| Whatever comes of the fallout from the death of George Floyd and the flurry of societal outrage caused by the sight of a police officer’s knee at his neck, change must take place for the simplest of reasons — because it is right and proper and drastically overdue. Yet it also feels more pressing, this particular parcel of historical time, because of the unique circumstances around it. What better time for change than when everything was already different to all that we knew? And what better nudge to get things on track than these times when news spreads like wildfire and reaches everyone, everywhere? Sports, along with every other sector of American life, is trying to come to terms with its place in these seminal shifts. The loss of Floyd, the manner of his passing, his final words and the maddening horror of a life being squeezed away in broad daylight, is America’s shame, but it is an international story. The events of the past week have topped bulletins everywhere, displacing everything, even the scourge of COVID-19, which previously held a vice-like grip on a year of monumental challenge. In sports, even athletes with no link to the United States have been moved to act and campaign and demand that a face-down tragedy from a Minneapolis street is not in vain. And, in a clear sign that the rest of the world sees this as a crossroads in global history too, even some of the most powerful athletic organizations are showing a pragmatic and humanistic touch. Jadon Sancho is just 20 years old and is one of European soccer’s shining lights. He was born eight years after the Los Angeles riots of 1992, 5,500 miles away from them in London. Tommie Smith and John Carlos are old enough to be his grandparents. He has never lived in America and, if we’re being honest, he’s such a good player that the earliest we might hope to see him in Major League Soccer is when he reaches his early 30s. But Sancho was moved to add his voice to the wave of discussion sweeping America. On Sunday, the English winger, who plays for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga, scored the first of his three goals in Dortmund’s 6-1 victory over Paderborn. (The Bundesliga returned two weeks ago, without fans in the stadiums.) When he scored, Sancho peeled off his Dortmund jersey to reveal a yellow undershirt, the words “Justice for George Floyd” emblazoned upon it. He was yellow carded for his trouble, not for the message, but for removing his jersey. When Sancho’s teammate, Achraf Hakimi, scored later in the game, he merely lifted his jersey to reveal the same message, and was not cautioned. United States internationals Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie had visible signs of support for Floyd during their matches, and France’s Marcus Thuram also paid tribute to him. Initially, there was a chance, perhaps even a likelihood, that Sancho (and possibly the others) were going to land themselves in some trouble for making a political statement. FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, is clear in such matters. “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images,” the international rulebook states. “For any offence, the player and/or team will be sanctioned by the competition organizer, national football association or by FIFA.” However, no Bundesliga player was punished after FIFA took the rare and laudable step of issuing a statement indicating its own regulations could be relaxed due to current events. FIFA first urged Bundesliga chiefs to use “common sense” — a clear message that any sanction would be inappropriate — then followed up with a strong comment from president Gianni Infantino. “For the avoidance of doubt, in a FIFA competition the recent demonstrations of players in Bundesliga matches would deserve an applause and not a punishment,” Infantino said. “We must say no to racism and any form of discrimination. We all must say no to violence. Any form of violence.” FIFA often finds itself the subject of criticism; such is the nature of being the custodian of the world’s most popular game. But it did the right thing here, and, having done so, expect to see more commentary on the situation in America from those far afield. The English Premier League is yet to restart, but several of its players and teams made statements over the past few days. Liverpool, the champion elect, posted a photograph of its entire squad showing unity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Leicester City took a similar step, with England forward Jamie Vardy posting the following on his Twitter account: “Enough is enough. Humanity comes first! We are with you.” Chelsea’s players and staff organized themselves in the shape of an “H”, for “human.” Several other teams followed suit. Many players made personal statements, including notables such as Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba, while Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton added his voice with an impassioned call for action. “The past week has been so dark,” Hamilton said. “I have failed to keep hold of my emotions. I have felt so much anger, sadness and disbelief in what my eyes have seen. These athletes are not Americans. But they are humans, which means they are just as entitled to have been shocked, outraged, disappointed and hurt as anyone else. As athletes, their opinions are no more important than anyone else’s, but they are role models, looked up to by millions of youngsters, so their message and its tone carries weight. As America’s loudest recent call for an end to injustice continues to gain volume and traction, the urgency to get things right, or at least to somehow make them less wrong, is both real and present. It is a struggle than goes far beyond sports. And, partly through sports, it is an issue that has reached far beyond our own borders. Here’s what others have said… Gabriele Marcotti, ESPN: “What’s different compared to the past, at least when it comes to football, is how readily these athletes seized upon their roles in the public eye to express their outrage. McKennie said it felt good to use his ‘platform’ to bring attention to the issue. These young men — Thuram is 22, McKennie and Hakimi 21, Sancho just 20 — are aware of their reach and the power it holds. Shaka Hislop, speaking on the ESPN FC show, said he believes athletes ‘have a responsibility to use social platforms to drive social change.’ Whether you agree with him or not, it’s undeniable that it is happening and players feel empowered to a degree that a previous generation, perhaps, did not feel.” Jonas Baer-Hoffman, secretary general of FIFPro (via Associated Press): “[The killing of George Floyd] hit a never in this very particular time, which I think made people all around the world reflect on the environment we live, not only in the U.S. but in all kinds of places where there is a perpetuation of discrimination and inequality. We’re seeing a generation of players right now moving into the steps of athletes in the past who were socially quite engaged and willing to put themselves behind causes they care about. I think it’s incredibly empowering to see these players step forward and share in that fight for a better society.” Damon Martin, MMA Fighting: “Israel Adesanya couldn’t stay silent. The UFC middleweight champion may live halfway around the world in New Zealand but he was angered by the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., which has led to protests around the globe. On Monday afternoon, Adesanya joined a group of approximately 4,000 people demanding justice for Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer held a knee down on his neck for several minutes as he begged for help while repeatedly saying he couldn’t breathe. ‘We’ve been marching so long but it’s not about us now,’ Adesanya said. ‘Shout out to all the white people, people of different races, cause we need you. We need you to speak up. We need you to say something. I’m sick and tired of seeing those faces get killed cause guess what? I see myself in them the whole time. It’s heartbreaking. I’m pissed off.’” |
