Opinion
CommentaryThe Manly rugby league “pride” jersey saga in Australia has again raised the spectre of virtue signalling in sport and demonstrated how it produces numerous inconsistencies and has unintended consequences.The seven players who objected to wearing the jerseys, and missed the match on Thursday night against the Sydney Roosters, are Polynesians and devout Christians and are being roundly criticized for their stance. However, it’s hard not to see a double standard in the treatment of AFLW player and practising Muslim Haneen Zreika, who declined to wear a pride jumper and cricketer and practising Muslim Fawad Ahmed, who declined to have a beer brand logo on his Australian shirt.When the Wallabies took to the field against England recently in Sydney, they sang the Australian National Anthem in the Indigenous language of the area, the Yugambeh language. However, this could be seen as an exclusion rather than an inclusion since there are over 300 Indigenous languages in Australia. As it turned out, the Wallabies lost the match convincingly. Surely the real objective in a sporting contest is to win and to do so by playing well and fairly?From the early 1970s, South African sporting teams were banned from international competitions for 20 years in protest of that country’s apartheid system. The problem with this was that South Africa during this period had the best cricket and rugby union teams in the world, with players denied the fundamental right to ply their trade based on merit and without discrimination based on their nationality, and spectators denied the joy of watching them. In effect, these players were penalized because of decisions made by their government, which of course, they had no control over.Lack of ConsistencyNow, while many may argue that the South African policy of apartheid was justification enough to exclude that country from the world’s sporting family. It should also be asked why Iran has not been banned from international sporting competitions for its support of international terrorism, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians, and its abhorrent treatment of women, since the revolution in 1979?The other problem with virtue signalling in sport is that it can backfire. The once-bastion of the old establishment, the All England Club, which in the 1980s had no issue with South Africans Kevin Curran and Johan Kriek playing on the hallowed grass courts at Wimbledon (indeed, Curran was a finalist in 1985 against Boris Becker), decided this year to ban Russian and Belarussian players from competing, which meant that the tournament was robbed of its number one male player, Daniil Medvedev.Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia to win the Men’s Singles final match of the 2021 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on Sept. 12, 2021. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Wimbledon is the only grand slam tournament that imposed the ban. In response, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) made the decision to strip the tournament of rankings points.This led to the perverse outcome that Novak Djokovic, the winner of the gentlemen’s singles, and runner-up Nick Kyrgios, actually slid down the rankings, rather than being rewarded.As the ATP stated at the time,“The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit and without discrimination is fundamental to our tour,” the ATP said.“The decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP ranking system.“Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the tour. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a tour that operates in more than 30 countries.”The WTA made a statement along similar lines: “Nearly 50 years ago, the WTA was founded on the fundamental principle that all players have an equal opportunity to compete based on merit and without discrimination. The WTA believes that individual athletes participating in an individual sport should not be penalized or prevented from competing solely because of their nationalities or the decisions made by the governments of their countries.”When that argument was made in support of South African sporting teams being allowed to compete in global tournaments, it was summarily dismissed.BacktrackingHowever, some sporting organizations are starting to backtrack on their virtue-signalling. In 2018, Formula 1 decided to ban the use of grid girls, who until then, paraded the pit lane and the starting grid and conducted promotional tasks. They used to wear clothes bearing the names of sponsors and accompany drivers to the podium.In an
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Jul 30, 2022-05:33Updated:Jul 30, 2022-05:36
Commentary
The Manly rugby league “pride” jersey saga in Australia has again raised the spectre of virtue signalling in sport and demonstrated how it produces numerous inconsistencies and has unintended consequences.
The seven players who objected to wearing the jerseys, and missed the match on Thursday night against the Sydney Roosters, are Polynesians and devout Christians and are being roundly criticized for their stance. However, it’s hard not to see a double standard in the treatment of AFLW player and practising Muslim Haneen Zreika, who declined to wear a pride jumper and cricketer and practising Muslim Fawad Ahmed, who declined to have a beer brand logo on his Australian shirt.
When the Wallabies took to the field against England recently in Sydney, they sang the Australian National Anthem in the Indigenous language of the area, the Yugambeh language. However, this could be seen as an exclusion rather than an inclusion since there are over 300 Indigenous languages in Australia. As it turned out, the Wallabies lost the match convincingly. Surely the real objective in a sporting contest is to win and to do so by playing well and fairly?
From the early 1970s, South African sporting teams were banned from international competitions for 20 years in protest of that country’s apartheid system. The problem with this was that South Africa during this period had the best cricket and rugby union teams in the world, with players denied the fundamental right to ply their trade based on merit and without discrimination based on their nationality, and spectators denied the joy of watching them. In effect, these players were penalized because of decisions made by their government, which of course, they had no control over.
Lack of Consistency
Now, while many may argue that the South African policy of apartheid was justification enough to exclude that country from the world’s sporting family. It should also be asked why Iran has not been banned from international sporting competitions for its support of international terrorism, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians, and its abhorrent treatment of women, since the revolution in 1979?
