Hate the Game, not the Players: Sports Were Political Before Athletes
Photo Courtesy: Times Higher Education
The world holds its breath every four years. No, not for the US presidential elections, but similarly enough, this year’s Fifa World Cup tournament has been a political minefield.
From outcry over human rights abuses in the construction of stadium infrastructure to rumours of bribery among Fifa officials that selected Qatar as host country, attention was as much turned off-field as on-field. Just when it feels like things can’t get more heated, the captains of seven European teams revealed plans to wear rainbow OneLove armbands while playing, symbolically promoting the LGBTQ+ rights that Qatar has outlawed — at least, until the threat of sporting sanctions made them reconsider. Germany’s players posed with their hands over their mouth in response, boldly framing Fifa’s warning as a clampdown. The Iranian team also weaponized silence when they refused to sing the Islamic Republic anthem, in support of the anti-regime protests happening back home.
Each incendiary act of defiance was met with equal parts jeer and cheer from the stands. Still, these opposing responses beg the question: what place do politics have in sports?
The cultural debate on whether athletes should ‘stick to sports’ is relatively recent. Perhaps an unspoken rule in sporting events is the separation of church and state, where we come for the raw drama and suspense and nothing more. Surely spectators were let down, having expected an escape from reality only to confront it head-on during their downtime.
Meanwhile, there is the argument that sports, like most things, are politics. Fans don’t tune in just to see the artistry in kicking a ball into a goal; they root for a shared cause in the search for belonging. Seek a pub with a working TV on game night, and you shall find a huddle of inebriated patrons blinking reverently at a screen. They’re bonded for the next 90 minutes, reacting in unison as if directed by some invisible conductor. Some may even be planning their pilgrimage to a football stadium. Call it what you want: tribalism, nationalism, patriotism. Footy fans engage in a new brand of religious zeal.
With high enough stakes, sports become a lethal political instrument. It’s hard to maintain that a game is simply a show of athleticism and that winning is just whoever scores the most when countries call national holidays over their wins, fights break out as historical foes face off, hateful slurs are hurled when teams start to lose, foreign ambassadors are moved to anger by football commentary, and investors dish out billions to own football clubs. A perfect storm of competition and identity politics, sports are indeed just a game — there is so much to win and lose for everyone involved.
While emotions run high, so do profits.
Surrounding stadium pitches are flashy multimillion-dollar adverts. Companies, keen to amass social capital, rush to sponsor these highly-watched events. The hope is that by aligning themselves with popular teams and players, captivated audiences will find the brand more palatable. Take Paris Saint-Germain F.C.'s jerseys, for example; those wearing the shirt are, in essence, mobile billboards for Qatar Airways whose logo is splashed across the back. With brand loyalty being so easily bought, it’s not an exaggeration to say that all matches are laced with political undertones which pro-LGBTQ+ armbands seem trivial in comparison to.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s imperative to note that ping-pong diplomacy was the breakthrough that thawed Sino-US relations during the Cold War. Victories made by Soviet sports teams were feared as the encroachment of communist ideology. The FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event globally, surpassing even the Olympics in viewership. Perhaps sports were never meant to have political relevance. Yet, the reality is that sports possess immense potential as tools of soft power.
Sports thrive on political influence — that much is clear. But is this necessarily a bad thing? As internet echo chambers amplify hostility in the modern age, partisanship and group identities are stronger than ever. While people struggle to find where they belong, competitive sports and politics — together — offer clear-cut teams to root for. It may be that some followers never stray from mob mentality, for better or for worse. But at least one thing is for certain:
Sports aren’t apolitical — they never have been.