Those Who Rule and Those Who Are Ruled

When political power reaches into the world of sports, even rules that are supposed to be impartial can begin to look unstable. This raises a broader question about those who rule and those who are ruled.

At the soccer World Cup currently under way, the president of the United States reportedly asked FIFA to reconsider a red card given to an American player, claiming that the decision had been mistaken. Afterward, the suspension resulting from the red card was lifted.

I feel sorry not only for the players taking part, but also for the referees, who must make difficult decisions under enormous pressure.

What kind of structure lies behind an incident like this?

There are players who play soccer for people to watch.

There are national soccer associations that support and organize them, and above those associations is FIFA, which governs the sport internationally.

Up to that point, the structure was relatively simple.

But once someone with political power intervenes from outside the system, the situation changes.

It suggests that the interpretation of the rules, or the punishment imposed under them, may be altered through pressure from someone who is not supposed to be part of the decision-making process.

What such an outsider is watching may not be soccer itself.

What matters may be the public connected to that person—particularly the people whose support he wants to retain. Everything else may be of little importance.

I once felt a certain admiration for people in positions of power.

I also hoped that they might use their influence to make society better.

Recently, however, such feelings have gradually faded.

The sense of stagnation only seems to grow rather than diminish.

Even living in a comparatively free country such as Japan, I find myself thinking this way. What, then, must life be like for people living in countries where freedom is far more restricted?

Unlike in the past, we now live in an age when events occurring around the world can be followed almost instantly.

Many people may be painfully aware of how they are being controlled, while still being unable to do anything about it.

Do people who rule others seek power because they have always wanted to control them?

Or do they simply find themselves in positions of authority and gradually begin to exercise control without fully realizing it?

Do those who are ruled actually wish to be ruled?

Or did they once hope to stand on the ruling side themselves, only to find that they could not?

The relationships between people in human society are remarkably unstable and difficult to understand.

Perhaps the boundary between ruling and being ruled is far less fixed than we would like to believe.

・・・

rule
To control or govern people, an organization, or a country. In this essay, it refers not only to formal government but also to the exercise of power over others.

be ruled
To be governed, controlled, or strongly influenced by someone else.

red card
A card shown by a referee to send a player off the field for a serious violation of the rules.

suspension
A temporary ban that prevents a player from taking part in one or more matches.

intervene
To become involved in a situation in order to influence or change what happens.

impartial
Fair and not favoring one person, group, or side.

outside the system
Not formally belonging to the organization or process that is supposed to make the decision.

retain support
To continue receiving approval or backing from other people.

stagnation
A condition in which there is little progress, movement, or improvement.

exercise control
To use one’s authority or power to direct other people’s actions.

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