The Two Escobars

The Two Escobars is a documentary that tells the story of the Columbian national soccer team from the early 1990's and its owner Pablo Escobar, drug lord and organized crime leader. Andres Escobar was the name of the captain of the Columbian soccer team. After much pre-World Cup success, the team felt confident in being successful in the 1994 World Cup tournament. Unfortunately they didn't have the success they hoped for. In their game against the U.S., Andres Escobar accidentally scored a goal against his own team. When he returned home, he was killed.

The violence in Colombia was unparalleled at the time and Pablo Escobar was at the head. The drug cartel of Medellín was the most lucrative cartel at the time, and also the most violent. Pablo Escobar owned the national team and they became good for two reasons: They had lots of talent, and they stayed because they were payed very well.
The most interesting thing about Escobar was his immense generosity and contributions to the community. Pablo grew up in poverty, and because of his upbringing, he donated new soccer fields for the neighborhoods where he grew up. He also recognized a severe problem with homelessness, and so donated money for the building of houses, schools, and health clinics.
The Associated press article here rightly states that when Pablo Escobar was finally tracked down and killed, many people mourned his death, while many other rejoiced in it. Like was said in the documentary, his death didn't eliminate the violence in the city. It multiplied.

The real question is: Are people really so passionate about something as trivial as soccer that they would kill someone? The answer is yes, but it involves so much more than that. The national soccer team at the time was the face of Colombia. They were to represent Colombia in the best way. When they lost, chaos ensued. Not only was it a question of national identity, but always it was a question of money. Gambling exacerbated the hurt of a loss exponentially.