I don’t particularly enjoy watching sports - except for tuning in with friends. This time around, even that little affirmation of solidarity has had the joy stripped out of it - mostly because the USA is making the sport a uniquely horrid “spectacle”. Capitalism is taking the opportunity to normalise all the oversized tickets, environmental damage, racist policing, and God knows what else. So, what is our community’s view on watching this horrorshow play out? Is it something we should be boycotting this time? I can only see this tournament being a way for the US elite to yet again brag about their privilege, to put it mildly. And I can’t imagine that would be good for football as a sport.

Quick edit: I think the question now is not whether we are boycotting it but how we will resist this sportswashing as spectators

Edit: I changed the post title due to the need to convey the message.

  • No Más@lemmygrad.mlOPEnglish
    3·
    5 days ago

    Truly a universal experience. Even the teams don’t take themselves as seriously as the fans do

    • CriticalResist8@lemmygrad.ml
      5·
      5 days ago

      lol I swear. I’ve never been into football whatsoever, not even as a game to play with friends ever since I was young. And then you see all the hooligans after their team loses. Or when their team wins. Or when the match is over – but basically people destroying stuff and attacking others for no reason other than football, and it’s like, this is allowed as “boys will be boys” but protests against the police are not? In any other circumstances if you were making noise at 4AM on a weekday preventing people from sleeping you would have the cops called on you, but because it’s the sport thing it’s okay and we just need to accept it as some inevitable thing that happens. the ball just does that when it’s happy or something.

      I’m aware there’s politics in football and a long history of working class struggle in it. Like with many popular things (as in ‘of the people’, not ‘famous’) there were/are nazis attempting entryism and antifascist ultras (as in football ultra-fans) violently resisting them. This is good, kick nazis.

      I still don’t get the hype and would rather not have any world cup anything, what can I say lol.