Sometimes a game is just a game -- a fun way to spend time with friends, get some exercise or pass the time. Other times, games take on a larger significance, representing political or social change. For instance, the 1980 Olympics' "Miracle on Ice" or the four medals Jesse Owens won at the 1936 Games under the gaze of Nazi Germany. The New York Times reported on one such game that took place Monday. It was the first time ever the Palestinian women's soccer team played a home match -- with over 10,000 people, three-quarters of whom were women, in attendance. The game was significant, because, as the Times article said, "the line between the dual quests for equality and statehood became increasingly blurred as the women chased the ball."
The team played Jordan -- whose players symbolically wore their opponents' colors before the game as a gesture of solidarity -- and the game ended with a 2-2 draw. I think this video shows the intensity, excitement and significance of it all very well, especially judging by the priceless reaction of the sideline after the team's first goal.
--Stacey
