Sport in a Capitalist Society

Sport and Capitalism Is the term capitalist sport an oxymoron? As a sports fanatic I follow events in a number of sports. I enjoyed playing sport especially football, just as I enjoy playing cards. My aim is not necessarily to win, which is just as well because I was never that good, but it was in those timeless words ‘the taking part’. I enjoyed kicking a ball around and the intellectual exercise of playing cards. Several aspects of current affairs have brought the whole question of sport in a capitalist society into mainstream news, but not in those specific terms: First there is the matter of racism which has torn Yorkshire Cricket Club to shreds and put at risk one of the edifices of British Cricket. Then there is the whole matter of allowing transgender women to participate in female competitions. A conflict of diversity versus fairness. The third matter is the question of sanctions against Russian oligarchs which has led to the forced sale of Chelsea by Abromovich. All of these three matters are interconnected. There is no doubt that there is an issue of racism within sport. The problems at Yorkshire are but an extreme example. There are issues affecting those who are seeking to buy not only Chelsea but also Derby County, again two of the teams that have been part of the English Football scene for a century. The transgender issue is complex. I have been reading a book called Invisible Women in which the author outlines in great detail how the world is designed by men for men. She explains how certain features of female bodies are different to those of men, features such as size of hands, upper and lower body strength. Her case is built on the evidence of difference. The arguments around transgender participation in sport are based upon the concept of equal rights. If we accept a transgender person to be what they say they are, as we rightly do, they should be able to behave as such, including participate in their relevant sport. However, if we accept the argument put forward in Invisible Women we have to agree that could lead to unfairness with regard to other women. With regard to the sanctions on Russian there are again clear anomalies. I have just read that a motor racing driver, who happens to be Russian and has been dropped by his Formula 1 team because he is Russian, believes that ‘Russian athletes are victims of cancel culture’. In the case of Abromovich, leaving aside the manner in which he accumulated his money, there can be no question that, within the terms in which football is run, he has benefitted Chelsea football club and the supporters of the club. His motivation appears to have been sporting success rather than making money or any other underlying aim. Given that most of the Premiership clubs are owned by foreign owners, mainly what could be termed oligarchs, some with backgrounds linked to countries with regimes that fall short of what would be desired, questions should surely be asked about the whole basis of club ownership in this country. There can be no doubt that sport, particularly football but also to different degrees Rugby, Cricket, Motor racing, Cycling, Tennis, Golf, Athletics and many others, is of great importance to millions of people. It could be said, without too much exaggeration, that Sport to many people has replaced religion as a comfort in a comfortless world. The latest result of one’s team means happiness or misery until the next game. People watch anxiously to see what developments are in hand. There is a tribal aspect to this, but it is also a reflection of the fact that the economic situation which governs most of the political decisions of national governments, and which affects much of left wing politics, for a great many people is of far less importance. The success, or even survival of their team is of far more immediate concern, unless their economic situation is so dire that they are unable to think of anything else. Which brings me back to the question I raised at the beginning, ‘Is the term capitalist sport an oxymoron?’. As soon as one begins to talk about sport that is reported in newspapers, or in different terms organised team sports, the question of money is raised. There is still an element of skill in performance and organisation that enable some teams, occasionally, to overcome the effect of wealth disparity, but the teams that regularly succeed, in the Premier League for example, are the ones which have the highest external financing. We see also that the athletes that succeed are the ones that have received sponsorship or Government support. