= 02 November 2024 =

Weekly Single Page of Cartoonmag / No 24

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NO:24 , Saturday, 02 November 2024

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THE EMPIRE OF GLADIATORS

Abbas Naaseri /

Ding... ding... ding... 7 AM: Morning news broadcast.

Ding... ding... ding... 2 PM: Midday news broadcast.

Ding... ding... ding... 5 PM: Evening news broadcast.

Ding... ding... ding... 8 PM: Nightly news broadcast.

Around the world, there are thousands of television, internet, and satellite networks, each hosting multiple news segments, and without exception, each of these news segments includes a separate sports news item. Add to that the live broadcasts, panels, interviews, media, publications, websites, and more that cover sports extensively. Every day, thousands of media channels and networks are dedicated to promoting, presenting, and celebrating the performance and accomplishments of athletes, from amateurs to top-tier professionals. By contrast, only rarely do we see news about the arts, and even then, it’s typically limited to world-renowned artists.

This vast amount of media coverage naturally contributes to the prominence of sports and the visibility of athletes. It’s obvious that if such levels of promotion were dedicated to the arts, artists might also occupy a similarly significant place in people’s minds. Yet, everywhere in the world, the situation is the same: life shows its brighter side to athletes, while artists remain largely unnoticed.

Even in France—the ideal land for artists around the world, with its countless museums, galleries, and artistic hubs—the entire world knows Zinedine Zidane and his lethal headbutt against Italy's Materazzi better than they do any artist from France. Except perhaps a few historical figures whose names are barely familiar to the general public.

Why don’t even the media, which rely heavily on visual elements, graphics, and commentary, give suitable attention to the arts?

It’s clear why advertising global and government spending focused on athletes in the world.

From the earliest days of history, states and powers showcased their strength through warfare and territorial conquests. As we moved forward in time, large-scale wars became less, and nations created gladiators from prisoners to fight in single combat, offering an exciting display of strength without the loss of thousands of lives.

In the contemporary world, as peace began to dominate as the preferred global narrative, sports took the place of gladiators.

Today, nations engage in thrilling, peaceful competition, with athletes as their champions. Athletes, as modern-day gladiators, raise their countries' flags on foreign soil, not through war and bloodshed but through sports, entertainment, and excitement. It’s an undeniable reality that the excitement of sports motivates governments, corporations, and officials to invest heavily in athletes, both financially and in terms of publicity. This is the reason for today’s “peaceful warfare.”

So, it’s impossible thinking to expect such extensive advertising and resources to be directed toward the arts. Whether it’s for cartoons, a noble art that promotes global peace and coexistence, or cartoonists who illustrate the glass half-empty to bring attention to societal issues, hoping to inspire change…

If it was given this possiblity, art could bring love beside peace.

Perhaps, for the artist, it’s simply their lot in this world to witness such inequality. Alas...

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