One evening some time ago, while I was watching Black Panther in the office while waiting for the buka puasa traffic to ease out before I returned home, my friend who’s a marketing excutive for a shopping mall sent me a voice message asked me how can she put into words (formally) that FIFA World Cup happens every four years and that they should totally run an event especially about it.
Without hesitation, I went on Google to search for some facts and I read this particular statement that set me on fire (in a bad way). I was literally boiling and burst out crying (I know I can be a lil too dramatic sometimes) and here’s why:
Documented in Wikipedia, The World Cup is the most prestigious association football tournament in the world as well as the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games; the cumulative audience of all matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was estimated to be 26.29 billion with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the final match, a ninth of the entire population of the planet.
A NINTH OF THE FREAKING POPULATION ON EARTH!!! And guess what? About one-ninth population in this world suffers from World Hunger and uneducated. While this one-ninth has every right to watch football, it pains me to see people care about 22 people chasing after a black and white ball on a 1.5 acres field in a box (the television) rather than what is happening around the world.
To clarify my view about this topic (again), everyone has every right to have pleasures and entertainment in life. The angst within is that behind all the matches, so much money spent (by consumers) and so much money generated (by organizers and whatever companies they may be). People could dump so much money flying to whichever location it may be at to watch it live in the stadium, buying tonnes of merchandize, getting gifts (the players don’t need) for their favorite players... but when it comes to foundations or public charities, many people suddenly become so stingy. Having said that, I am sure there are many generous football fanatics, but my point is... many people seem to care about the football than the well-being of their fellow underprivileged kind.
Companies spend so much money on advertising and marketing about almost everything to generate incomes, but how often a campaign to help the needy? All the CSR done for publicity instead of sincerely wanting to help... it saddens me so so much.
Romans 12:9
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.”
I pray for peace within me, that I can’t make everyone agrees with me. I can only do little by little to impact and love the people around me.
