SPORTS and world peace

Let me stress that I approve of soccer so long as it is cricket, or rather old-time cricket, which was a gentleman's game in which the loser applauded the winner. Today soccer is suffering from two serious ailments: rabid nationalism and the control of moneyed interests. Mexico has just provided us with an example of the latter. Significantly, one of the teams was wearing a shirt with CORONA (the name of a beer) in large letters, just as Colo-Colo players in Chile wear one emblazoned COCA COLA. Incidentally, similar commercialism has hit Stanford. Students have demanded that its team stop advertising NIKE, because of the company's abuse of child labor in Asia. The administration's "no" angered students.

The Mexican match was marked by the fact that each goal was calculated to be worth $1 million, or a total of $5 million. All the sports reporters admitted they did not understand the finances of soccer.

Ronald Hilton - 4/20/01