Politicians the world over mistakenly think that they, and they alone, have the sole rights and reserved privileges to expound on matters of national interest. The reality, unfortunately, in contrast to their oft narrow-minded self-interests, is that these matters relate to all citizens and as such, everyone is (supposedly) free to voice their concerns and opinions.
Here, prior, to the introduction of the internet and the subsequent development of social media platforms, the venting of one’s voice on national concerns was reserved for gatherings of friends and families or taking the bold step of penning a Letter to the Editor of this newspaper. It was a time when challenging the incumbent government was highly frowned upon and fraught with possible fearful repercussions (though some will argue that nothing has changed, i.e., the sudden and unexpected audit by the relevant authorities).
Sports men and women, on the other hand, by virtue of their success in their respective disciplines have always enjoyed a direct pipeline to the media, who are constantly pursuing them for interviews, and to the world at large, thanks to the broadcasting of international events via the medium of television. Some of these famous sports personalities have taken the opportunity to express their opinions, or protest against certain existing conditions, and have experienced severe backlashes to their careers, or, in the worst case scenario, had it come to a screeching end.
In the former instance, the name of Muhammad Ali, springs to mind. After refusing to be conscripted into the American military to fight in the Vietnam War, as it was against his religious beliefs, Ali was unable to secure a boxing licence to fight whilst at his physical peak, until after the US Supreme Court overturned his conviction of a five-year sentence which he was appealing. In the latter instance, American track and field athletes, Tommy Smith, and John Carlos were banished from their discipline and endured years of misery following their famous black power protest on the podium at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, after their one-three finish in the 200 metres final. More recently, Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who knelt during the playing of the national anthem at NFL games to protest police brutality and racial inequality was blackballed by the NFL. Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL, accusing the owners of collusion to keep him out of the league, which was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Despite the existence of these possible repercussions, some sports men and women continue to make use of the forum available to them, and to speak out on matters of concern. Last weekend, television viewers witnessed the willingness of two very prominent stars to lay everything on the line, to protest the spate of killings of black citizens by American police. Surely, Naomi Osaka, tennis star and Lewis Hamilton, current Formula One Champion, were aware of the guaranteed criticisms from some quarters of society, possible fines or punishment by their respective governing bodies, and the probable loss of existing or future sponsorship deals.
Osaka, a big fan of the late basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, whom she considered her “big bro/mentor/inspiration,” had utilised the preparation time in the build up to the US Open to reflect on her responsibility to society. Casual tennis fans tuning in to last Saturday’s broadcast of the US Open Women’s Final would have noticed Osaka’s custom-made mask emblazoned with someone’s name. It was the seventh mask Osaka had worn during the Open’s fortnight, each bore the names of black victims of police brutality or racism in the USA. Viewers witnessed an inspired Osaka bounce back from the hopeless position of being down 40 – 30 in the third game of the second set, in which she trailed 2 – 0, following her first set loss of, 1 – 6. In an amazing turnaround, Osaka recovered to take the match 1 – 6, 6 – 3, 6 – 3 and her third Grand Slam title. No doubt, Osaka’s performance and leadership would have appealed to the late tennis great and well known human rights activist, Arthur Ashe, whose name adorns the site of the US Open Tournament.
Hamilton, defending world champion and current points’ leader in this year’s Formula One season, incurred the wrath of the FIA on Sunday, following his sixth victory in nine races this year, at the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix. The governing body stated that it was investigating whether Hamilton had broken any of the rules regarding the display of political messages. Hamilton’s alleged misdemeanour? He wore a t-shirt after the race which read, “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.” Hamilton stated that he had worn the shirt to “to bring awareness to the fact that people were killed in the street.” Earlier this year, Taylor had been shot by the police.
The strength of character demonstrated by both Osaka and Hamilton in the stands they took is quite noteworthy, as we, as a nation, are still reeling at the ugly events which took place recently in West Berbice, (SN editorial September 11/2020). In the aftermath of the killings of the Henry boys, it has become quite clear that our political leaders seem incapable of shaking off the yoke of the chains of colonialism, i.e., the principle of divide and rule. Whether this is by design or just plain incompetence, after fifty-odd years of independence, this state of affairs can no longer be accepted as the norm, and it is now quite obvious that we will have to look outside of the political class for the necessary leadership in this critical area.
Perhaps a Didier Drogba will emerge from our midst to lead us away from this scourge which continues to plague our society. On 8th October 2005, the Ivory Coast football team, led by Drogba and laden with an abundance of talent stood on the verge of qualification for the 2006 World Cup Finals, as a civil war, raging since 2002 threatened to tear their home country apart. In its final match, Drogba’s team needed to secure a win and for their archrivals Cameroon to be held to a draw by Egypt. After Drogba led his team to an easy 3 – 1 victory over Sudan, the team gathered around a radio to listen to the last minutes of the Cameroon/Egypt encounter. With the game tied at 1 -1, Cameroon missed a penalty in the fourth minute of extra time. The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire were through to the Finals.
Didier Drogba won a plethora of honours with Chelsea in the English Premier League, but he is best remembered for the 59 seconds following the Cameroon/Egypt game. The post game ritual prayer led by Drogba was foregone, as Drogba and his teammates, their arms draped across each other’s shoulders, dropped to their knees, and appealed to their fellow countrymen to cease firing their guns. In the weeks following their appeal, the relentless replaying of the video clip of the Drogba-led appeal had its effect and a ceasefire was signed.
The time has arrived for us to make our nation’s motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” a reality, and not just six words fluttering in the wind.
