by MARIA ABI-HABIB
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan—In the slums of Brazil, poor children dream of making it big by learning to kick a soccer ball. In the shanty towns of Afghanistan, it’s all about tossing a dead goat.
Over the past several years, the ancient sport of buzkashi—Dari for “goat grabbing”—has turned into a big business in northern Afghanistan. Instead of sporting-goods manufacturers, sponsors usually are rival warlords who bet on their favorite goat grabbers.
The buzkashi stars get a monthly wage, receive cars as gifts for a stellar performance and save enough money to afford a second or even third wife, the ultimate status symbol here.
“I used to practice buzkashi on donkeys, now I drive a Lexus!” said 33-year-old champion Jahaan Geer from his saddle covered in bright hand-woven carpets.
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