CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

World Cup: a Poisonous Cocktail of Spectacle, Kitsch and Patriotism

Photograph Source: Quintin Soloviev – CC BY 4.0

The World Cup is a photographic image of the world, but it is overexposed. It is blurred though the filters of nationalist propaganda and individual heroics. At play are all the features of geopolitics: power games, big money, troubles with AI, competition at all costs, threats, animosities, and mistrust, to name just a few.

Consider, for instance, the Olympic Games. In the Olympic Games, the rules are clear. No kind of demonstration or political, religious, or racial propaganda is permitted at any Olympic sites, venues, or areas. Individuals, organizations, and nations cannot profit from them, politically or commercially. The goal is to promote friendly efforts and healthy rivalry.

The World Cup, by contrast, is a professional championship with its own changing rules and an open focus on profit for all involved. The national exaltation of the results is expected. The World Cup mobilizes nations around their teams and, especially, around heroes on those teams. As the biggest spectacles on the planet, aside from wars, World Cup matches would make Roman rulers envious.

The bigger the spectacle, the more elements of rituals they embrace. According to Émile Durkheim, rituals create a state of collective effervescence, forging emotional unity and reminding people they are part of something larger. That can give individuals a warm feeling of belonging or a blinding patriotic zeal. In The Mass Psychology of Fascism, Wilhelm Reich convincingly depicted how the energies of the masses can be steered, manipulated and exploited.

When it comes to rituals connected to sport events, “togetherness” is demonstrated through repetitive acts, the wearing of various sorts of uniforms, flag-waving, shouting with or without music. The “Viking row” of the Norwegian fans leaves many impressed and others envious. Testosterone is on open display, allowing for the free expression of basic instincts without the label of  “uncivilized.” Hero-worship also plays a prominent role, even when the heroes are not at their best. This summer in the United States, the heroes have been Harry Kane, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and others at the top of the list. . Donald Trump and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, though not actively chasing the ball, have tried but failed to join their ranks.

At the margins but persistently followed by the cameras are the rich, famous, and powerful. Many heads of states traveled to support their national teams. Glued to their screens, spectators around the world could also follow the socializing of David Beckham and Tom Cruise, scrutinize the national insignia embraced by Brad Pitt and his girlfriend, wonder if Mick Jagger has lost weight, eyeball the outfits chosen by the jaded Victoria Beckham, witness........

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