Zain Nensey
Week Seven, Entry #3
I honestly do not know not know what to talk about this week, because a lot has happened, especially in Pakistan. For example, Pakistan’s cricket coach was murdered on Monday after his Pakistan side suffered a shock loss to Ireland in the World Cup, eliminating them from advancing past the first round. A lot of people on cricket websites have said that perhaps it is time that people took a step back and examined the role of the sport in this world. When people are willing to murder a sports coach, what does that say about a country’s image? It seems highly likely that the suspect was a Pakistani, especially because Pakistanis are crazy about the sport. Any major loss is a cause for anger. Even before the murder, people were burning effigies of the coach and team captain in the streets of Multan, one of Pakistan’s larger cities. In the past, fans in India have been known to throw such things as squid on the field if their team was performing badly. It is like a more violent version of what happened to Alabama’s Mike Shula after the 2006 season simply because he couldn’t beat Auburn. Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, was likely to be let go anyway, but I still find it hard to believe that anyone would capable of such a despicable act. This isn’t an endorsement of the coach- I don’t think he was the right fit for Pakistan, although he was a pretty good coach in his own right. Perhaps Pakistan should stop playing cricket for a couple of years. If Pakistani fans can’t appreciate the fact that they have one of the best teams in the world, then maybe a time of separation will make them realize how much of a game it really is. Pakistan values cricket as a diplomacy tool with India; indeed, matches between the two sides have a level of rivalry that the Red Sox and Yankees simply can not match, and diplomatic relations began to thaw in 2004 because the two sides started playing each other again. But it is still simply a game-one that some people in both of those countries need to realize.