Very early tomorrow morning, East Coast time, the final match of the five match series between India and Pakistan will be held. I only know because most of my Indian colleagues will be up bright and early at 4am to catch the first bowl of the match that will decide the series, now tied at 2-2.
The series is a historic event in the peace process between India and Pakistan, the most bowel looseningly scary confict on the planet now that both countries have gone nuclear.
Despite the quiet in this country, the series has been moderately major international news, and the last match should see a large number of Indians crossing the border into Pakistan to watch the match , and I've heard a rumor that the Indian PM would attend, though I don't know if anything has come of it.
All this made think about the coincidence that the US, a country with a rather isolationist mindset, is also one with little regular participation in international sport. Sure there's the Olympics, and US soccer teams are moderately active on the international stage. But popular US sports, Baseketball, Baseball, Football, Ice Hockey, rarely play foreign teams. Ok, I know there's a few Canadian hockey and baseball teams that occaisionally slope south of the border, but they more or less play in the US leagues rather than as part of any real international competition.
I can't help but compare with my time in Britain, where international sporting events took up a non-insignificant chunk of every nights sports wrap up. British teams competing in European Championships, Six Nations, the UEFA Cup, the Champions League. And not just the national team, but region clubs as well. They aren't going to visit in someone elses league like the Canadians, nor are these one off publicity events like the occaisional baseball game with Cuba.
I can't help but wonder that American's lack of participation in international sports might be a reason the populace feels so little inclination to engage the world at large.
Or perhaps it's the other way round, but that prospect is a little more depressing than I can bear to contemplate at the moment.
