Just Leave Sports Alone
I thought I had become somewhat immune to U.S. President Donald Trump’s myriad of bizarre comments and actions. This time, however, left me in a particularly foul mood. I am referring to Trump’s use of personal connections and authority to bend the rules of the World Cup. To defend his actions, he said, “When they take your best player and say, ‘You can't play' it's very unfair." Have I misunderstood the meaning of “fair”? What exactly does fairness mean to Trump?
The fairness that we usually expect in sports is procedural. It doesn’t matter whether it’s defending champion Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi, or Cabo Verde, a country unfamiliar to many people. The moment the teams enter the field, they are subject to the same rules and regulations. This is why unexpected things often happen in sports. Favorite teams can be eliminated in preliminary matches over trivial mistakes, while unknown players can completely flip the game in an instant. Whether the outcome leaves us disappointed or delighted, we can accept the result because we believe that the game was played fairly.
The fairness Trump speaks of is completely different. For him, fairness is closer to a situation in which the stronger side can freely showcase its skills without interference. Within Trump’s version of fairness, rules are not values that must be upheld unconditionally, but rather tools that can be bypassed or ignored at any time. If the stronger side is penalized by the rules, this is because the rules are flawed or were poorly applied. Above all, it seems Trump believes that he is the one entitled to right these “wrongs.”
If this is correct, then Trump has been remarkably consistent this whole time. He said that if Belgium were to defeat the United States in the Round of 16 while the United States was missing its star player, it would be “rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.” Trump’s insistence that the election was fraudulent, despite over 60 failed lawsuits, just shows his warped sense of fairness. Recently, the executive order to limit birthright citizenship that he had strongly pushed for was ruled unconstitutional. Nevertheless, Trump ignored the ruling and attacked the right itself, calling it unjust. He also does not care about international law. Despite the United States having returned the Panama Canal to Panama under a treaty that was signed more than 50 years ago, Trump boldly argued for its return, saying that the United States was not being “treated fairly.” Essentially, he views rules that hinder him and the America he represents as generally unfair.
The reason Trump’s unwelcome interference in the World Cup tournament feels particularly insulting is because we love sports. A realm where rule breakers like Trump, so common in real life, cannot exercise their power. A place where everyone follows the rules, resulting in countless dramatic plays. Even with Trump’s “cheat code,” the United States still lost to Belgium 4-1 in the Round of 16. I know I am not the only one who felt particularly pleased.
The fairness that we usually expect in sports is procedural. It doesn’t matter whether it’s defending champion Argentina, captained by Lionel Messi, or Cabo Verde, a country unfamiliar to many people. The moment the teams enter the field, they are subject to the same rules and regulations. This is why unexpected things often happen in sports. Favorite teams can be eliminated in preliminary matches over trivial mistakes, while unknown players can completely flip the game in an instant. Whether the outcome leaves us disappointed or delighted, we can accept the result because we believe that the game was played fairly.
The fairness Trump speaks of is completely different. For him, fairness is closer to a situation in which the stronger side can freely showcase its skills without interference. Within Trump’s version of fairness, rules are not values that must be upheld unconditionally, but rather tools that can be bypassed or ignored at any time. If the stronger side is penalized by the rules, this is because the rules are flawed or were poorly applied. Above all, it seems Trump believes that he is the one entitled to right these “wrongs.”
If this is correct, then Trump has been remarkably consistent this whole time. He said that if Belgium were to defeat the United States in the Round of 16 while the United States was missing its star player, it would be “rigged, just like the election was rigged in 2020.” Trump’s insistence that the election was fraudulent, despite over 60 failed lawsuits, just shows his warped sense of fairness. Recently, the executive order to limit birthright citizenship that he had strongly pushed for was ruled unconstitutional. Nevertheless, Trump ignored the ruling and attacked the right itself, calling it unjust. He also does not care about international law. Despite the United States having returned the Panama Canal to Panama under a treaty that was signed more than 50 years ago, Trump boldly argued for its return, saying that the United States was not being “treated fairly.” Essentially, he views rules that hinder him and the America he represents as generally unfair.
The reason Trump’s unwelcome interference in the World Cup tournament feels particularly insulting is because we love sports. A realm where rule breakers like Trump, so common in real life, cannot exercise their power. A place where everyone follows the rules, resulting in countless dramatic plays. Even with Trump’s “cheat code,” the United States still lost to Belgium 4-1 in the Round of 16. I know I am not the only one who felt particularly pleased.
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