FIFA Corruption and Elite Sports Access

How would you describe the Rorld Cup vibes this year in a sentence? I am so y and excited to see the sport that I absolutely love being watched and enjoyed by people who don't usually watch or enjoy soccer. I love that. What about you, Juliana? How would you describe the World Cup vibes this year in a center? I think there's a level of surprise because leading up to the World Cup, you know, there was a lot of concerns of how this was going to exactly shake out But I think that there is a level of surprise when I talk to my friends and fans of how smoothly And joyous this occasion has been so far. So So the World Cup is on and the US is one of the countryes's hosting, along with Canada and Mexico. I'd be surprised if you listeners had not heard this by now or if you hadn't seen the posts on social media. And I'm not talking about posts of amazing plays or fantastic goals on the soccer fields. I mean the posts about all the people coming here to be part of it see America And apparently we're also, you know showing a lot of World Cup fans and players a good time. The town of Lawrence, Kansas has fully embraced the Algerian team, which is staying there. I could not escape videos of Americans partying down with the Scottish fans in Boston. But all this celebration, as sweet as it is, it kind of comes at a strange time. Politically, the US is more isolationist and less welcoming But honestly, it feels like Almost at any other point in my living memory. and to that point, several worldorld Cup officials from countries like Somalia and Iran were not allowed to come, and travel fans have kept many Haitian fans from being able to see their team play here. Even Camp Verian goalkeeper Vosinia, the hero Vzinia, cried after a stellar performance because he wished his mom could be there to see it, and fans were outraged that she had trouble getting a visa to come here I wanted to think a bit more deeply about how this World Cup is reflecting America back as us. To their end, I haveve invited Jasmine Gars, NPR immigration correspondent, who's covering the World Cup right now. Welcome back, Jasmine. Hi And Juliana Kim, reporter on MPR's National Desk, who's also covering the cups. Welcome back to you, Juliana. Hi there. Hello, hello. I'm Brittney Lewz, and you're listening to It's Bin A Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident And a reminder, if you love, It's been a Minute, which from the sweet comments y'all have been leaving, it sounds like maybe you do. Be sure to follow or subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app That way you get new episodes the moment they drop Jasmine and Julianna, what were your favorite posts that you saw on social media of people enjoying the World Cup Okay, like the unlimited chips and Setadurus who was like humbled by the unlimited chips and Slset. And also realizes at some point that it's unlimited. and he cannot say no to a gift And I think it's so funny because it really goes to this ethos in the US of like nine doll ninety nine c, all you can eat unlimited everything bottomless versus in other countries where things are like you know, like more portioned, there's portions. And it's also so sweet to see yourself and your country through a different lens. I think that's always really sweet. Absolutely. And we are going to get more into that because I have really been I've really been enjoying that as well. But what about you, Julianna? Like what's like a favorite post that you saw online A few days into the World Cup, you when we were starting to see a lot of this fanfare and post from tourists around their travels, there was a lot of anticipation around buckies like the big gas station chain in the south? Yes. None of the tourists have yet made it to Buck's and everyone was commenting, you know, please go to Bucky's. You know, what feels like almost like a mecca in the south. And I can relate because when I had first moved to Tennessee, you know, I also remember so many people recommending going to buuckies, you know, when I went I was also in awe. And so I think I was just haaving a great time watching both the anticipation, like every day people checking, like have people made it to a buucky's yet. Again, it's that aspect of abundance of how is this considered a gas station, right? Mhm Also, that phrase has never been said. There's a lot of anticipation about getting to Bucky This' the first time that phrase has ever been uttered There t There are so many moments that I can think of. I mean a Swedish fan was exlling the virtues of Ranch, a Japanese tourist You know, captioning a picture of downtown Memphis at sunset, saying it's an unbelievable sight, which it is, but that's not exactly always, I think, like what we think that a Japanese tourist should love about America. It's like a downtown at sunset, okay. I mean, multiple posts, as you all mentioned, praising Buckies, Waffle House, Chicago dish. I mean, there was one I saw that described an Atlanta taco Bell as the Holy Land I can't disagree. Listen I mean, I've had after a night been like, it is the Holy land. It is the Let's say about three and four o'clock the morning when that fourth meal hit. It is. It starts feeling I looking like the Holy land You've both talked to foreign fans about their experience of America What they have to say about it? Julian, let's start with you M. Fans told me that they were surprised Coming here and just experiencing the friendliness, the hospitality among Americans, you know they mentioned how in the news, as of late, the US, at least from the top down, has not seemed like the most welcoming country, particularly, right toward foreigners. And so they were pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't the case on the ground Yeah, I've heard that fans talk about how welcoming it is. I've heard fans complain about how expensive it is. I had a French fan tell me, how can you pay this much for beer question. But for the most part, talking about how welcoming and warm and fun it is. And I think what's really interesting about this is that it is a moment of pause. know, much like when a fan recently said I love ranch dressing. I stopped for a moment. I