Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt

by Arthur C. Brooks

Does an embrace of fierce competition mean we want to win by any means necessary? Not at all. Take the teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, two of the greatest soccer clubs in the world and bitter rivals going back to the 1930s. Their matches are some of the most-followed regular sporting events in the world; indeed, all over Spain and Latin America (and in my house in Maryland), life practically stops when they play. Every soccer fan has an opinion on this rivalry, which has strong political dimensions in a country riven by separatism and struggling with a history of political repression. Fans of each club would pay good money to see their side win. But what happens if Barcelona’s star player goes down with a blown-out knee? Do Madrid’s fans cheer his season-ending injury? No, they mostly fall silent. Why? Because Madrid fans want to beat Barcelona through excellence, not injury—and vice versa.