Over the next few weeks the media will make a worldwide kerfuffle over The World Cup. Already storylines are being framed. What is happening outside the tournament itself?
While I am no expert on Africa, I know media spin when I see it, so lets explore the shallow end, shall we?
1. "Crosstown Traffic". Much will be made about how bad the traffic is around the World Cup. Having once spent a half an hour in a mall parking lot in Accra, Ghana to go ninety feet on a Monday afternoon when the mall was quiet, I have news for you. The traffic problem is not about the World Cup, it is about Africa.
2. Small business being shut out. Cue the gut wrenching footage of a decent human being having their humble livelihood being ruined during the duration of a world event. Olympics, G20, World Cup. These events don't exist to help the little guy.
3. "Crime! Crime! Crime!" Yeah the crime rate is bad in parts of South Africa. Are things slowly getting better? I hope so. Are they better than they were? Yes. Is your city crime free? (oops, they won't ask that last question, it ruins the whole "Africa is dangerous" narrative)
4. "Shutting Out The Poor" Sadly many people in South Africa can't afford to go to the games. Western media will hit this one endlessly, but I'd like to see a show of hands on who among us can afford to go to a Super Bowl or an Olympic hockey game? There are a lot of reasons to feel sympathy for good people who lack for opportunity, but the inability to attend a sporting event are not among them.
5. "Will This Tournament Change Things?" The media will convey this event as a watershed moment, but such moments are far more rare than the media would have you believe.For all the corruption, expense and injustice, this event presents an opportunity for a country and a continent, but despite all the bravado it is not a watershed moment; it is an incremental step forward.
And the only way things have ever improved for humans is through incremental steps.
So let us enjoy this historic moment within the proper context. The World Cup in Africa will prove not to be an answer, but a revealing of the next question.
And any way you slice it, that is a step forward.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Bad Call, Good Lesson
Something happened this week on a baseball field that shocked me. Actually it was what happened after that shocked me.
A young man was on the verge of accomplishing something that had only been done 20 times in the history of baseball, over the course of hundreds of thousands of games dating back to the nineteenth century.
The pitcher was on the verge of throwing a perfect game, 27 up, 27 out.
You may view chapter the first here.
But the umpire blew the call. I was initially struck by the dignity of the pitcher, Mr Galarraga. In that second of heartbreak, as he smiled, his true character came through. For a moment, I thought about his parents, and what a good job they did in raising such a young man, who could conduct himself with such grace in the face of injustice.
Mr. Leyland, the wily veteran manager of Detroit came out from the dugout to argue the call, but he knew it was spilt milk, and there was little to be gained by publicly belittling a man who had made a catastrophic mistake.
The umpire, Mr. Joyce, himself a highly respected professional, then reviews the tape after the game, and realises his mistake. He has cost this kid his historic moment.
With tears streaming down his eyes he knocks on the door to the Detroit clubhouse to apologize to the kid, and admit his mistake.
Umpires never do this. Both Mr. Leyland and Mr. Galarraga publicly forgive Mr. Joyce with a shrug of the shoulders, the latter adding "nobody's perfect".
While people have been imploring the head of baseball, Bud Selig, to overturn the call and award a perfect game, I don't agree. Bad calls are an aspect in all the games that we play, and sometimes they must be stoically accepted. While his perfect game was wrongfully taken, Mr Galarraga can rightfully claim to be the only pitcher to retire 28 consecutive batters in a nine inning game. No one else can.
The following day the same two teams played. The umpire, Mr. Joyce was given the option to take the day off, but he refused. He later said " I dreaded walking on to that field, but it was my job".
As he walked on to the field he was greeted with a smattering of boo's. But word of his tearful apology had gotten round. I know that "to err is human, but to forgive, divine". I just never thought I'd see it played out in a modern day baseball park.
Prior to a game, each team must submit a lineup card. This is usually done by a manager or a coach depending on the team. It is never done by a player.
But on this night, Mr. Leyland sent Mr. Galarraga to submit the lineup card to Mr. Joyce.
As they met behind home plate, the crowd who had been robbed of an historic moment only an evening ago, rose to their feet in salute to the integrity of both men.
Maybe there is a shred of hope that this world can do the right thing after all. If only we could admit to our own imperfections, and accept the imperfections of others, then things would be perfect.
Like a diamond.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
A young man was on the verge of accomplishing something that had only been done 20 times in the history of baseball, over the course of hundreds of thousands of games dating back to the nineteenth century.
The pitcher was on the verge of throwing a perfect game, 27 up, 27 out.
You may view chapter the first here.
But the umpire blew the call. I was initially struck by the dignity of the pitcher, Mr Galarraga. In that second of heartbreak, as he smiled, his true character came through. For a moment, I thought about his parents, and what a good job they did in raising such a young man, who could conduct himself with such grace in the face of injustice.
Mr. Leyland, the wily veteran manager of Detroit came out from the dugout to argue the call, but he knew it was spilt milk, and there was little to be gained by publicly belittling a man who had made a catastrophic mistake.
The umpire, Mr. Joyce, himself a highly respected professional, then reviews the tape after the game, and realises his mistake. He has cost this kid his historic moment.
With tears streaming down his eyes he knocks on the door to the Detroit clubhouse to apologize to the kid, and admit his mistake.
Umpires never do this. Both Mr. Leyland and Mr. Galarraga publicly forgive Mr. Joyce with a shrug of the shoulders, the latter adding "nobody's perfect".
While people have been imploring the head of baseball, Bud Selig, to overturn the call and award a perfect game, I don't agree. Bad calls are an aspect in all the games that we play, and sometimes they must be stoically accepted. While his perfect game was wrongfully taken, Mr Galarraga can rightfully claim to be the only pitcher to retire 28 consecutive batters in a nine inning game. No one else can.
The following day the same two teams played. The umpire, Mr. Joyce was given the option to take the day off, but he refused. He later said " I dreaded walking on to that field, but it was my job".
As he walked on to the field he was greeted with a smattering of boo's. But word of his tearful apology had gotten round. I know that "to err is human, but to forgive, divine". I just never thought I'd see it played out in a modern day baseball park.
Prior to a game, each team must submit a lineup card. This is usually done by a manager or a coach depending on the team. It is never done by a player.
But on this night, Mr. Leyland sent Mr. Galarraga to submit the lineup card to Mr. Joyce.
As they met behind home plate, the crowd who had been robbed of an historic moment only an evening ago, rose to their feet in salute to the integrity of both men.
Maybe there is a shred of hope that this world can do the right thing after all. If only we could admit to our own imperfections, and accept the imperfections of others, then things would be perfect.
Like a diamond.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
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