In 1985, right before the 1986 World Cup, a devastating earth quake struck and hit Mexico City, leaving thousands dead. After a disaster like this, citizens usually think that their government is going to respond quickly to rescue survivors and provide supplies to those who need it. However, the Mexican government’s response was slow and not effective. Communication was cut off and hospitals were left helpless, which made it very difficult to coordinate relief efforts. Since the government wouldn’t help, the people stepped up. They formed volunteer rescue teams, created shelters, and did everything that the government was supposed to be helping with. The Mexican president, Miguel de la Madrid, and his leadership only added to public frustration. He spent very little time meeting with victims and talked about the disaster very professionally instead of with compassion, which left people feeling dehumanized and pushed to the side.
Even though the earth quake did cause lots of destruction, they still wanted to move forward with the 1986 World Cup. Officials said the repairs would cost about 56 million dollars, but the end cost was about 2 billion because of renovations and such. This made a lot of people angry, mainly because the government decided to out those funds into the stadium instead of using them for the earthquake relief. This also made the people question if the government really cared about as sporting event more than its own people.
Both of these articles touch on the political use of the world cup, and how it wasn’t just Mexico. Governments have been known to use the tournament as a distraction from other issues that are happening in their country. Some examples include the 1934 World Cup which was Fascist Italy using as a display of strength, and in 1978 when Argentina used the World Cup to distract from the governments human rights issues. Overall, the World Cup isn’t only an international sporting event that brings attention to the host country, but also can serve to benefit the government in more ways than one.
Week3, Maple, Hannah B
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