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Since the start of the World Cup matches, sports talk has dominated political news, military developments, or agreements and talks. It is no longer the priority for people seeking worldly joy and vitality; those are matters resolved by leaders and decided by politicians with their vision, insight, and acumen.

With the biggest sporting event, the vast majority turned to analyzing each round of the World Cup, and young and old alike entered trying to draw up their tactics and plans for this or that match.

Indeed, sports provide a refuge and solace for people from the fatigue of their work, and a release from the focus imposed by their preoccupations. In my opinion, this is the right course. People delving into political matters is none of their business. Yes, the follower has the right to read some news and follow like others, but politicizing oneself and claiming to possess solutions by the common people is a crime against the public good.

There are leaders and politicians who guide their countries to safety. People should trust them and not engage in what is not their concern, because this creates confusion.

Returning to sports, they have not only pulled ordinary people away from political news follow-up, but have even taken elites and specialists in other sciences and attracted them to their arenas.

Who would imagine a philosopher delving into analyzing FC Barcelona?! Yes, that is what Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht did in a paper titled 'Philosophy and Barcelona's Style', translated for 'Hikma Magazine' by Professor Abdul Hamid Muhammad, who wrote in the introduction of his translation: 'For a philosopher to write about football is not a big surprise, especially regarding the popularity of football, as did the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano and others. Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, the German writer, philosopher, and journalist, after moving to live in America and teaching at its universities, became a fan of American football.'

As for the core of Hans' theory: his theory has been described as 'the creative paradox of contemporary football'. He sees in this theory that creativity in football is dying, because 'the more football is played in its optimal typical form (tactics, player formation, and system of play), the more urgent the need for creativity becomes (to create challenge and unexpected, unpredicted events), and thus the harder it becomes for creative players.'

My comment on this theory in two points: First, sports and football have provided worldly incentives for self-fulfillment, and through play, they test the limits of one's existence. We have seen how a player becomes an icon in his country; when he excels, they appreciate him to a degree that reminds you of the aura the Greeks created for those creatives in various arts. They are like special mutations that are not born every day. And we have seen how Portuguese politicians used Cristiano Ronaldo's stardom in international forums, most notably the banter between Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Second, the popular pattern presented by high-audience sports such as American football, basketball, and football has enabled people to renew their ideas without feeling it. For example, football over the decades has offered lessons in respect for various religions, and has instilled, to the extent possible through systems and rules, sportsmanship and ethical treatment even against the fiercest opponents, not to mention combating ugly racism when it occasionally appears, and its complete eradication remains the toughest challenge in sports. Furthermore, sports accustom generations to 'relativity'—there is no permanent victory nor continuous loss. Like existence, it keeps the follower and player in a state of contest based first on preparation, then waiting for the result, and then it becomes clear to all who is the victor and who is the vanquished, and subsequently questions of causes, criticism, review, and reckoning explode for evaluation and correction.

In conclusion, the flocking of people to sports news in this World Cup after their excessive preoccupation before its launch with political developments confirms that sports have their magic in shaping an individual's relationship with his world and in crafting his day. This is one of the positives of sports, as it unconsciously takes a person to his natural domain, away from entering areas larger than himself.

As reported by Asharq Al-Awsat

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Disclaimer: All published articles represent only the opinion of their authors.