American Pharaoh on PBS

If you want to understand the Middle East through a different lens, in this case sports, check out PBS's program American Pharaoh scheduled for tomorrow night (May 16).  The program covers the Egyptian soccer team the Pharaohs as they attempt to quality for the 2014 World Cup under the leadership of an American coach.  PBS notes:

After a successful run as coach of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, reaching the second round in the 2010 World Cup, Bradley signed on to coach the Egyptian team in September 2011. Faced with ongoing violence and political upheaval within the country, the Pharaohs were the only team in the world to win every qualification game prior to a 6-1 regional loss to Ghana in October 2013. 

While we will not see the Egyptian team playing in Brazil in this year's World Cup, the story still resonates in a time of new upheaval in the Middle East, this time in Iraq.  While sports cannot change the political situation on the ground, it does offer other more constructive methods of competition.  If only we could settle the Israel-Palestinian situation with a few soccer games.