Soccer: A Sport that Can Unite the World, but Can it Bring World Peace?

One thing that I truly enjoyed about being a Marine for seven years was the fact that I could travel the world. In my many travels to several different war torn areas, one thing was common, just as it is here in the United States. Kids will go out and play. The most common thing that these kids would play was one thing that has been known to unite the world. Soccer (or football, as everyone else in the world calls it) is the one common thread that has been able to overcome politics and break down barriers no matter what the problems are. This sport may be responsible for some very intense riots all its own, but there has been much more unity in these rivalries than violence. With the World Cup quickly approaching, most of the world is turning their attention to soccer. One thing that you will find throughout the world is the soccer fields. Here in the United States, we have baseball diamonds. Whether they are sand lots or huge deluxe expanses with all the trimmings, they are everywhere. In the rest of the world, it is the soccer field that is seen spread everywhere. In the several war torn and poverty ridden areas I have had the privilege of visiting, the soccer fields still stand. They are everywhere as well. Here is a look at some of the amazing unity that I have personally witnessed from this amazing sport.

One of the first times this concept was truly shown to me was Bosnia. This country has been disrupted by war for many years. There are land mines all over the place and there are a very limited number of spots where you can actually walk. Even in all of this hatred and war, the soccer fields still stand. The only damaged soccer field that I saw was the Olympic field in Sarajevo. Since this was more of a commercial field than one that was actually played on, it was completely blown up. Yet there were still dirt and grass fields dotting the land and full of kids playing. These areas were virtually off limits to both sides. There were the occasional fields, likely constructed after the fighting began, where you would see kids weaving and avoiding invisible players on a breakaway goal run. It was later that I realized this was due to the landmines that they knew were there. It did not matter who the kids were. They could be the president's son and a 12 year old rebel fighter. There were no guns on the field. There was no animosity. It was a simple competition. It was a break from the fighting and political hatred in a moment of some of the most pure and tribal instincts of sports.

It is not just the war torn areas that this is evident. While in Djibouti and East Timor doing some humanitarian work, the same feelings and dreams were apparent. In these nations, it was not so much a break from fighting and oppression; it was a way to escape a life of poverty and hunger. These kids could escape to a soccer field for a break from their hard lives. It was here that both the rich and poor would go and they could be equal. There was no starvation. There were no houses or manure huts. It was simply you versus me in a two hour break from life's problems. Soccer also serves as a way to bring food and fame home. If you could get good enough, just maybe someone would notice and you could be signed to that lucrative contract or make the trip to the World Cup. Soccer soon became a way to dream and aspire to a life better than living in a house made of cattle droppings. For as long as you could make the game last, you were no longer you; you were your favorite superstar.

These soccer fields have also been a place of solace and comfort. When I was in Puerto Rico after Hurricane George destroyed most of the island nation. We went to help get them back on their feet, as well as the surrounding islands. From St. Croix and St. Thomas, all the way to Haiti and Florida, we bounced from island to island delivering food and supplies and helping in the construction. Witnessing this devastation was heartbreaking (over 75% of the Marines and Sailors that were there were in tears after seeing the Bacardi AND Captain Morgan factories in tatters). One thing was common in these areas though; people migrated to the soccer fields. Even though they were soaking wet mud holes, it was a place for comfort and togetherness. With no house and most of their worldly possessions drifting away to another country, these people would come to the soccer field to comfort each other. It was an unspoken meeting ground. It was the one place that could help them deal with the loss and destruction. These soccer fields were the areas we would go to drop the supplies, since they quickly became a hub of support and meeting for the people in this time of need. It was soccer that they turned to.

From the peaks of Bosnia to the jungles of Puerto Rico and the deserts of Djibouti, you can't go more than a mile without seeing a soccer field. It is here that hope lies. It is here that the dreams of better times can be found. It is here that the aspirations of millions of children come to fruition. It is here that world peace can actually be seen. Just like the commercial for the World Cup says, it is the one time when the whole world can agree on one thing.