The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. - RICHARD P. FEYNMAN, Nobel Prize winning physicist
I’m a freelancer and I work primarily in sport. I’ve been supporting dodgy regimes for as long as I can remember. And I’ve always known it. How could I not?
And now, with the world falling apart, I’m having to ask myself what part have I played in all this...
Very little would be the sensible answer to this narcissistic question. My four weeks making promos for the 2018 World Cup in Russia hardly instigated a military incursion on a sovereign state.
Of course we did make a lot of promos highlighting the delights of Russia both new and old. And “promos” is short for “promotion”, and we were promoting how delightful Russia was...during a time when we knew that the population was under strict instructions to behave OR ELSE!
We were promoting an idealised version of a country...
Propaganda: dissemination of information - facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies - to influence public opinion. - BRITANNICA.COM
Well shit.
Ok. Maybe I’m going a bit over the top here, but let’s expand the thought.
What I and my colleagues did was a job. An opportunity came up and we took it. It was a paid job. And when there’s a chance to work on a World Cup, or an Olympics, or you’ve been offered a chunk of work following Formula 1 cars around the world then congratulations, you can now pay your rent and pay for childcare. It’s not like WE decided that the World Cup would be in Russia. And WE didn’t decide the next one would be in Qatar. WE didn’t decide that half the Formula One races would be contested in places with human rights violations. WE don’t decide where boxing matches are fought, or who owns the football clubs who are playing in the games we are covering. WE don’t get to decide if NFL teams are being too lenient when their players beat up their wives, or kids, or their girlfriends. We just want to work on sport, and if possible, not feel so dirty about it when we get home.
I know I’m not the only one who has had thoughts about this. It comes up often, in particular when referencing the World Cup in Qatar; “Do you feel comfortable working out there?” No judgement either way. We all have our reasons. And if Covid taught us anything it is that every job could be our last.
Sport has such an interesting role in regime building (just to be clear I mean bad regimes). It’s easy to host tournaments and big sporting events when you’re a cold hearted bollox, because what comes from being said bollox is that there is no second thought applied when picking the pocket of your population. So cash isn’t a problem. Neither is labour, because of the cash thing, and also the inherent predilection for extreme coercive behaviour. It can be no surprise that the most enticing party is the one where the host has the most money and the greatest number of people serving food and refilling drinks. How can your head not be turned when somebody offers to pay for EVERYTHING. But, is this not sportswashing?
Sportswashing. Spare me any counter-argument.
For those that don’t know this is the term used to define the practice of using sport to improve a nations somewhat dubious reputation. Saudi Arabia are the most aggressive scrubbers currently in operation. Even right now they are interested in doubling their Premier League presence (influence) with a bid for Chelsea.
In 2019 I was in Riyadh working on the Formula E and it was the same weekend Anthony Joshua fought Andy Ruiz Jr. Sportswashing was talked about constantly in the press and although it was widely agreed upon that a great big spin-cycle was taking place the justification was this; by being here we shine a light on the human rights issues. This is horseshit. After the Berlin Olympics in 1936 Hitler was not shamed into changing his ways. Putin has invaded another country after playing host to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, an F1 Grand Prix for the last 7 years, and the football World Cup in 2018. These events don’t humble a regime it emboldens it. You let me do this, let’s see what else you’ll let me do.
We used to call it “boycotting” but this time round we’ve gone all in. Almost every sporting organisation has denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We’ve got so proficient at cancel culture that we’ve upped the ante and canceled an entire culture. A global renouncement of the ridiculous statement that sport and politics should not mix (a phrase only used by those who want their sport simple and their athletes dumb; question the motives of anyone who uses it!). And now we must ask ourselves whether we, the public, mix with sports and politics. Is it time that we take some ownership for our politics; they are ours after all? Is it time we were less loyal to our sport, to our clubs, to the people we work for, when they become involved with those who have ambitions that we know to be counter to our values?
Golf is currently fighting for its soul. A Saudi backed golf league is being set up to rival the PGA tour. Most golfers have dismissed the competition, thankfully. And bar some baffling support (Mickelson I’m looking at you) there has been a glorious public condemnation of the competition. However - and this is where I go full circle - they are freelancers, beholden to no one, and fantastically wealthy. They have the ability to boycott, abstain and complain with few consequences. Not so for those in a team sport; they play for a club that plays in a league that is represented in a federation, all of which are indebted to stakeholders and sponsors. Conscientious objection has repercussions; just ask Colin Keapernick.
And so what can I do? More than most because I am freelance, and I can choose. I can choose to be more selective as to where I work, and for who I work for. I can choose to earn less money and feel good about it. My work in Russia for FIFA and F1 will now forever be tarnished. I was part of the machine and I knew better. We legitimised a man we knew to be dangerous. And now here we are; outraged and unsurprised, telling tales of how “we saw this coming”.
What saddens me most is that I’ve lost the naivety I had when I started in this business. My ignorance was such a warm cosy blanket. To me it was about performance on the field. It was about bravery and brilliance. Oh to be that guy again! And now everywhere I look I see the strings, and I see how collectively we all pretend we don’t know they exist.
To be clear I don’t chastise anybody who works in these countries or for organisations that have questionable motives. We all must work. My issue is that it has become increasingly hard to navigate a career in sport with a clear conscience while earning clean money.
To conclude; I’m going to try and be better. What more can anyone do? It’s often thought that saying “Yes” is the most important word in a freelancers vocabulary - to please is to work - but after all we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks I think the least we can do is pause before we answer. It will cost us. Of course it will. However, no matter the cost, we must look at the what the Ukrainians are currently paying.