The Real Game 7

LIVE FROM HISTORY STADIUM: USA vs. The Middle East — The Rivalry That Never Ends

By Candace Goodman, Play-by-Play Historian for The Good Blog

“We’re live, folks! Broadcasting from the smoke-stained sands of time and the marble halls of power, it’s the ultimate grudge match: the United States vs. The Middle East. This isn’t just politics—it’s prime-time, legacy-building, oil-dripping, arms-dealing, power-hoarding theater. And you’ve got a front-row seat.”

Welcome to the never-ending war disguised as diplomacy, freedom, and national interest. I’m your announcer, Candace Goodman, and tonight we break down what might be the longest-running rigged game in human history.

Strap in, because this isn’t just about missiles and oil. This is about control, money, manipulation—and the lives crushed beneath the scoreboard. 

STARTING LINEUPS (Rebroadcast for Newcomers):

Team USA:

USA (Captain) – Brings the muscle and the money. Built the largest military in the world (2024 budget: $886 billion). Known for drone strikes, regime changes, and halftime shows that distract from the body count.

United Kingdom – Wrote the original playbook on colonialism. Still shows up to practice.

Israel – Key regional player, heavily funded by the US ($3.8 billion in annual military aid). Always on offense.

NATO (rotating cast) – Europe’s reluctant defensive squad. Sometimes plays, sometimes watches.

Saudi Arabia – Frenemy MVP. Buys weapons from the U.S., sells oil, and helps keep the locker room spicy.

Coach: Zbigniew Brzezinski
AKA “The Architect.” Cold War strategist, mastermind behind the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. Once said: "What is more important to the history of the world? A few stirred-up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe?" Enough said.

 
Team Middle East:

Iran (Captain) – Master of the long game. Thinks 30 years ahead while the West plays checkers. Has more proxies than Marvel has superheroes.

Syria – The wild card. A walking civil war.
Palestinian Territories – Perpetual underdog, caught in a match without referees or rules.

Iraq – Former strongman-turned-rebuild project. Now a field where other teams scrimmage.

Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan – The forgotten benchwarmers... until the bombs drop.

Coach: The Sykes-Picot Agreement
Two European men in 1916 who sliced up the Ottoman Empire like a Friday night pizza. Their lines on the map still fuel modern wars. Ghost coaching at its finest. 

GAME HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS — “From Friendly Fire to Forever War”

1948: THE TIP-OFF
“Israel takes the court!”
The U.S. recognizes Israel within minutes of its declaration. Arab nations scream foul. The court is split down the middle—holy land turned battleground. Thousands killed. Millions displaced. First quarter: chaos.

1953: THE DOUBLE-CROSS PLAY
“CIA goes behind the ref’s back!”
The U.S. and U.K. overthrow Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mossadegh. Why? He nationalized the oil fields. BP wanted them back. Result? The Shah returns, freedom flees. Iran remembers. Oh, they remember.

1979: THE TURNOVER
“Iran storms the court!”
The Shah is overthrown. Theocracy takes over. U.S. embassy seized. 52 hostages held for 444 days. U.S. responds with sanctions and snubs. The rivalry deepens. Blood runs hot.

1990-91: THE BLOWOUT
“USA opens up a can in Kuwait!”
Saddam invades Kuwait. U.S. sends 500,000 troops. Desert Storm begins. 100 hours of ground war. 25,000 Iraqi soldiers dead. George H.W. Bush’s approval rating hits 89%. MVP of the year? American oil companies and defense contractors.

2001: THE 9/11 GAMBLE
“Middle East hits hard!”
Al-Qaeda hijacks planes, changes the game forever. 2,977 dead in the U.S. The War on Terror begins. Afghanistan invaded. Iraq soon follows.
Civilian death toll in Iraq & Afghanistan since 2001? Over 900,000.
Cost to U.S. taxpayers? More than $8 trillion and counting.

2003: THE FAKE-OUT
“Weapons of Mass Distraction!”
The U.S. invades Iraq over WMDs that never existed. Saddam executed. Power vacuum left behind. ISIS fills it.
Who wins?

• Halliburton: $39.5 billion in defense contracts.
• Lockheed Martin: Profits double.
• American media: Ratings skyrocket.
• Regular citizens: Distracted from passing bills like the Patriot Act, the Genius Act, and surveillance expansions that give Big Brother a courtside seat.

  

2011–NOW: THE INFINITE OVERTIME
Arab Spring. Syrian Civil War. Proxy wars in Yemen. ISIS. Turkish incursions. Iranian nuclear drama. U.S. embassies attacked. Drones fly like pigeons.
The scoreboard is digital now. Cyber warfare. Sanctions. Propaganda. Nobody’s winning—but the game rages on.

  WHY DO THEY KEEP FIGHTING? — "The Unofficial Scoreboard"

 Oil is the Ball. Power is the Goal. People are the Collateral.

1. Oil & Gas Profits
The Middle East holds 48% of the world’s oil reserves. Control equals cash. Wars spike oil prices. Energy companies rake it in.
ExxonMobil, Chevron, Aramco—trillions in profits over the past two decades.

2. Weapons Industry Windfalls
Every “conflict” triggers arms deals. The U.S. is the world’s largest arms dealer—$55 billion sold globally in 2023.
Saudi Arabia alone spent $100B+ on American-made weapons since 2010.

3. Political MVPs

• George W. Bush: Approval jumped 35 points post-9/11.
• Obama: Won a Nobel Peace Prize, then ordered more drone strikes than Bush.
• Netanyahu: Survived scandal after scandal by stoking fear of Iran.
• Putin (honorary): Played both sides, sold weapons to both teams, and still walks the sideline smirking.

4. Distraction Playbook

While the world watches missiles on the screen, back home:

• Tax breaks for billionaires pass.
• Police militarization increases.
• Bills like the Genius Act—which claims to support STEM but funnels public funds into surveillance-tech startups—fly under the radar.
• Corporate lobbying and wealth transfers skyrocket.

5. The Fame Game
For small regimes, picking a fight with the U.S. is like challenging Ali. You might get knocked out—but your name’s on the marquee. You become a player.

 
FINAL BUZZER THOUGHTS: IS THIS WAR STILL A GAME?

If this was a real sport, there’d be a commissioner, a rulebook, maybe even an off-season.

But this isn’t a game. It’s a script.

A long, dusty script written by empires, oil barons, arms dealers, and think tanks.

The players change. The jerseys change. The stadium burns. But the game—oh, the game—keeps going.

Ask yourself:

• Who really wins?
• Why are children born into a world where war in the Middle East is considered "normal"?
• What if peace doesn’t profit anyone in power?

Until we stop cheering for teams and start questioning the league, the bombs will keep falling—and the MVPs will keep cashing checks.

This is Candace Goodman, signing off from the front row of history, reminding you: the most dangerous game is the one you don’t even know you’re watching.