FIFA Arrests: A Decent Start

On the surface, I don’t care a lick about several high level goons for FIFA getting pinched in a corruption sting. I watch the World Cup enthusiastically, a supernova burst of passing interest, for a small handful of games, every time it comes around.

Period. Full stop.

And I am fully aware, that these guys are essentially an international crime syndicate, that operates a kickball tournament every four years.

But on a deeper level, I am actually glad these clown are getting a face full of the legal system. Because bribery is the worst. Especially of elected officials, where men are basically conspiring to steal our money collected through taxation.

If a private company wants to bribe another private entity…. meh. Have at it. Its your money.

But when entire countries are so rife with bribery at every level of governance – starting at dogcatcher, all the way up to El Presidente – then life becomes miserable for the governed. At every turn, an official with the full weight of the state, is sticking his hand out, demanding money. It’s like being robbed…. every single day, and you can’t do anything about it.

Of course, we have bribery here in America. I am surely not naive to that fact. But thankfully, we still try to hammer it pretty hard. At least harder than most other developed nations.

Our “bribery” comes in the form of the NFL dangling a SuperBowl in front of a city that builds a new stadium with taxpayer money. Only taxpayers these days, rarely get a direct vote on that. Most of the time, approvals for these billion-dollar-boondogles get fed through “city councils” which have sometimes  as few as 5 elected representatives.

And sure, they WERE elected. And in THEORY they are “accountable” to the voters. But once they say yes to a sports team or league to make some asshorn like Jeffrey Loria even RICHER by way of a fancy new stadium, all you can do is un-elect these low-level city-council clowns.

By then, it’s too late.

Someday, if there’s a sports god in heaven, it’ll be Roger Goodell getting perp-walked out of his offices in Manhattan for bribery/corruption/dipshit-laundering. But I’m not holding my breath.

Goodell is ALREADY getting bribed legally by the owners, to the tune of $42 million a year! This alone makes sure that no matter what awful things his 32 bosses might do, ol’ Ginger Dummy will stand up there and absorb everybody’s wrath.

Pretty good work, if you can get it.

>>>>>>>

I posted this a year ago, in advance of the World Cup. But in case you missed it, here’s the best takedown of FIFA you’ll find anywhere.