Yesterday there was an important game in the baseball community #1456112
USA vs. Venezuela.
I didn't see the game; it's not something that interests me, but I'm well aware that it's the most important and most played sport in Venezuela. Just as soccer is the hope for many promising young Brazilians to escape the favelas and have a better life, baseball is the same for Venezuelans. There are more baseball fields than for any other sport, in every corner of this country in the Southern Hemisphere.
It's fine, it's nice to be happy that your favorite team won, but I can't stop thinking about the underlying reasons for it all.
In November and December, the constant power outages stopped. They returned in February, with four-hour daily outages, until last week. Nobody says anything; power outages are "normal," but here's the strange thing: this week there were no outages, and I don't think it's a coincidence that the whole country was caught up in the excitement of the baseball games against Japan, Italy, the Dominican Republic, and of course, the most important one, the final against the USA. Yesterday I saw a meme that terrified me more than it amused me; it wasn't funny at all.
"CORPOELEC NATIONAL ELECTRIC CORPORATION
DEAR CORPOELEC, MORE THAN 30 MILLION VENEZUELANS ASK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS TODAY TO PUT YOUR HAND ON YOUR HEART AND ALLOW US TO SEE THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS IN VENEZUELA...
TOMORROW, IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN CUT OFF THE POWER FOR 24 HOURS, BUT TODAY LET ALL VENEZUELANS LIVE AND FEEL PRIDE WATCHING THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC FINAL"
The social media accounts of the mayor's office, the governor's office, and any other state institution also played a role in promoting and continuing to promote baseball games as a form of entertainment. They offered giant screens so people could gather in the streets to watch the game, and the beer with the cake was like Delcy Rodrigues decreeing that today, March 18th, is a non working holiday.
I have decided to declare tomorrow a National Day of Celebration, a non-working day, with the exception of essential service workers, so that our youth can go out to the plazas, parks, and sports fields to celebrate.
Tomorrow, everyone to the great concert, Venezuela Triumphs United!
Now people are happy and grateful because the power wasn't cut off and they don't have to work today. Do you see the same problem I do?
I completely understand the euphoria these kinds of events create in South America, but you've shown that it won't change your reality. Keep going; don't let the system control you
It's interesting to see your perspective on this. I am sure the game brought a lot of joy and pride to the country but as much as I love sports they are quite trivial in the grand scheme of things.
It seems as if there is a disorder in the community's priorities.
To be honest, I do not empathize with people who put such personal emphasis on how a sports team performs. Those athletes and coaches do not give a s*** about you.
I went to Duke for grad school. Everyone obviously loved basketball there. Coach K was the highest paid employee at the university. It's nice to enjoy the sport, but I honestly do not understand the level of worship people have for it.
I understand it for kids, but it does seem like your priorities have to be out of whack as an adult to be so deeply affected by an outcome like that.
Still, I enjoyed the symbolic victory of Venezuela taking down America and I'm glad they got to enjoy it too.
It was crazy; there were so many people in the streets, drunk and celebrating like there was no tomorrow. I saw the videos this morning when I woke up, and it inspired me to write this post. People asked me why I wasn't excited, and the answer is simple: first, I'm not interested in any sports teams, and second, my problems remain the same whether a team wins or loses. Unless I've made a serious bet, that's the only reason it would affect me emotionally in any way.
I once strolled through Duke's campus holding my girlfriend's hand. Some twerp decided to toss water balloons at us out the window of one of those (fake) Gothic dorms. I can't get past that. Boo on Duke.
Heh, were you wearing Tarheels gear?
If I had been, it would have made sense and I'd be fine with it. We were neutral. I'm not smart, but I have enough sense than to stroll through Duke in Carolina gear! 😀
On the one hand, I understand the sporting spirit and the collective hysteria (to call it something), but I also think they go too far with the idolatry, and it's a phenomenon that occurs all over the world.
I watched the game. The USA offense/hitters were terrible given the starting pitcher for Venezuela seemed very hittable. I will say I'm happy for Venezuela. I think it meant a lot to them to win.
Yes, people here are euphoric as if it were the best event of their lives
Unless they manage to keep the power on, I doubt that gratitude will last.
Memory is short, and as long as they stay distracted, there won't be any complaints. Tomorrow the Lorza festivities begin (it's something celebrated in the Venezuelan plains), then comes Holy Week, meaning more festivities, then Mother's Day, Father's Day, and so on, everyone distracted by some date or event.
My personal opinion on these matters is: Bread 🍞 and circuses 🎪 is the same old Roman recipe applied in the 21st century.
based on recent matchs to be true it could be draw
Of course I see the same problem as you!!
That dictatorship takes advantage of any excuse to keep the complacent entertained and prevent people from thinking about how to break free!!
So they can keep stealing!
I love talking about this topic
First create or tolerate a permanent state of scarcity and instability
Then selectively relieve that scarcity around events that generate unity distraction and emotional release
Package the relief as generosity
Let people direct their emotional energy toward the game the victory the celebration instead of toward the daily structural abuse
The meme you quoted says the quiet part out loud
Please let us have electricity for the game
Then you can cut the power for 24 hours tomorrow
That is not just a joke
It is a snapshot of learned helplessness
It is people internalizing the idea that they must negotiate for basic services around spectacles
It is a culture forced to lower its standards so far that it bargains with its own misery
You are also pointing to another layer
Baseball and soccer for poor kids are not just sports
They are narrow escape hatches from a system that offers no real path to dignity for the majority
When a society treats sports as the main ladder out of poverty it is quietly admitting that the economy and institutions are not designed for broad based opportunity
So the state gets a double benefit
It gets to sell hope via a few sports idols who made it
And it gets to sell unity via national games while the everyday structural reality remains untouched
This is why the celebration feels tainted to you
You are not against joy
You are not against people being proud or happy their team won
You are seeing how that joy is being framed and instrumentalized
What would it look like if things were healthy
You could have the same game
The same passion
The same street gatherings and big screens
But
Electricity would be taken for granted not prayed for
A non working day would be debated openly in terms of productivity and workers rights not declared from above as a gift
The institutions broadcasting the game would also be accountable for explaining infrastructure plans budgets maintenance schedules
People could enjoy the sport without feeling that their attention was being diverted away from unresolved systemic issues
You asked if others see the same problem
The problem is not that people are happy about baseball
The problem is that happiness itself becomes a political tool when the basics are unstable
When governments discover they can trade stability for spectacle they have an incentive to keep things just broken enough that any small improvement feels like a favor
Turn the lights off often enough and turning them back on becomes an act of generosity instead of the bare minimum of governance
It does not mean people should not celebrate
It means they should celebrate with their eyes open
Enjoy the game
But do not forget who controls the switch and why it was off in the first place