Grant Wahl’s death means more than the World Cup for America

Grant Wahl traveled to Qatar to report on the 2022 World Cup. (Photo courtesy of NPR)

Renowned American sports journalist Grant Wahl was live-Tweeting his analysis of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Argentina vs. Netherlands quarterfinals match until he spontaneously collapsed and passed away mid-game. Wahl reported prior to his untimely death that he was enduring what he thought was a case of bronchitis, but that has done little to comfort many American onlookers. One of these concerned citizens was Grant’s brother, Eric, a member of the LGBTQ+ community who has insinuated that the rainbow-colored shirt that Grant wore in solidarity with the group, and had previously gotten Grant denied entry to a Qatari stadium, was one of the various reasons that officials may have targeted, or even assassinated, the writer. To add on to the ambiguous details of the ordeal, Josh Glancy of The Sunday Times reported that there was no defibrillator available within the many luxurious medical amenities that the multi-billion dollar budget had equipped the World Cup stadiums with. As of right now, there has not been much clarification of whether this was an act of maliciousness or political insurgency towards American values, but the fact that these possibilities have been incessantly perpetuated says a lot about where American citizens stand in regard to our country’s foreign relations.

Instagram comments show mixed opinions about Wahl’s death. (Photos courtesy of Instagram.)

Immediately after social media accounts began posting their own obituaries for Grant, comment sections were flooded with mixed reactions. Conspiracies were voiced by those that blatantly accused the scenario of being a deliberately choreographed event by foreign officials, as one user wrote that “His case isn’t just suspicious, it sounds like an intentional poisoning.” Others were weary of what they perceived as fear-mongering over what has been labeled as a death of natural causation; “May he rest in peace but western media not gonna let him rest that easily” another user says. Whether these faceless and sometimes nameless social media accounts are aware of the complex relationship the U.S. has with the Middle East, it certainly gives credence to the situation that America has increasingly lost control over.

The U.S. is in murky waters when it comes to handling many of the oil-rich countries that comprise the Middle East. Back in early October, and in spite of the Russia-Ukraine War, Saudi Arabia and Russia contributed to the OPEC+ oil production group’s decision to cut oil output by 2 million barrels per day. Gas prices have been a point of contention in Washington throughout 2022, and this clearly lit a fire under President Joe Biden that may have influenced him in his decision to grant Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, civil immunity in the case of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination, of which he assisted in orchestrating, if not spearheaded it. Although it is currently unfair to compare Khashoggi’s murder to what just occurred with Wahl, it represents the broader discussion of those who vouch for America to lean into isolationism.

Some social media users have been critical of those who supported Wahl’s protests towards Qatar. (Photos courtesy of Instagram)

Upon further investigation into the digital discourse following Wahl’s death, it is incredibly easy to find those who feel as though American activism should be limited to domestic boundaries. Comments such as “If you invite a guest to yo house u want them to follow ur house rules right?” and “simple just follow qatars rules” reference Qatar’s legal banishment of homosexuality that Wahl had challenged. It is apparent that even some of those who are considering that it was more than just a suspicious death believe that the writer deserved it. This philosophy goes back to America’s encroachment of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, where a once virtuous fight devolved into utter chaos that proved for most to be more trouble than what it was worth to disseminate American ideals. Regardless, to claim that Wahl had it coming is a appalling perspective that only legitimizes neo-nationalistic rhetoric. Wahl was clearly aware of the potential legal implications of his opinions, but no man deserves death for expressing their thoughts in contempt of another set of foundational beliefs. People like Wahl give domestic dissidents the voice that they may not be in the position to publicize because of the oppressive style of governing that countries like Qatar exhibit, and it is unfair to assume that it was not welcomed by those same victims. Wahl exemplified what made reform in Iran, with the loosening force of the morality police, and China, with the growing leniency of the “Zero Covid” restrictions, possible. Social media is often the only way that protestors can unite without being persecuted by their respective government.

Wahl was not attempting to be self-righteous, he was simply just righteous. He did not benefit by drawing attention to the dilemmas he faced as a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, he actually suffered from it by potentially jeopardizing his ability to cover the most popular sporting event in the world. What he did do was raise further awareness to the civil violations of Qatar’s policies. I find it absurd for Americans not to have stood with him for the reason that he was misrepresenting, or disgracing, America’s societal views; the Respect for Marriage Act is inches away from being enshrined into law, pending Biden’s approval to make the preservation of many established LGBTQ+ and interracial marriages indisputable. Wahl was not pushing his beliefs on to other people, he was simply acting as a personified vessel for a movement that America has recently done much to progress innate liberties for.

Harry Kane was one of the captains who was planning on wearing the “One Love” armband. (Photo is courtesy of RT)

Another social media user claimed that “that’s the problem with u American yous think every country is like your own.” Well, also tell that to England, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Wales, all of whom were going to have their team captains wear “OneLove” armbands in solidarity with the fight for cultural inclusion before Qatar and FIFA subjected them to discriminatory policies that would have penalized each team for the simple, but effective, gesture. Unlike the others, Wahl did not heed and nor should we in the fight for egalitarianism. This is America’s social Rorschach test which will showcase to what extent we are willing to go to uphold our values, and whether our nation’s deep-rooted patriotism will be used to justify or condemn the conspiratorial nature of Wahl’s tragic passing.