United
States needs international rival, hello
Iran
By
Patrick Creaven
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
My only wish for the summer is to watch Iran and the United States battle for
world supremacy. No, I don’t want the two countries to play a real life
game of Risk. I want the two political adversaries to play for the most sought
after object in the world — the World Cup.
Nothing adds more drama to sports than a fierce rivalry. It truly makes for
the best reality television. Watching the Yankees and Red Sox play baseball,
or Duke-North Carolina go at each other in basketball, is so much more exciting
than having Ryan Seacrest tease the announcement of the next American Idol
until after the commercial break.
But in international competitions, Americans have been in search of a country
we can hate as much as they hate us. Having an international rival used to
not be a problem. The Cold War penetrated the sports world and some of the
great sports moments of the 20th Century featured the United States versus
the Soviet Union. Then the U.S.S.R. went democratic on us, and without any
communists to root against, the Olympics weren’t so interesting anymore.
Now we have the “axis of evil.” Although some of the original members
of this exclusive club have become allies, the Bush administration has not
yet infiltrated Iran. Iran is no U.S.S.R, but with help from Fox News and its
endless hysteria of the possible Iranian nuclear threat, we now have a new
international political-sport rival (or at least an imaginary one).
So this summer, my wish is to watch 11 Iranian and 11 American soccer players
battle it out on a soccer field for two hours.
Everyone from Los Angeles to Tehran would be glued to their televisions, to
see who would win the match and the possible political fallout because of it.
Sadly, this is just a wish.
Both countries will be represented in the World Cup, but both squads would
have to advance to at least the semifinals for the two political enemies to
meet on the field.
Reaching the semifinals might seem within the realm of possibility for the
United States, which is currently ranked fourth in the latest FIFA rankings.
The high ranking is as misleading as the Washington Wizards having the fifth
seed in the NBA
Eastern conference when they’re barely over 500. The United States has
risen to the top by consistently playing soccer weaklings like Canada and Panama.
If the United States advances out of its group, which features soccer powers
Italy and Czech Republic, it would be a significant accomplishment.
Iran is ranked 22nd in the world, and though it was lucky enough to be placed
in the weakest group, it still has little chance of advancing to the second
round. Iran has a better chance of testing a nuclear bomb by the end of the
year than advancing to the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup.
Then again, anything is possible in sports.
Just think back to 1980 when a group of American college students strapped
on their skates and beat the best hockey team in the world — the hated
Soviet Union. Some believe the historic upset of the Russians was just the
boost the country needed to win the Cold War later in the decade. That probably
isn’t true, but nonetheless “The Miracle on Ice” is almost
without question the most significant American sporting event in the past 50
years.
If Iran and the United States were to somehow meet in Germany, it would not
be a world-changing event. If the United States won Iran wouldn’t halt
its nuclear ambitions, and if Iran won President George W. Bush wouldn’t
stop his anti-Iran rhetoric. So in the big picture the game wouldn’t
mean whole lot, but it sure would make for some great television.
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