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HISTORY
The Cuban Missile Crisis Started Over A Game Of Soccer
The popular sport almost caused a nuclear war.
After gaining power in the Caribbean island nation of Cuba in 1959, Fidel Castro decided to align his country with the Soviet Union.
Under his leadership, Cuba worked closely with the USSR on military and economic initiatives to further their countries’ strategic goals. However, this decision would quickly lead to one of the most frightening moments of human history.
The U.S.A. and the Soviet Union were engaged in a cold war. So when a C.I.A. consultant noticed multiple soccer fields along Cuba’s coast in September 1962, he quickly became worried. “Cubans play baseball, Russians play soccer,” he said.
Therefore, the C.I.A. consultant suggested the potential existence of a nearby Soviet military camp in Cuba, just a short distance from American shores. At the time, it was a terrifying prospect.
The fact that nuclear-armed missiles were being deployed close to the U.S. mainland (approximately 90 miles southeast of Florida) made the situation critical for American officials. The missiles could easily hit targets, such as major cities, in the eastern United States from that launch point. Thus, if allowed to become operational, the warheads…
