In our recent Op-Ed piece that appeared in the International Business Times (December 12, 2022), we stated:
“You cannot keep politics out of sport, not on the world stage, not when it involves basic human rights, and certainly not when the governing bodies of those sports have their hands so deeply in governments’ pockets.”
We were referring to #FIFA and the attempt of the organization to remove human rights issues from the #WorldCup and from the country of #Qatar.
As a sports ethics keynote speaker and sports ethics consultant, I was surprised by some of the feedback the piece received from a few fans who longed for what they considered the Golden Age of Sports. I pressed the issue in the same open way we need to discuss all of the ethical issues. In this era of generalized mean-spiritedness, we cannot win points by out-shouting one another but by putting forth ethical arguments that can sway unreasonable opinions.
So, I asked what they meant by the “Golden Age?”
You know, said some, “before #politics, political correctness, #BLM, #LGBTQ+ decals on helmets and all that stuff.”
Our belief is that sports are the ideal forum for addressing societal issues. Further, that these discussions are nothing new and that the world has been better for it. How far back do I go in highlighting these discussions? For make no mistake; the Vietnam era, the Cold War era, the WWII-era, the pre-WWII era and on back, were always ripe ground for the examination of societal issues.
Loving sports history as we do, can we separate what happened at the Olympics in October 1968 (the raised fists of Tommie Smith and John Carlos) with Colin Kaeparnick taking a knee in August 2016? How about Ralph Branca (who was Jewish) and a few sports writers standing with Jackie Robinson in 1947? Somehow, Track & Field, Football and Baseball all managed to survive the dissent.
Sports have called out domestic violence as never before (do those celebrating the imagined Golden Age refuse to acknowledge the images — and aftermath of Ray Rice in the elevator?), sports is dealing with gender issues and clearly, #alcoholism, #drugabuse, and #mentalhealth have all been discussed as part of the larger context of sports.
On the other hand, we have seen scant support for those issues as part of a national debate.
Back to Qatar
Neither FIFA nor the country of Qatar is strong enough to stop public opinion and social media. Sports Ethics celebrates healthy dissent. If Qatar can’t stand the heat of public opinion, they should have never paid to play in the FIFA kitchen. Of FIFA, I am afraid they will take a stance whichever way the next wind blows. They will sniff the scent of money on that wind and act accordingly.
Do not mourn for Qatar, for they could make as much as $5.5 billion from the World Cup. They damn well know it too. And FIFA will get their share at the trough as will the winning teams and networks; sponsors and governments.
The Golden Age and the Golden Goose never truly existed. FIFA is foolhardy to discount the sentiment of the times and, upon reflection, they should be ashamed of trying to stop it.
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