Trauma as Spectacle

Eriksen's horrific injury, the tears of his partner and teammates, and the valiant efforts of the medical crew were all just part of the entertainment package for UEFA and the broadcasters.

CW: This article will contain some retelling of the events that occurred when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field in the EURO 2020 group stage game vs. Denmark. Please do not read any further if you do not want to relive those moments.

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Within seconds of Christian Eriksen collapsing in the 43rd minute of a UEFA EURO 2020 game vs. Denmark, every single person in the stadium and every single individual tuned into the game knew that this was very serious, even if they weren’t (and still aren’t) aware of the specific details.

The football was over. This was no longer about sport and entertainment. This was about a human being’s life.

The moment that this was realized, broadcasters should’ve cut to the studios — even empty ones. Rather, the likes of ESPN, BBC, and Univision all continued to relay images until UEFA called the match off, players walked into the tunnel, and Eriksen was stretchered off the field.

I don’t think I will ever forget the still look in Christian Eriksen’s eyes right after he fell to the ground in the 43rd minute vs. Denmark in UEFA EURO 2020. It cut right through to my soul and shook me to my very core. It traumatized me and millions of others.

That was the most we needed to see.

Instead, we witnessed it all: Eriksen’s partner bursting into tears as Danish players tried to console her; the players crying themselves; close-up pictures of fans in utter shock; the medical staff desperately performing CPR.

UEFA (who controlled the broadcast feed) made sure that we saw every single detail in high definition and absorbed every emotional body punch, and the broadcasters did nothing to change this.

We couldn’t turn away because we needed to know if he was alright.

Those in control took advantage of that.

They capitalized on real physical and emotional trauma like it was a part of some high-level, gripping TV drama. There was no line between the spectacle of sport and a human being possibly struggling for his life. It was one and the same to those who only needed to divert to a distant, unintelligible angle or press a button to take us somewhere else.

When they finally did, I burst into tears.

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I’m tired of people’s suffering constantly being put on display to goggle at like its mere fodder for entertainment.

I’m exhausted of athletes’ bodies being treated like they’re the property of everyone’s but their own.

I’m furious that Eriksen’s teammates had to form a wall in order to prevent prying eyes from eagerly obtaining glimpses of a tragic situation.

I’m fucking enraged that powerful decision-makers knowingly broadcasted trauma that would further traumatize so that ratings could spike.

We are in a sick, sick place in sport and this should be a moment of reckoning.