By Robert F. Sanchez, JMI Policy Director
This just in: The final score in the “Soccer Match of the Decade” was Qatar 14, the United States 6. That was the vote by which FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, chose the tiny-but-oil-rich Persian Gulf emirate to host the 2022 World Cup.In a similar contest, Russia defeated Spain 13-6 for the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Brazil already had been chosen to host the 2014 World Cup.There you have it: As a result of the FIFA vote, the United States, which last played host to the World Cup in 1994, won’t get another chance until 2026 at the earliest. Moreover, FIFA’s snub of the U.S. comes just a few months after Chicago lost its U.S.-backed bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, despite pleas from President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.So much for the theory that the United States would be beloved worldwide once Barack Obama replaced President George W. Bush, whom leftists at home and abroad intensely disliked because, among other reasons, he stood up for America’s interests at home and abroad.Oh, well. At least nobody is going to take away Major League Baseball’s “World Series” – unless, of course, Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays suddenly get hot – a rare phenomenon that environmental extremists undoubtedly would attribute to global warming.
2010
