Recently something that has stuck with me has been the World Cup. I think that this is relevant for my research about athletes using their platform to display their political views. In Iran there has been constant protest trying to overthrow the Islamic regime that currently has control over the country. The people of Iran have been inciting riots and protests in order to try and establish a new government. Currently over 500 Iranians have died protesting the Islamic regime and sadly it is expected many more will die trying to create change in Iran. During the national anthem for their first game the Iranian players did not sing the words. After the game they received death threats from the Iranian government telling them that they better think about their actions and understand the consequences before protesting again. In the next game the players were seen barely singing the words, mostly just mouthing them or subtly mumbling along to the national anthem. This was a brave response from the players and was celebrated by many of the citizens of Iran. In the recent loss to the United States the Iranian people cheered and celebrated because of their distaste for nationalism at this time of protest. One man was killed because he was seen cheering after the loss to the United States and many fear the fate of the players as they return home from the World Cup. Clearly, the actions of the players for the Iranian soccer team are extremely admirable and provide an outlet of hope for all those people protesting in their country.
Related Reading: https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/football/iran-soccer-family-threats-intl-spt/index.html