The Fuqua Experience

There is no emotion quite as powerful as the sense of injustice of a child. Children usually don’t understand that the world is not fair and that some people are better then others in certain things and in certain ways. When the injustice is caused not by a difference in skill but in the way the rules are applied, it makes the matter even worse. When we play sports we revert back to what were like as children. I was backing Germany & Argentina in the round of 16. Both teams play really well but when I saw the games a 2nd time, as all die hard fans should, I started to develop a sense empathy with the Mexican & British players.

It’s one thing to lose fairly to someone better than you, I can get over it but it takes some self control. But to lose to someone who is better than you and have the referee over rule your goals is quite something else. There is a certain amount of frustration that comes in playing against someone better than you, imagine having to guard Kobe Bryant, imagine how frustrating it would feel to have him score as he wills against your best effort, now imagine the ref giving him 3 points for a shot that clearly wasn’t. Your sense of frustration would boil over. Actually I have been in situations in soccer matches where I couldn’t compete and the refereeing was bad, In one certain game I wasn’t able to keep my emotions in check and was eventually sent out of the game with a 2nd yellow card for shoving an opposition player. I wasn’t proud of what I did, but I can empathize with the losing teams in this world cup.

Fifa has to allow technology to help the ref’s make better calls. I mean, does Fifa turn down online advertising money because the internet is a new fangled technology and Fifa can’t understand it? No! So why turn down the use of technology when it will clearly benefit the game?