The other problem with virtue signalling in sport is that it can backfire. The once-bastion of the old establishment, the All England Club, which in the 1980s had no issue with South Africans Kevin Curran and Johan Kriek playing on the hallowed grass courts at Wimbledon (indeed, Curran was a finalist in 1985 against Boris Becker), decided this year to ban Russian and Belarussian players from competing, which meant that the tournament was robbed of its number one male player, Daniil Medvedev.
Wimbledon is the only grand slam tournament that imposed the ban. In response, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) made the decision to strip the tournament of rankings points.
This led to the perverse outcome that Novak Djokovic, the winner of the gentlemen’s singles, and runner-up Nick Kyrgios, actually slid down the rankings, rather than being rewarded.
As the ATP stated at the time,
“The ability for players of any nationality to enter tournaments based on merit and without discrimination is fundamental to our tour,” the ATP said.
“The decision by Wimbledon to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the UK this summer undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP ranking system.
“Our rules and agreements exist in order to protect the rights of players as a whole. Unilateral decisions of this nature, if unaddressed, set a damaging precedent for the rest of the tour. Discrimination by individual tournaments is simply not viable on a tour that operates in more than 30 countries.”
The WTA made a statement along similar lines: “Nearly 50 years ago, the WTA was founded on the fundamental principle that all players have an equal opportunity to compete based on merit and without discrimination. The WTA believes that individual athletes participating in an individual sport should not be penalized or prevented from competing solely because of their nationalities or the decisions made by the governments of their countries.”
When that argument was made in support of South African sporting teams being allowed to compete in global tournaments, it was summarily dismissed.
Backtracking
However, some sporting organizations are starting to backtrack on their virtue-signalling. In 2018, Formula 1 decided to ban the use of grid girls, who until then, paraded the pit lane and the starting grid and conducted promotional tasks. They used to wear clothes bearing the names of sponsors and accompany drivers to the podium.
In announcing the ban, the managing director of commercial operations at Formula One, Sean Bratches commented: “While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula One Grand Prix’s for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms.”
We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula One and its fans, old and new, across the world,” he added.
However, it now looks like the grid girls will return. They were present at the Monaco Grand Prix this year and others may well follow suit. Race organizers maybe realized that banning the grid girls was nothing but an unnecessary distraction from the actual race, and it actually did women a disservice by robbing them of work opportunities—many grid girls have gone on to have successful modelling careers.
As Katherine Deves, the Australian campaigner to Save Women’s Sports said, many people “do not want to get involved in these political movements and just want to play football.”
Surely we must now come to the realization that, when all is said and done, sport and politics just do not mix. Indeed, professional sport should be an escape from politics and partisan causes, not a vehicle to promote them.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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Rocco Loiacono is a senior lecturer at Curtin University Law School in Perth, Australia, and is a translator from Italian to English. His work on translation, linguistics, and law have been widely published in peer-reviewed journals.
FAQs
What is the relationship between sport and politics? ›
Politics and sports or sports diplomacy describes the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, social, and political relations. Sports diplomacy may transcend cultural differences and bring people together. The use of sports and politics has had both positive and negative implications over history.
How to deal with politics in sports? ›- Learn how to deal with difficult people. ...
- Be proactive and solve problems as they materialize. ...
- Choose your battles. ...
- Establish clear policies and procedures. ...
- Notify superiors and colleagues as needed. ...
- Be consistent.
When it comes to government, the municipal (city) government takes on the role of maintaining order in public areas of society. Because sports arenas and fields are such a large part of public society, it's the government's duty to ensure that they are managed in such a way that is safe for citizens.
What are two ways sport contributes to the development of diverse democracy? ›Answer: Sport enhances social and cultural life by bringing together individuals and communities. Sports can help to overcome difference and encourages dialogue, and thereby helps to break down prejudice, stereotypes, cultural differences, ignorance, intolerance and discrimination.
Can game theory be applied to politics? ›Game theory has revolutionized the study of politics, philosophy, economics, as well as evolutionary biology. It is also used by major investment houses, global consulting firms, and militaries worldwide to improve the effectiveness of their strategic decisions.
What is the game theory in politics? ›Game theory is essentially an approach to understanding collective decision-making. A classic “game” is the Prisoner's Dilemma. The scenario presented in the game resembles a typical Law and Order episode. Two suspects are taken into custody for a crime they allegedly committed together.
How do you stop letting politics bother you? ›- Limit Your Intake of News and Social Media. ...
- Maintain Your Routine and Engage in Healthy Activities. ...
- Practice Relaxation. ...
- Move Your Body. ...
- Recognize Your Limits. ...
- Engage in Healthy Communication and Seek Community. ...
- Acknowledge Feelings. ...
- Get Active.
In athletics, gender inequality and racial discrimination are two main social issues that affect females. One of the most vivid examples is the lower payment that is provided to female athletes in comparison to their male counterparts.
Is it good to have political competition against? ›Answers. Yes it is good to have political competition because elections are all about competition . If there is political competition many parties and candidates come up which ultimately give a wide range of options for the people to elect.
Does the government regulate sports? ›State and federal governments typically do not regulate the day-to-day operations of professional sports leagues in the United States. Rather, they give leagues wide latitude to regulate their activities internally and to set their own rules.
