On Third World Sports

After viewing this Daily Show segment last week, a thought's been mulling around my head.

If you skip to around the 4:10 mark, you'll see John Oliver playing some "football" with kids from a small township outside Johannesburg during the World Cup . What I don't get is this:

Those kids aren't very good.
I mean, I get it, you're poor, but if I'm to believe the Christian Children Fund and a bunch of other commercials where fat, bearded men or washed-up Southern singers/movie stars try to guilt me into giving them money for African orphans (of which only 20% at some charities actually makes it to the kids), soccer balls are basically the only toys these kids have. Like one per village.


Honestly, if that's the only thing you have to play with, you should really be insanely good at it.

I suck at video games. Always have. But I can run "Super Mario Land" for GameBoy like a mother. I guess what I'm saying is, "Get it together, Africa." Apartheid and blood diamonds are one thing (actually two things), but showing the world there are some sports other than hockey that black people aren't awesome at, especially one that involves running, is just upsetting.