was like What is ranch dressing? there's a similar thing that, you know, with fans talking about how warm and embracing the US is that I think It is a moment of asking oneself, what is the US? And I think we've had that moment over and over again for the last fifteen or sixteen months, right? Like we've been We've been told from the top down, from the administration and from the ruling party right now that The U. S. is fundamentally at its core a country that is closed, that does not want foreigners, that is not open And that is xenophobic And so then I think part of the great joy One of the reasons people are enjoying this cup so much is this moment of seeing that this isn't entirely the case, that there are people in the U S that are incredibly welcoming and friendly and that want moments like these. Yeah, it's interesting. I mean first mean You just there's the ranch of it all, which I'm like, you know, ranch is a uniquely Black American invention. I must say, when you look at the history of it. And as I was telling our producer Liam and our editor Nina when we were preparing for this episode, I said that if the French had invented it, it would be a mother sauce. So I'm glad that Europeans are finally noticing what real ranch is about I mean, the TSA actually had to post on social media begging European travelers to not try to take bottles of ranch back in their luggage because you can't carry liquids out of the country like that. But I wonder like Have you all chatted with Americans about what they see reflected back? likeike Julianna, did that come up in any of the people that you've spoken to? Yeah, you know, I think that Americans, excuse my pun, have been eating up, right? the stories of tourists eating at buucky's and a waffle house. I think Americans are finding these narratives refreshing and hopeful and kind of like a pat on the back and a resistance to like this larger perception as we're talking about that the US is not a welcoming place. You know, that being said, I think there's also, you know, part of this discourse where not everyone is buying into this and there's been comparisons of how welcoming like host country Mexico is compared to the US government. You know just a story about Mexico and South Korea in particular and how a Mariachu band came to meet the South Korean squad, or how there's tons of videos, right of locals in Mexico partying with Korean fans, right? But it's not just South Korea, you know I think about how Mexico embraced the Iranian team and Iranian fans when it faced, you know restrictions and hostilities in the U. S um, you know, amid the war to Yeah, I I don't know, I'm seeing so many different aspects of like how Americans, I think, want to see themselves and hope to come across In many cases and that is rubbing up against The Let's say rather cold reception for not just, you know visitors and travelers, but also immigrants in this country coming from our government Listen, I think also like there's a reality. There's like there's two coe existing realities here. the U. S. has policies in place that are not just anti immigrant or immigrant restrictionist. There are accusations of extremely very severe human rights abuses, right? We are at a moment in which there are consistently around sixty thousand people in immigration detention, reporting conditions that are horrifying And consistently around seventy percent have no criminal conviction And it hasn't escaped me. you know, I'm based in New York. I've been doing a lot of coverage in the New York, New Jersey, and New Jersey and the stadium And around fifteen minutes away from that stadium, there is a detention center Delaney Hall, where there have been hunger strikes because of allegations of inhumane conditions in this ice facility And so there is a reality, and I think a lot of Americans are very cognizant of this, right? There's the word sports washing has come around too that you know we're in this moment where the two things are happening. We're having this great love fest and celebration And these policies are still in place and they're taking a toll on a lot of communities To your point, like we're talking about Americans more generally being welcoming Obviously there is a whole other federal dment campaign program that's happening at the exact same time. as you mentioned, only miles sometimes from where these games are being played, and where people are gathering in sort of the name of sportsmanship and love and fun But also, I mean, in addition to that There have been these political blocks against certain people coming to join that fund as well that also feels very connected to the overall anti immigration campaign of our federal government right now. But I'm woing, Giuliana have any of these sorts of reflections come up with the fans that you're speaking to as well You know, I think for even seeing the Kate Verde player and his mom being able to come to the U. S to see him, you know you kind of have to take that and reflect on that alongside like the Somali referee or the Iraqi photographer who weren't able to come to the U. S, right? And that Like I was happy for the Cape Verde player, but you know, he's just one of the dozens and who knows how many who are facing right trouble at security or at TSA or who are not able to come to the U. S. and enjoy the World Cup because of the policies right now I don't know if, for example Bostonians would have been as welcoming to as many Haitian fans as they were to that ocean of Scottish fans that came through U, I mean the Skish fans look they look like they were having a ball. I wish I could have been in Boston to hang out with them like They drank like the bar at least one of the bars drank dry And like I saw One city worker who I think had to clean up some sort of public park or green green space in Boston saying at least like they're like, Hey, look, the Scott people came, they're ha a good time. They're drinking like fish, but they actually cleaned their trash after themselves. So like it made it really easy for me to do my job And I think it was beautiful to see all of those moments, but also I say this with person as a person with a lot of family in Bostin There are a lot of Haitians