Sports and war

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Monday, February 22, 2010


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Sunday, February 21, 2010
Letters

Sports and war



Ted Rudow III,MA , Menlo Park, CA 94026
Did you know that the Nicaragua-El Salvador war, in which 20,000 people were killed, started over a football game? In fact, Ernest Hemingway, the world famous writer, who spent so much of his time in Latin America and Spain, said you could eliminate most Latin American wars and their causes by simply banning football or soccer. Those games get them so worked up into a frenzy against each other that nothing but a total all-out war can truly satisfy the spirit of it.

The ultimate fulfilment of sports is war. War is the ultimate fulfilment of the competitive spirit: the destruction of others for self-preservation. Sports are war in disguise, and the Olympics disguised all this under the totally false and contrary theme song of "Peace". That's their theme!--Isn't that something. So they speak peace while war is in their hearts, and they talk peace while they prepare for war--prepare their bodies for war.

It's the spirit of competition and pride, proving you're better than the other guy. But the world just loves it. And even if they don't play the game themselves, they get into the same spirit by rooting for one team or the other. It's a thrill and high for them if their team wins, and a real low if their team loses. Just look at the results of some of these losses or delays or problems even with the broadcast of some of these sports events. People riot and get violent. Businesses close so they can watch the event on TV. It becomes big news.

It's just that spirit of winning and being the best, coming out on top and being better, and getting paid for it. Pride and money, success and fame--pretty powerful tools. But Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers.."