A few months ago this writer held a door open for a female. The woman in question then queried why I would do such a thing, my response was I was brought up to always open the door for a lady. What followed was a diatribe about me being sexist and in language that proved I had misjudged her, she was certainly no lady.
Was I wrong to open the door? In my mind then and still it is good manners to open the door for a female, and also those who are older than you, and I will continue to do so, out of courtesy and respect, nothing more nothing less.
What has this to do with sport?
As anyone who follows sport knows this sphere of our lives has now shifted greatly from being simply a sporting contest, where one hopes both opponents will play hard, show passion but at the end respect each other. Although sometimes depending on the way events have gone that respect can be eroded.
Today these matches are used for political messaging.
The woman in question did not like me opening the door for her, but did that mean my actions were wrong? Did it in fact mean her comments were wrong? No, she was entitled to her views the only thing she may have considered is how she expressed them, and realise that this was not in anyway intended to be a gesture that undermined women.
Some of the issues that sports people are asked to support by their employers and by the Leagues in which they play definitely jar with some players.
One, whether we like it or not is the Pride round, where the sport and the teams participating are supposed to be letting us all know that they support the LGBGTQI+ community.
What is sad about this is how many sports fail to realise that many of them already support this community, that they are already inclusive and that such chest-beating is in fact unnecessary. Most people who play a team sport could not care less about the sexuality of their team mate. All they care about is whether they can play, it may not even matter if they get on with them, it comes down to whether they contribute to the team or not.
In the past we know that many homosexuals felt that they could not be themselves in such a sporting environment, but hopefully that has changed a great deal in the past 30 years. Although one can understand their fear as to how some may react.
The Pride round which is planned in the A-League for the first weekend of March sees clubs being told that they must adopt certain behaviours, and it is believed teams will wear shirts with the numbers in the colours of the rainbow.
First up at a time when the A-League is losing money hand over fist, is this really a prudent move to force clubs, some of which are awaiting new owners, and are trying to stem the flow of financial outgoings, to purchase a new kit for one match? Is this not being irresponsible? Maybe it is a true reflection of the management of the A-League.
Then there is the issue of some players who possibly because of religious beliefs or even their own personal beliefs have an issue with accepting homosexuality; and there are some. These individuals have allegedly been told that they have no choice but to support this messaging and must wear the shirts provided.
What is the messaging in that? No doubt we will be told that this sport and many others are all about equality. Yet to be equal you have to respect other sections of the community and their beliefs.
It is believed that at some clubs players are considering not playing on the weekend of March 8-10 if forced to wear this shirt and support this messaging. Of course this is not the sort of news that the A-League or the clubs concerned will want to be out there, as it could effect funding received for having such a round in the first place. This is why money should never be attached to such issues. If you are to support them it has to be genuine.
If these players do opt to not play, their absence could have an impact on the team’s performance. With finals not that far away it could have an impact on whether their team makes the finals or not in 2024. If you asked their coaches whether these players were good team players, most would undoubtedly say that they were. So this is not about them being selfish. It is about them having the strength to stand up for what they believe in, and not compomise those beliefs. Whether we agree with them or not, it is important that as a society we respect them.
As sport is now so much more about entertainment than the contest, there will no doubt be fans who feel that they are being ripped-off because these key players are absent. It would be like going to a West End show and having the understudy play the key role instead of the advertised star. These fans may also be upset should the team lose because these players are not available; again this is understandable. Hopefully they can understand why the players have taken the stand that they have. Hopefully they will pause for a second and put themselves in that player’s position, and then maybe they will understand the courage and strength it takes to not simply go with the flow.
These situations can be managed. We witnessed this with the South African Cricket team when Hashim Amla was in the side, they were sponsored by Castle Lager, the sponsor and the management understood that Amla was a devout Muslim, and therefore did not drink alcohol and that it would not be right for him to promote alcohol. So he was permitted to wear a shirt without the sponsor’s logo.
In 2022 we saw the Australian cricket team huddled together in front of the sponsors logos after being presented with the trophy for winning the Ashes series against England. As some players pulled out Champagne bottles to spray in celebration, Usman Khwaja, also a muslim, understandably left the podium. When his team mates realised that he had left and the reason why, they stopped spraying the alcohol, hid the bottles and called him back to be a part of the celebrations.
Are not these actions more powerful and meaningful than the virtue signalling that the sporting world is so keen on promoting? These are real situations in which respect for the beliefs of a team mate are clear for all to see. That in itself is a powerful message.
If we want true sporting heroes we have to accept that they come in all shapes and sizes, from different countries, backgrounds and religions. They do not have to be packaged as to what a marketing person perceives as being best for the image of their club or game.
Is it not time therefore, if we have to endure such weekends where the focus shifts onto one section of the community in which we all live, it is left to the individual as to whether they wish to show their support rather than being forced to promote it, which then makes them and the messaging disingenuous?
At the end of the day no individual in their workplace or at any time should be forced to be a messenger for something that they do not believe in.
