Public Health in Oregon - Join The Conversation

Very cool.I like it!hermes vintage

I agree with Liz asking these questions in relation to the world’s largest sports tournament is great timing.

And there are many things to criticize about the World Cup. And there are lessons to be learned.

However, life is about balance.  I grew up overseas and spent time in West Africa in the Peace Corps and saw the many benefits of soccer. Soccer is the language of the world.  I played and built relationships with people who didn’t speak my language.  Soccer is simple.  To play you don’t need a lot of equipment or any at all.  I have played many a game using a mass of tape as a ball and two trees as a goal.  Soccer is great exercise and teaches coordination.  The average soccer player runs up to six miles a game.

And finally, soccer is joy.  In a world that seems to have endless problems soccer offers an escape and a dream for many people around the world.

So let us try to improve preparations for future World Cups.  Let us use the valuable vehicle of soccer to communicate about better health.  But let us not take away the joy of what what many call “the beautiful game”. It is truly incredible to have basically the whole world captivated by one event.

Brett

Asking these questions in relation to the world’s largest sports tournament is great timing, and an example of using what’s happening around us to raise awareness, something we should be doing more of.

Soccer is a sport where most competitive teams wear their sponsor logos on their jerseys, even here in the US. Most sports clubs do so, even if it has become less noticeable because we’ve become used to seeing the Nike swoosh or the Adidas three stripes, or other logos.

There are many sports which have great sponsor and fan support, that we know have inherent risks to them. When it comes to health, soccer can be a great sport for young athletes, teaching teamwork and the importance of fitness. But players can also be hurt.

Health - that also takes work to teach. If there was an organization focused on health that wanted to sponsor the World Cup, I am sure FIFA would not have turned them away. So where is the Gates Foundation, WHO, or any other internationally known organization in terms of putting its message out to a world audience?

I know why Coke, McDonald’s and Budweiser are there - worldwide publicity. Maybe we should be asking why others aren’t there and urging that we put our message - the importance of health - on the world stage.

The displacement among poor and homeless individuals/families has happened in every city where an international event has occurred. Our role could be pivotal in those discussions, because without the focus on health, choice, opportunities, etc.,  those individuals and families are simply moved. They are as invisible after the move as they were before. That’s the shift that public health advocates could play a significant role in.

They are good questions to ask, but perhaps need not be placed solely at the foot of soccer.  Can we ask them in a way to create an improved health concious culture?

Yes we should ask:  How do we promote healthy food consumption? and Are Coca Cola and McDonalds making us healthy or unhealthy, fat or obese?

And yes we should ask:  Are sports and or PE in school helping to promote healthy exercise patterns and life styles or do they just promote some injurious sports that will have long term negative health consequences without long term healthy lifestyles?  What should our priority be?  Massive amounts of money into watching sports or massive amounts of money into exercise programs that everyone can and will do?