Christian Eriksen

When you think critically, the world of professional sports can be a pretty ugly place. Even if you confine your scope to soccer, there's racist abuse, ...

Remembering Christian Eriksen lying on the pitch, and comparing that to the sight of him leading Denmark onto the same field, puts that into perspective. Some nations will be playing with a trip to the World Cup on the line shortly after the Denmark match concludes. The NHL seemingly can’t move beyond the idea that stopping a game to allow players to punch each other in the face is an essential part of the sport. Even college basketball, which is theoretically a bastion of amateurism and Cinderella stories, is a massive business where, as we saw in a 2021 viral social media video, women get the short end of the stick. Major League Baseball just emerged from a lockout that delayed the start of the season. Looking at domestic soccer, part of the appeal is the merit-based nature of an open pyramid structure. According to an August 2021 BBC report, “the UK Football Policing Unit received 600 reports of racist comments sent to England’s black players after the defeat and judged 207 to be criminal.” His teammates ran over, and paramedics streamed onto the pitch in an attempt to literally save his life. When you think critically, the world of professional sports can be a pretty ugly place. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, all of whom are Black, were subjected to a barrage of hateful tweets after they each failed to score during the penalty shootout. In an ugly world, that’s a reminder of just how beautiful sports can be. While he nearly died, the Danish midfielder survived thanks to the combined efforts of his teammates and paramedics.