Agricultural workers’ unions in North America have been denouncing for years what have come to be known as “heat bombs.” The phenomenon now gains visibility thanks to the glamor of soccer.

Soccer (or football as it is called in most countries where it is played) used to be a sport, but it has been commodified to the point of being turned into a contemporary version of the Roman Circus, with numerous Colosseums located throughout the world. The players are, of course, the new gladiators, facing off on the green field in front of supposed fans who, swept up in a delirious fever, scream and shout calling for the destruction of their erstwhile rival, now turned enemy.

These athletes are subjected to training regimes that are almost physically and emotionally inhuman. Elite players at least have the consolation of being paid often astronomic salaries. But they represent a mere 0.01 percent of the world’s footballers, who, in the best of cases, earn the same as a skilled worker.

This study’s findings, which have circulated around the world and been picked up by most media outlets, reminds us that the real drama unfolds every day in the agricultural fields of North America and other regions, where temperatures are rising more and more as a result of climate change. A few months ago, this very page reported on that very issue.

The National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) estimates that in the United States this sector employs some 2.9 million workers.

That figure is admittedly partial, as among the immigrants disparagingly known as “wetbacks” there is a large number of undocumented workers who do not fall under any radar.

This category of workers is especially vulnerable due to their almost complete lack of legal protection and the fear felt by many of these workers, which leads them to refrain from demanding their rights so as not to risk losing their jobs. The strenuous hours they work under extreme temperatures pose a serious risk to their health, with climate change increasing that risk exponentially.

“In the countries of South America, the estimated number of heat-related deaths has increased, on average, by 160 percent in the 2017–2021 period compared to the 2000–2004 period,” Peruvian doctor Stella M. Hartinger said during the presentation of the 2022 South America report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change.

“The adverse health effects of climate change are accelerating and disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations in South America, a trend that will only continue if prompt action is not taken,” warned the director of this project conducted by 21 institutions and signed by 28 researchers who gathered information in 12 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Suriname).

The South American countries that have seen the greatest rise in this heat-related deaths indicator as compared to the year 2000 are Ecuador (1,477 percent), Guyana (328 percent), and Chile (225 percent). This also has limiting effects on labor productivity. Working in the heat has become so impossible that potential income losses associated with this heat-related drop in labor productivity amounted to 22 million dollars in 2021 alone.

A recent report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that nearly 2.4 billion workers, representing more than 70 percent of the global workforce, could be exposed to excessive heat in the workplace. “But—the report asks—what is the real impact of heat stress on our health? And how can we make our workplaces safer in the face of this challenge?”

This daily agricultural labor massacre happens with no circus, no television broadcast, and no hysterical spectators. It happens in crops around the world where hope for a better future, but above all need and hunger, push thousands of human beings to endure the harshest working conditions in order to put food on the table for their families.

Today’s elite footballers, who have become media workers, may perhaps be able to mitigate their sacrifice. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is the new Cesar, and it will surely not want to kill its goose of the golden eggs with pitiful images of athletes suffering, falling ill, or worse broadcast live across the planet.

It is our task and responsibility to support and sustain the struggle of rural workers so that they too can gain respect and care for their physical wellbeing, so we can all scream “GOOOOL!!!!!” in celebration of a genuine score