I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill（[贸易] 商誉） between the nations, and that if only the common peoples of the world could meet one another at football or cricket, they would have no inclination（倾斜） to meet on the battlefield（战场）. Even if one didn't know from concrete（混凝土的） examples, the 1936 Olympic Games, for instance（实例）, that international sporting contests（竞赛） lead to orgies of hatred（憎恶）, one could deduce（推论） it from general principles（原理）. Nearly all the sports practice nowadays（现今） are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost（极限） to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local patriotism（爱国心） is involved, it is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise. But as soon as the question of prestige（威望） arises（出现）, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced（耻辱） if you lose, the most savage combative instincts（本能） are aroused（引起）.

  Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level, sport is frankly（坦率地） mimic（模仿的） warfare（战争）. But the significant（重大的） thing is not the behavior of the players, but the attitude of the spectators（观众）, and behind the spectators of the nations who work themselves into furies（ 狂怒） over these absurd（荒谬的） contests（竞赛）, and seriously believe, at any rate, for short periods, that running, jumping, and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue（善）.