Do sports teams get money from government? ›
Most new or renovated professional sports stadiums are financed at least partly through stadium subsidies. While Frick may have been a catalyst, this change has been primarily caused by the increase in bargaining power of professional sports teams at the expense of their host cities.
Can a government own a sports team? ›It wouldn't work legally because the power of eminent domain — that is, the power of government to take someone's property and reimburse them for it at fair market value — would never allow for this kind of purchase.
Why do governments often sponsor and control sports? ›-One of its motives was to gain international recognition and respect- and to demonstrate its power. -Public schools and school districts use sports to promote their prestige. -Governments often use sports to promote identity and unity when constituents are diverse or when change is rapid and widespread in society.
Why is sports important to black culture? ›Organized sports have played an integral role in Black culture for centuries. They are often regarded as one of the first facets of modern American culture to normalize racial equality.
Why is racial diversity important in sports? ›Diversity in sport is important because it promotes creativity, unique perspectives, new opportunities and ultimately good sportsmanship. We know that's not all. Around the world we are living in a more diverse society, and sport must be representative of our society for us to have a bond with it.
What is the problem with game theory? ›The biggest issue with game theory is that, like most other economic models, it relies on the assumption that people are rational actors that are self-interested and utility-maximizing. Of course, we are social beings who do cooperate often at our own expense.
What are the disadvantages of game theory? ›The assumption that players have the knowledge about their own pay-offs and pay-offs of others is not practical. The techniques of solving games involving mixed strategies particularly in case of large pay-off matrix is very complicated.
Why is game theory not always accurate? ›Why might game theory not always be an accurate predictor of real-world situations? We do not always know the exact payoffs, since payoffs involve attitudes and feelings as well as monetary gains.
Is game theory used in military? ›The application of game theory in defence has a sustained and diversified history ranging from the design of real-time military systems (e.g, applied in missile interception) to the support of strategic decisions on large defence investments and acquisitions.
What are the three basics of game theory? ›Game theory forces one to consider the range of a rival's responses. Players: The decision makers in the game. Actions: Choices available to a player. Information: Knowledge that a player has when making a decision.
Who is the father of the game theory? ›
Lloyd S. Shapley. Nobel 2012 | The father of game theory: When is a game worth playing? It's one of Lloyd Shapley's quotes “A beautiful mind” that became the title of the famed book, and later film, about mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr.
What is the relationship between sport and society? ›The role of sport in socialisation
Socialisation is the way humans adjust to their culture (values, beliefs, heritage), the process by which they become participating members of society. Sport and physical education in schools is an important vehicle for transmitting the values of wider society.
Politics shapes the social, economic, and environmental conditions that, in turn, shape the health of populations. From monetary policy, to pollution control, to the appointment of judges who decide the great civil rights cases of our time, politics is integral to the safety and well-being of many millions.
What is the relation between politics and science? ›Science is part of the political process. Politics is often defined as the competition for the allocation of scarce resources. Recent budget constraints and priorities suggest funding increases for science could become scarce. Yet, the federal research and development budget has grown to $132 billion.
How does public relations relate to sports? ›As the name suggests, sports PR simply described public relations for sports teams and individual players. In other words, it's about building media relationships with sports journalists, and getting publicity for athletes through earned media channels, both online and offline.
How does social status affect sports? ›For example, the upper class is more inclined to play non-contact sports such as golf or tennis, while the middle and lower classes tend to play sports that focus on teamwork, toughness and risk-taking such as football or boxing. These rougher sports are called prole sports. Some sports are also associated with wealth.
Do sports influence society? ›Integrity & morality are the lessons which one learn by incorporating sports in life. Sports teaches many important values which can reshape the foundation of human society. By participating in sports, one learn that there are no barriers in terms of social, political and ethnic aspects.
Why do nurses avoid politics? ›Lack of awareness, inadequate skills, and little opportunity for involvement are just a few factors. Another barrier is the limited formal health care policy education in nursing. Time and resources are further obstacles to the nursing profession's participation in politics.
Does politics play a role in mental health? ›The constant exposure to political stress has been associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression and poor lifestyle choices, as well as deterioration in general medical health.
How does politics affect your mental health? ›The Impact of Politics on Well-Being
More than 25 percent felt depressed when their candidate lost an election. 1 in 5 had lost sleep over politics. 20 percent reported feeling fatigued because of political news. 29 percent reported losing their temper over politics.
Who said politics is not a science? ›
Quote by Hans J. Morgenthau: “Politics is an art and not a science, and what ...”
Why politics is harder than physics? ›However, physics often has a concrete answer while politics doesn't. Politics is such a difficult concept because it involves human beings who are more often than not bias and irrational. Politics, being a contested concept, has a wide range of definitions. There is no simple answer to the question what is politics.
Who said political science is not a science? ›Answer and Explanation: It was psychologist Philip E. Tetlock, in the 1980s, who claimed that political science isn't a science after he found that political scientists were not able to forecast the future accurately than chimps randomly throwing darts at multiple outcomes.