Back in the days when sport was something more than just a gigantic entertainment industry, Dutch historian John Huizinga published the book \u201cHomo Ludens. A Study of the Play-Element of Culture,\u201d in which he stressed that play and rivalry within communities are essential for creation and sustaining of culture. He also coined the term \u201cmagic circle\u201d to describe the space in which the everyday rules are suspended in favor of a temporary reality, where a new order and a set of clear rules are established, e.g. during a play or a sporting event. The way Huizinga understood it, in such instances people act like they are under a spell. In contrast, those who act against the accepted rules might be called \u201cspoilsports\u201d as they break the spell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[\u2026] the spoil-sport shatters the play-world itself. By withdrawing from the game he reveals the relativity and the fragility of the play-world in which he had temporarily shut himself with others. He robs the play of its illusion\u2014a pregnant word which means literally \u2018in-play\u2019 (from inlusio<\/em>, iludere<\/em> or inludere<\/em>). Therefore he must be cast out, for he threatens the existence of the play-community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why\u2014according to a lot of sports fans\u2014players or activists that introduce politics into the magic circle of competition become the \u201cspoilsports,\u201d and therefore tarnish the spirit of pure fun and rivalry. The explicitness of the social and political milieu might eclipse the tribal and ludic character of sport. Nevertheless, it\u2019s hard to detach sport from its social foundations, as those foundations contribute to its value and significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1967, Muhammad Ali refused to be conscripted into the U.S. Armed Forces. The boxer opposed the war in Vietnam and remarked in an interview, \u201cWhy should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?\u201d As a result, his heavy-weight champion title was revoked, and yet this very attitude led many Americans to redefine their own views of the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2021, we witnessed an acrimonious discussion over the case of \u201ctaking the knee\u201d before the start of every major sporting event in the world. The aim of this act was to bring attention to the ever-prevailing problem of systematic racism in the United States. Most of the English soccer fans were in favor of the gesture, although only one third of them thought that it was a meaningful way of fighting racism. Other \u201cfooty lovers\u201d from the British Isles were of the opinion that taking a knee translated into endorsement of the \u201cMarxist\u201d Black Lives Matter movement, which clearly shows how much outrage political acts can generate in the world of sports. One might wonder if the bras d\u2019honneur<\/em> gesture made by a Pole and a pole vaulter (pun not intended) W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kozakiewicz (henceforth known as \u201cKozakiewicz\u2019s gesture\u201d in Poland) at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow would today polarize audiences in a similar fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern sport encompasses nearly all the characteristics found in politics, and revs them up to eleven. Every championship is overseen by gigantic corporations, such as FIFA (F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Football Association) or the ICO (International Olympic Committee), which usurp the right to protect the cultural heritage and capitalize on trademark use, commercialization activities and expanding different sport franchises to different countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you look at the history of the Olympics and the soccer championships, you can clearly see that the events of this type are a source of profits mostly for the international sport organizations and their sponsors. The influence of any local authorities is always severely restricted, not to mention they have to foot the gargantuan bill for holding the show. It\u2019s worth mentioning that the debts amassed on the occasion of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal were not paid up by the Canadian government until 2006. Other side-effects of these ordeals include years-long environmental degradation and transformations that have to be endured by the local communities, such as mass displacements from any areas that are intended for the construction of sports facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The term \u201csportswashing\u201d refers to a practice of redeeming a bad reputation through sport. Both countries as well as private companies might decide to opt for this tactic. According to Amnesty International, Saudi investments in sport are a clear indication of sportswashing, and are used to hide the increasingly repressive measures implemented by the government. Blatant violations of human rights are not stopping the influx of the greatest sports stars into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. One shining example is the merger of Saudi-backed LIV Golf and the American PGA Tour that involved billions of dollars. Soccer is just another platform for expanding Saudi influence across the world. In 2021, the wealthy sheiks became the owners of Newcastle United. At the same time, the Saudi Pro League is competing against China and the United States to snatch the top soccer players at the end of their careers. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and the newest addition to the Al-Hilal team\u2014Neymar\u2014have already secured cushy spots for themselves in the Persian Gulf when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On one hand, using sport as a tool in political agendas\u2014like drawing attention away from human rights violations (the case of China and the Uyghurs) or political assassinations (the killing of Jamal Khashoggi)\u2014seems to be a very efficient method. On the other hand, in the hands of the Saudis, sport becomes a \u201csoft force\u201d to reach political and business aims by persuasion instead of coercion. An investigation launched by The Guardian<\/em> has revealed that the Saudis have spent six billion dollars on projects connected with sport since the start of 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ties between sport and politics are apparent on various levels, and turning a blind eye to this fact or becoming outraged will not save the \u201cpurity\u201d of sport. The sports industry of today is basically politics personified, and gestures of support or dissent made by sports people are an inherent part of it. When it comes to sports disciplines, one should bear in mind that many of them were invented to answer the needs of communities, starting with the Japanese martial arts, celebrated as a means for spiritual growth and solidifying societal order, and ending with soccer, promoted internationally to defuse class tensions in lower strata of societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, we intuitively want to keep sports rivalry pure and focused on filling people with awe when they witness the accomplishments of the human body and spirit. When we look at Lionel Messi as he slaloms between defenders as if they were mere poles, or when we admire Kamil Stoch for his perfect ski-jump, we are put under a spell that can change our understanding of the next achievements of our species. Any political act of a sports personality, their symbolic gesture made during an event, can also change our view of the political landscape, including the lot of marginalized and excluded communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Translated by Przemys\u0142aw Ko\u0142odziej<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"sport\"](\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-pixabay-262524-1536x1024-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Political? Always Has Been<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Business First: On Sportswashing and Other Shenanigans<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Come For Sport and Stay For Sport<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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