in Boston. and I don't know if they're always as warmly received as these Scottish visuals received during this World Cup time. I say this as a person who's been black for almost thirty nine years. I just don't know if the news reports would have been the same Coming up after the break. So you know, it's become a sport in that vein for the elites. It's become an oligarchic event, almost. I mean, really, who can afford to spend this kind of money on tickets for one person? Stick around I feel like we can't talk about sort of the geopolitics of all this without talking about the FIFA of it all. The organization responsible for putting on the World Cup. A lot of soccer fans I know kind of look asance at it as an organization. And to be clear, I mean, the ticket prices for a lot of these games are sky high. Even as we're talking about people, I mean, listen, I wanted to go and as soon as I saw the tickets, I closed my laptop said, o This is not for me. I mean, we're talking Sometimes four figures, five figures for seats. I mean, this's a lot of money. But even as we're talking about people coming together, not everyone has the money to actually be a part of the fun in the same way I mean, and I think for a lot of South Americans, I'm South American, watching Americans grapple with the corruption of FIFA for the first time is hilarious almost because we've been dealing with it a lifetime, L FIFA is like you know, an entity in the sky in our lives. You know, it's in politics, it's present in the economy. And I think, you know What I'm seeing with this World Cup is that it is completely inaccessible for a lot of people. You know I've been spending so much of this World Cup in immigrant communities in different parts of the country with people who couldn't even dream to afford it, but are watching from home And I think there's something really sad about that. I think You know, soccer, the beauty of soccer football. is that you Anyone can play it anywhere. All you need is a sort of spherical object, you know, and you can play it. And it really like kind of detaches from the soul of soccer And I think it also follows in what we're seeing here in the US and so much of the world is like this K shaped economy we keep talking about, right? And so you know it's become a sport in that vein for the elites. It's become an oligarchic event, almost. I mean, really, who can afford to spend this kind of money on tickets for one person have a Spanish tour that I see every week and for the past like two and a half years and he lives in Colombia. And he was asking, he's like, Oh, you like they're going to be having World Cup like New York, New Jersey. Like are you going to go? And I told him, I was like, yo, dude, like It's hundred dollars to take the train. Normally it's like, I don't know, six dollars, four dollars, five dollars, something like that. to take the train from Manhattan into New Jersey to go to watch, you know, to go to like Metlife or wherever they're having And it's like I was like, yeah, no, it's one hundred and something dollars. And he was like, whyy? And I was like, FifF, of course. And New Jersey called them out. New Jery was quick to be like, Hey This was not our choice. F wanted to pass these prizes on to us. And that would otherwise be coming out of your pocket as taxpayers. So there you go. But yeah, it's been interesting to see people kind of grapple with that I wonder both of you having reported on this World Cup and seeing this fellowship arise. what are you going to take away from it Well, I think for me, in the past, I have reported on my home team. Argentina? Yes, that's right. This World Cup, I really wanted to put a different hat on and just enjoy beautiful soccer from all teams. notot necessarily root for a team I love, but just root for good soccer. And I really mean that. L it has been so beautiful to just enjoy a beautiful sport Um and to be able to watch andbae play in person you know, and to watch Vinia, you know, and to watch these players and not be like blinded by a narrower lens of just watching your own team and rooting for your team, but when I'm a fan, that's what I'm doing But as a journalist to be able to root for the sport That's been like just such an extraordinary experience M Oh, it's so wonderful. I love that. What about you, Juliana? What are you gonna take away from all this Yeah, you know, this has been the first World Cup in a while that I've been able to watch with my dad, who is the reason I even got in to the tournament, you know when I was a kid. And so on a personal level, it's very meaningful to me. I've also just enjoyed kind of experiencing the World Cup with folks who maybe aren't exactly into soccer You know, right, One of the anticipation and the hope of the World Cup being in the US is that we're going to see another resurgence of fans. We're going to see and I think I'm starting to see that in the works. I'm also curious exactly what the logistics and how all of this is going to pan out because you know the big question is, are we ready for the Olympics Um But we're not we're just beginning like I think A years long saga of like world you know global events coming to the US. So we'll see how that goes Oh, we will definitely see how that goes. I wouldn't bet on it just yet. I wouldn't run a cowsie right now saying that America's ready for the Olympics. But the World Cup, we seem to be at least on an everyday human level for the average American who's interacting with our visitors who are joining us for the World Cup, it seems like we're doing a pretty decent job Oh my gosh, Juliana, Jasmine, thank you both so much. I have really enjoyed this chat. Thank you thank you Thank you. Thank you That was Jasmine Gars, NPR immigration correspondent who's covering the World Cup right now, and Juliana Kan, reporter on NPR's national desk who's also covering the cup. This episode of its's Bit a Mute was produced by Coreory Antonio Rose, Liam McVain. This episode was edited by Nina Potott. Our supervising producer is Sa Vincent Our executive producer is Bartin Gerdwin. our VPA programming is Yolanda Sangueni. All right, that's all for this episode of It's Bit of Minute from NPR. I'm Brittney Lewz. Talk soon