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While U.S. soccer fans are celebrating a victory in the politically charged World Cup match against Iran, all Americans should rejoice in national team captain Tyler Adams.
Adams’ classy answer to a pointed lecture from an Iranian reporter during a pre-match press conference signals the difference between a democracy and an authoritarian regime.
A reporter for Iranian state-owned media brusquely informed Adams that he was pronouncing “Iran” incorrectly (it’s ee-RON, not eye-RAN), and then asked about discrimination against Black people in the United States. It was one of a long list of pointed geopolitical questions ranging from inflation to the location of U.S. Navy ships that had nothing to do with soccer. With remarkable poise, the 23-year-old seized the opportunity as a teaching moment.
His response is worth reprinting at length.
“My apologies for the mispronunciation of your country. That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go,” said Adams, who also plays professional soccer in Europe.
