image. Victories gained on the playing field provide an affirmative national identity and a positive self-image. Emerging nations are afforded an opportunity to create an image for themselves via international soccer events. Nations often use sports world as a means of developing national identity because it is easier to develop talents than to locate other precious commodities such as oil, gold, and other resources, .
Soccer effect and relationship with MC world, post-national and denationalized citizenship
MC World
MC World is a world proliferated by the emergence and growth of Hollywood. It is a movie-based world characterized by transition from print media and books to digitalized and computerized communication is rapidly taking place. The Hollywood’s MC World has taken all over the world. Most countries prefer American movies to local films. These American movies characterized by glamour of seductive lifestyle trinity sex, violence, and money. The players in the movie industry have monopolized both the global movie market and local movie market. Locally, they control the content of the movies so that the rest of the world watches movies having same theme. The film industries indigenous to nation’s states have consequently declined in the competitive film industry of Hollywood. Whereas film industry is a great source of employment in the United States it is not the same elsewhere due to this influence.
Soccer has provided the MC World with an opportunity to further growth. As MC World puts emphasis on digitalized media, the growth in soccer has influenced the growth in MC World, in the form of video games, media commentaries and digitalization. Today, most soccer events are replicated in the video games and sold to customers worldwide. Moreover, the technical analysis of the soccer events has become highly digitalized, .
The relationship between the effect of soccer and the MC World is also evident in the form of ideology propagation. As individual countries propagate their ideology through soccer, the MC World promotes their ideology in the form of films. It is possible to see through the film the fundamental society beliefs and cultural practices. Hollywood has enabled those who enjoy their movies believe in lavish lifestyles, controversies, pain, suffering, terrorism among other social evils, .
Post-national and denationalized citizenship
Post-national citizenship is a form of citizenship which is situated outside the confines of a national state. Denationalized citizen is that which is freed from the bounds of a national state. The effect of soccer and other forms of international sports has contributed to the emergence of these two forms of citizenship. In the world of soccer, today, many players provide their talents outside their mother nations, . The talents are provided in the exchange of visas and remuneration. The players are given temporary dual citizenship. In the process of selling their talents to the foreign nations, these individuals may be lured into transferring their citizenship to the country which is tapping their talents. This practice is more evident in athletics, but it is also rampant in the soccer world. When these individuals transfer their citizenship to foreign nations, they become denationalized by the nation of origin, .
The increase in the need for nations to earn international recognition in the world of soccer is driving wealthy nations to search for soccer talents in the other nations. The reach nations offer reasonable remuneration and in most occasions seek to own the talents for them. The quest for international recognition in the soccer game has spurred the practice of denationalization and post-nationalization.
Themes in catholic social teaching and, how they relate with soccer
Life and dignity of the human person
The Catholic Church believes on the sacredness of the life of a human being. According to the Catholic, dignity is the fundamental ingredient for a moral society. In the contemporary world, the human life is facing danger from abortion and euthanasia. The precious human life is also devalued by the practice of cloning, the practice of embryonic stem cell research and the implementation of the death penalty. The current upsurge of wanton civilian war and terrorist attacks is currently threatening the society. These conditions beg for urgent effort by the victim nations to embark on an effort to protect the right to life laws, which are stated in their constitution. The nations must engage each other in dialogue to reduce and conflicts and settle all the disputes amicably, (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012). Every human being is priceless. The institutions’ worth is a measure of the degree to which it preserves the life and individuals. Soccer has succeeded in initiating peaceful negotiations between nations such as China and the United States. It provided a common ground on which the nations came together and resolved their differences.
Call to family, community and participation
Apart from being sacred, human beings are also highly social creatures. The methods with which the society is organized in terms of economic and political aspects directly undermines or preserves human dignity as well as the capacity of individuals to grow in the community. In the process of organizing the society, the institutions of marriage and family must be supported and strengthened. Any practice which undermines these institutions must be avoided. Every human being has a right to participate in the society, (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012). Soccer provides an opportunity for participation by the global community irrespective of the race, ethnicity, tribe and economic level of development. It has, therefore, contributed in encouraging communal growth and strengthening of the society.
