Can sport survive the culture wars?
Partners:
From Jesse Owens defying Hitler at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin to Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving a ‘black power’ salute at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, politics has long mixed with sport. In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick caused widespread controversy by taking a knee during the national anthem in protest at police brutality and social injustice against minorities. Former President Donald Trump declared that those who refuse to stand for the national anthem are ‘sons of bitches’ who should be fired from the team.
Taking the knee has now become a regular feature of English football. Fans are divided. Some think it is an important way to call out racism, while others boo. For some, kneeling is a submissive gesture which they want no part of. Does taking the knee follow in the rebellious tradition of Smith and Carlos, or is it just rich multi-millionaire sportsmen virtue signalling to their working-class fans? Should the fans be able to boo the players if they wish?
There are myriad other ways in which sport and politics are mixing today. Marcus Rashford has received plaudits for his ‘meal a day’ campaign for all school pupils, and has forced the government into two U-turns over free school meals. Rashford is now known for his social campaigning as much as his footballing prowess.
While Rashford is acclaimed, England cricketer Ollie Robinson was suspended from England’s team against New Zealand after racist and sexist tweets emerged at the start of his test debut. Robinson posted these tweets in 2012 at the age of 18. He was fined and handed an eight-game suspension. Should Robinson have been cancelled, if temporarily, for something he did as a teenager? The case of Marc Bola, who plays football for Middlesbrough and has been charged with misconduct over tweets he posted when he was 14, seems even more extreme.
Another area of controversy has been around mental health. Earlier this year at the French Open tennis tournament, Naomi Osaka boycotted the media, and subsequently withdrew from the event citing mental-health concerns. US gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from several events at the Tokyo Olympics saying: ‘I have to focus on my mental health.’ Should these elite sportswomen be praised for putting their mental health first, or does it undermine the winning mentality of sport?
Is sport in danger of being consumed by these wider cultural issues or is it part of a healthy cleansing process? Is the praise heaped upon Biles and Osaka a sign that sport needs to change to put athletes wellbeing first?
