Terrorism has always been a huge problem for the human race and in today’s environment a big concern for the world of athletics. Sporting events are an easy target - considered a soft target. There is a history relating to terrorism during sporting events.
The tragedy of last Friday the 13th happened in one of the most beautiful places in the world: The City of Lights – Paris, France. Innocent people, going about their lives, on a Friday night, were taken from their families, as they were enjoying the beginning of the weekend.
There is an infestation of hate and distrust/mistrust, and the lack of acceptance of others for their beliefs in the mind of the hateful. This is a radical idea, more than anything, a lack of tolerance and respect for religious differences. The many “holy books” of the different faiths of the world have their own sacred respect for life, written and authored by mankind as scripture. Many questions need answers, such as: Why are these terrorists threatened by different theology? Can the inadequacy of understanding and the disrespect of the acceptance of diversity be changed? Is it that the militants feel a threat of losing their power for their cause? What is the real culprit behind terrorism; can it be a bloodthirsty hunger for power and control? The concepts of power and control are the seeds of hate and the motivation to kill anyone who thinks differently than they do has become the terrorist mantra.
In this country, when we think of terrorism during a sporting event, we think of the most recent crime of hate at the Boston Marathon of April 15, 2013. It seems throughout history marathons are one of the biggest targets. A marathon has a vast area over its 26.219 miles; it’s a battlefield that can only be selectively covered against these cynical groups. You can see why that particular venue can be a desirable target for the discontented to carry out their reign of terror and slaughter of the innocent.
Sporting events are huge soft targets, mainly because security can be a nightmare of protection given the number of people who attend those events. For those who don’t know what is meant by “soft target,” it’s a military term for some one, or thing that is relatively vulnerable and unprotected.
A good example is a marathon, a soccer game and so forth, because of the vulnerability of the large number of people attending these events. It’s a great way, or an ideal venue for terrorists to slip under the radar to commit their atrocities of hate and mass murder.
Throughout Olympic history there have been terrorist attacks. The Olympics have never experienced a darker day, than the 1972 Munich Games. The Palestinian militant group Black September took the Israeli national team hostage, eventually slaughtering eleven athletes and coaches and one German police officer after a 16-hour standoff.
As the world watched in horror, ABC broadcaster Jim McKay broke the news: “My father used to say our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized. They’re all gone.” For the first time in modern Olympic history, competition was suspended for a memorial service held in the Olympic Stadium attended by 80,000 spectators and 3,000 athletes.
My late brother-in-law was a teacher in Berlin at an American school, the Kennedy School, during that time and he worked as a volunteer at the Munich Olympics. I can remember him saying what an awful experience that whole scenario was for him and the many who had first hand experience of watching this horrific event take place. There are so many other historical atrocities of terror related to sporting events that they all cannot fit into this column.
Since 9/11, our world has changed, and it may not ever be what it was like before the destruction of the Twin Towers. Since the second Iraq War, beehives of hate and murder from different terrorist groups have developed, like the fanatical militants of ISIS and al-Qaeda, as they try to swarm the world looking for ways to sting the free thinking of democracy’s freedom. Ignorance might be the biggest root of the tree of evil; the major fact about ignorance is that it closes the door of reasoning!
Considering how we Americans love our sporting events, there are innovative forms of security growing for our protection. It has to be a nightmarish worry and task for law enforcement agencies to prepare and prevent the worst.
Security is a difficult endeavor, because of the unexpected nature of the terrorists. The biggest weapon of terrorism is fear of what could happen, and it might be it’s their most effective tool - the anticipation of attack. That’s why we hear our leaders suggest that we try to live or lives as normal as possible.
When we attend our sporting events, there has to be a new respect for those who are putting their lives on the line to keep us safe, as we cheer for our teams. The police and security people are the real heroes of the game, as we watch our heralded athletes perform on the field.