Rights and responsibilities
The Catholic teaching presents that protection of human dignity is possible and in the process a healthy community can be achieved. The only way to achieve healthy human community is to protect and uphold human rights. The underlying tenet is that every human being has right to life and the right to elements required for human decency. However, these entitlements to rights and responsibilities come at a cost of individual duties and responsibilities to one another, families and society in general (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012). There are various ways in which international soccer has contributed to protection of human rights and responsibilities. International soccer has recognized the rights of everyone participating in sports. It has participated in championing human rights events; of the vulnerable. Today, international soccer communities seek for talents in the remote areas and sponsor foundation homes.
Options of the poor and vulnerable
Human society is largely divided into the rich and the poor. The living of each group threatens the other. The poor always cry that the rich oppresses them or ignore their plight. The rich, on the other hand, fear that the poor are making their life difficult. However, the fact remains vulnerable members of society are not faring on well. Therefore, the important moral test for the society as a whole is the level of welfare of the poor and the vulnerable, (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012). Biblical teachings remind us to prioritize the needs of the poor and the vulnerable first. Soccer has been able to consider individuals from any economic background. Both the poor and the rich are equally put to participate.
Dignity of work and the rights of workers
Human beings earn a living from work. It is the economy which supports the availability of work, the value for money, distribution of resources and the general welfare of the society. Therefore, the economy must consider the citizen’s needs. It should not be that the needs of certain individuals drive the economy. The process of work is a process of fulfilling God’s covenant with man and continuing the creating process. The dignity of work must be conserved through respecting the basic rights of workers. Such rights include the right to ethical work, favorable wages, right to join trade unions and form one, right to private property, and economic initiative. Soccer has promoted the dignity of work and the rights of workers. The soccer players are being paid well. Moreover, they are provided with the opportunity to express themselves. They are allowed time to pursue other aspects of life amidst playing.
Solidarity
The biblical teachings remind us that the entire human population is one family irrespective of nationality, race, ethnic affiliation, economic background and ideological differences. Catholic teachings emphasize that we must remain brothers and sisters keepers. The canon, which requires us to love our neighbor, is a vital law when the world is considered as one society. The primary objective of solidarity is an achievement of justice and peace. In his teaching, Pope Paul VI reminded us that peace comes only when we seek justice. The gospel adds that we must be peacemakers. In order to love our neighbors we must promote peace amidst turbulent world. The world or soccer brings people from all over the world together. People from different backgrounds, ethnic origin, races and nationalities unite together in international soccer events.
Care for God’s creation
The way to respect the Creator is through our stewardship of creation. Our Christian faith demands from us to care for the earth. Man was put to be in charge of all creation on earth. The call to protect the environment is not for law requirements but it is for the sake of our moral and ethical benefits. Soccer events have been organized to promote environmental conservation campaigns and to honor important events such as green week, disabled, and blood donation among others. Soccer events have implied care for God’s creation in these eventful days.
Recommendation
The way of life as painted in the films produced by the Hollywood is against the Catholic Social teaching. The films reflect the fabric of the nation that is languishing in opulence, social disorder, betrayal, oppression, terrorism, monopoly in business and infringement into the rights of human being. Therefore, there is need to inculcate the culture of protection of human right, brotherliness, peace and harmony as well as environmental protection. One method of promoting such pursuits is through international sports for example soccer. The Catholic social teaching is then used as a promoter of general awareness to human rights and dignity.
References
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2012). Retrieved November 19, 2012, from
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: Sharing Catholic Social teaching:
Challenges and Directions: http://www. usccb. org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-
believe/catholic-social-teaching/sharing-catholic-social-teaching-challenges-and-
directions. cfm
Arthur, A., & Jennings, B. (2006). Handbook of Sports And Media. Routledge.
Delaney, T., & Madigan, T. (2009). The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction. Mcfarland.
Saskia, S. (2002, April 3). Towards Post-national and denationalized Citizenship.
