Nick Bendel
The ugly face of sport
December 8th 2008 10:34
The first was the decision by England’s cricketers to fly back into India, after their tour had been postponed in the wake of the Mumbai Massacre. This was as inspiring as it was surprising, because when the team left the country immediately following the terrorist attack, it seemed highly unlikely that it would return any time soon. In recent years, as bombs have exploded with dismaying regularity on the subcontinent, and security consultants have composed ominous reports, a mentality has taken hold amongst western cricketers. That mentality dictates that at the first sign of trouble, they either flee the danger zone, or adamantly refuse to enter it. It was this mentality that led to Australia refusing to play a test series in Pakistan earlier this year, as well as the refusal of Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa to participate in the Champions Trophy that was scheduled for September.
For the English to insist that the show must go on was therefore an example of great moral strength. When your every instinct tells you to stay away, when your family pleads with you to remain at home, it takes a firm mind and a stout heart to disregard those voices. Their display of courage and principle will be received with gratitude by the Indians, who would have been devastated by the tragedy they have suffered, and sick of heart at the thought that those responsible would have been able to disrupt their way of life. With the Indian media full of talk of killing and war and revenge, this will provide the timeliest injection of light into a country beset by darkness. Now, thanks to a bunch of cricketers, hope and joy and excitement will return to people’s lives. Is there anything other than sport that could possibly have such a profound effect?
While those Englishmen have been showing their strength of character, Ricky Stuart has done nothing but besmirch his reputation and that of the Kangaroos. There may, perhaps, be extenuating circumstances when somebody acts emotionally in the heat of the moment, but to launch an abusive tirade at the referee who supposedly “cost us the World Cup” the day after the match- and in a public place- is a premeditated act of such crassness as to be inexcusable. If Stuart was merely making an ass of himself that would be one thing; however, by behaving in such an unsportsmanlike manner and stubbornly refusing to issue a public apology to Ashley Klein, he has tarnished the image of the Australian rugby league team. Thanks to Stuart, the Kangaroos will now be considered sore losers. His belated resignation does nothing to change that.
Yet there is an even bigger picture in all of this. In recent years, an astonishing level of disrespect has been allowed to appear in a great many sports throughout the world. One does not need to be sentimental or naïve to believe that the athletes and fans of today regard competition far more cynically than did their forebears. While drugs and cheating and gamesmanship and thuggery have been around for decades, the ultra-competitive attitude that goes hand in hand with professionalism is a more contemporary phenomenon.
This win at all costs approach takes many forms. It can be seen in the way that officials are regularly sworn at by sportsmen. It can be seen in the way that referees are regularly blamed for defeats. It can be seen in the way that athletes are regularly abused by spectators. It can be seen in the way that ineffectual players and coaches are regularly jeered by their own supporters. It can be seen in the way that rivals are regularly baited through the media. And this vitriol creates a vicious cycle, in which greater pressure is heaped on all parties to be successful, in which fiercer criticism is dished out when it’s not, and in which even greater pressure is subsequently heaped on all parties to be successful.
Sport is at its best when it emphasises our nobler emotions. When people train hard in pursuit of a goal, when they compete fiercely but fairly in order to accomplish it, and when they pay honour to those opponents who are doing the same, they capture our attention and stir our spirit. They perform deeds that are simultaneously dramatic and rousing and honourable, deeds that make us want to be like them. When the English and Indians meet for their tests, they will surely be played in a far better atmosphere than the recent series between the Australians and Indians (and in a far better atmosphere than last year’s series between England and India), because now everybody truly understands what the point of the exercise is. Sadly, it will have taken a massacre to demonstrate that the win at all costs approach creates only losers.
When the two teams take to the field, it is highly unlikely to mark the beginning of five days of ceaseless name-calling, as we have come to expect of test cricket. When the losers front up for their post-match press conferences, it is highly unlikely that they will whinge about umpiring decisions, and threaten to fly out of the country. When a cricketer earns the disfavour of the crowd, it is highly unlikely that he will be subjected to irrational abuse, as is currently the norm. And everybody- player, umpire and spectator- will be the better for it. Sport will not simply be captivating people, it will be ennobling them too.
True, when the Ricky Stuarts of this world carry on like they do, we can’t help but watch. After all, their actions are dramatic and enthralling. But ennobling they are not. There is no higher purpose served by such disrespectful conduct, so if it initially titillates, in the long term it can only be repellent.
Thanks to a brave decision by a cricket team and a belated resignation by a rugby league coach, a mirror has been held up to sport. Beauty has been revealed, and ugliness has been revealed. What has been clearly shown is that if people are reasonable enough to accept that the essence of sport is not the winning but the competing, it can inspire in a way that few other things can.
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