January 22, 2001

11:43 AM

"Soccer" has been nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.No, really.

Any other suggestions for nominations?
posted by Avogadro (24 comments total)

They can nominate inanimate objects and abstract concepts for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Hell, in that case I nominate marijuana.
posted by ratbastard at 11:53 AM on January 22, 2001

I nominate The Simpsons!!
posted by schlomo at 12:06 PM on January 22, 2001

Funny that they'd nominate soccer for "promoting understanding among nations," but nobody mentions the Internet. (I guess the net gets enough press as it is.)
posted by waxpancake at 12:08 PM on January 22, 2001

Of course, the ultimate peace-maker is sex...
posted by jpoulos at 12:09 PM on January 22, 2001

hooligan=peacemaker...hmm...
posted by rushmc at 12:11 PM on January 22, 2001

in all fairness, equating hooligans with soccer is kinda an American thing. we american's don't appreciate just how widespread soccer is, and how many games don't have any incidents of violence. it's like air travel. sure, there are a couple dozen crashes a year, but when you consider how many uneventful flights there are, you realize how safe airplanes really are.

the fact that a single sport can bring together so many from all corners of the planet is truly amazing, and unique to soccer. (consider the yellow and red cards used to indicate rules-infractions. the cards evolved so that speakers of difference languages could play together without the need for words.)
posted by jpoulos at 12:41 PM on January 22, 2001

In that case, I nominate semaphore.
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:46 PM on January 22, 2001

The Nobel organization is becoming a big joke. First they give a terrorist (Arafat) the Peace Prize, now they want to give it to a sport? I'd love to know who sits on these selection committees?
posted by saturn5 at 12:53 PM on January 22, 2001

I nominate Barney the Dinosaur. He is so full of love.
posted by quirked at 1:00 PM on January 22, 2001

I nominate that great human uniter, oxygen (the gas, not the cable channel).

I viciously excoriate that shameless divider, nitrogen.
posted by Skot at 1:08 PM on January 22, 2001

I nominate guns, bringers of peace worldwide.
posted by whatnotever at 1:26 PM on January 22, 2001

Money. No, really, it's the root of all happiness.
posted by tiaka at 1:39 PM on January 22, 2001

If you want to see soccer at work, look at the African Nations' Cup. Fiercely patriotic supporters and players, but a tremendous spirit, often bringing together countries that have spent much of their history fighting each other.
posted by holgate at 2:16 PM on January 22, 2001

Soccer is a beautiful thing, indeed, but the question stands -- how do you give an award to a thing? If "soccer" wins a Nobel Prize, who gets the award? (I have horrifying visions: "And now, accepting on behalf of soccer, Pele, Elton John, Andrew Shue, David Beckham and Mia Hamm.")
posted by Dreama at 2:32 PM on January 22, 2001

That's the difficult one. You'd probably have to give it to FIFA, which is to football what the IOC is to Olympic athletes. Ugh.
posted by holgate at 2:49 PM on January 22, 2001

But... soccer sucks (napster link)...
posted by owillis at 3:39 PM on January 22, 2001

Question: Who gets the nobel peace prize? Will Mr. Soccer be keeping it on his mantle?

I don't think Soccer brings people together, there are many instances of violence. My own brother nearly gets in a car accident every year by waving a full sized Jamaican flag outside of his car cruising down the 401 in Toronto
posted by jpate at 4:42 PM on January 22, 2001

I'd like to nominate Metafilter, for breaking down the barriers between the "A-listers" and the rest of us, for providing a firebreak in the Flame Wars and for encouraging compassionate conversation and the politics of personal discussion. It's a uniter, not a divider.

I'd also like to suggest that the cash grant be divided proportionally between all MeFi members-each of the 3136 members will receive approximately 478 Swedish Crowns.

Jason(apologizing for the fuzzy math)
posted by JDC8 at 5:11 PM on January 22, 2001

My own brother nearly gets in a car accident every year by waving a full sized Jamaican flag outside of his car cruising down the 401 in Toronto

Could that be because he isn't driving, but instead waving a flag?

Anyhow, I do agree that the soccer field is one of the only places that two nations can meet peacefully without fighting, despite stories shown on local newscasts. Still, I don't think this should warrant an award. But who has warranted an award lately?
posted by moural at 5:29 PM on January 22, 2001

I would think that giant flag would also cause massive drag while driving on the 401 - then again, you'd be lucky to hit half the speed limit on there.

Anyways,

Am I mistaken, or wasn't there an actual war a number of years ago that started because of a soccer (football) incident?

I vote Hockey.
posted by mkn at 6:13 PM on January 22, 2001

jpoulos, sex has been nominated for the Nobel Piece Prize.

There are certain nonsense nominations every year, such as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Qadhafi. It's a way of making a political point. I wouldn't take such too seriously.

Who's warranted awards lately? Look at the list. Peace on the Korean peninsula (Kim Dae Jung); apolitical assistance for refugees (Doctors without Borders); peace in Northern Ireland (Trimble/Hume); the campaign against landmines; independence for East Timor. I think that's a great list and should not be overlooked.

Indeed, the Peace Prize committee often seems to have its ear close to the ground. Many prizes are topical and award efforts in progress, as a sort of encouragement. The committee also enjoys tweaking repressive régimes by naming people like Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma.

Given the competition (alas, there's a lot of work to be done), I don't think "soccer" is in the running.

mkn, you're thinking of Honduras and El Salvador's Soccer War.
posted by dhartung at 6:19 PM on January 22, 2001

Soccer? It's called football! Bloody football - unless you're a prep school teacher or something like that.
posted by Mocata at 9:25 AM on January 23, 2001