I wish that I didn’t have to choose between critical news coverage of a war that is still going on in my family’s home country and a soccer tournament that happens once every four years. Unfortunately, our world prioritizes soccer over a war that is inflicting unimaginable pain on innocent Ukrainian citizens.

When I search “Ukraine war,” the first thing that pops up is a CNN link with live updates. These live updates remind me that this war, incited by Vladimir Putin, is still ongoing, and seems like a never-ending nightmare to my mother, grandparents and the citizens of Ukraine and Russia. For a while, I forgot about the events unfolding in Ukraine, or I chose not to look at the updates given by many media outlets.

Currently, the Biden administration is authorizing sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine, to aid their defensive methods against Russia. This is a beacon of hope for Ukraine, but the Russian government would view a Patriot missile as “provocative,” symbolizing rebellion against Putin’s regime and infuriating him more.

Everything is being destroyed in front of Ukrainian citizens’ eyes, but where is the social awareness of the Ukrainian war right now? It seems that every attempt given by outside nations to assist Ukraine will just result in another attack from Russia. I had no idea how awful the war was because it seems like the media doesn’t care anymore. They’ve moved onto more glamorous, exciting events like the 2022 World Cup.

I think people should take a second to reflect on the gravity of the Ukrainian crisis. Imagine what it would be like if the United States were under constant threat of fire. Would they still be turning on the FIFA World Cup, or would they be watching the news in fear of their lives?

The FIFA World Cup began on Nov. 20, 2022, and Russian military troops invaded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, from the Belarus border on Feb. 24, 2022. This “full-scale invasion” occurred almost nine months prior to the start of the World Cup, but the war is still not over, and we should remember that.

I’ll admit that I’m a soccer enthusiast, and I love watching the team I’m rooting for progress throughout the World Cup. It’s an exciting time, and it’s a good distraction from schoolwork and projects. I do appreciate and recognize the amount of time the teams spent training for this moment. Yet, when I’m watching the World Cup, I feel guilty.

The 2022 World Cup is projected to be the most viewed sports event internationally, garnering almost five billion viewers throughout the span of the tournament, and even more for the final game between France and Argentina on Dec. 18. Five billion people is almost the entire world population. That is barbaric. Imagine fitting all five billion of those viewers into one room. Then imagine, instead of watching the World Cup finals, people could be watching bombs land in front of Ukrainian homes with terrified children inside of them. It’s a grueling thought, comparing such a lively, energized event with an ongoing war that leaves an unsettling feeling in your stomach.

This is the reality that crosses my mind all the time now. I’m stuck between my mother refusing to watch the news because her childhood home is being burned to the ground and my father turning on the World Cup in his free time to scream at players that cannot hear him.

Notice how Russia is front and center in a FIFA corruption scandal. I think that Russian officials’ involvement in the corruption scandal is reason enough to view them as a problematic country. And now, there is a war that has Vladimir Putin in the center of it as the catalyst.

It’s unfair that the World Cup is receiving so many viewers when there are so many compelling reasons not to watch the World Cup in Qatar. First of all, the corruption allegations that surfaced in 2015 regarding bribes that secured Russia and Qatar’s bid to host the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups. Not to mention the strict LGBTQ+ laws in place, which ban fans and players from wearing rainbow clothing and accessories. Also, it is believed that thousands of migrant workers died while building the multibillion dollar stadiums in Qatar.

There are moments when a small act of social defiance reminds the world that bad things are still happening while a smokescreen event like the World Cup is in progress. During the Portugal vs. Uruguay soccer match on Nov. 29, a man ran onto the field wearing a shirt that said, “Save Ukraine” on the front and “Respect for Iranian Women” on the back, while waving a rainbow flag. This action quickly reached every media platform, with the man, Mario Ferri, defending his actions saying, “breaking the rules for a good cause is never a crime.”

You cannot ignore the issues going on in the world because they make you uncomfortable. Watching the injustices occurring in Ukraine fuel my anger, and these injustices inflicted on innocent people should be more publicized.

Giving recognition to Ukrainian refugees who don’t have a place to live anymore is a small way I can use my journalistic platform. By writing this article, I’m refocusing even a small amount of attention to the Ukraine crisis.

I will be fighting for the end of the war. The World Cup will end on Dec. 18, 2022, but when will the Ukraine War end?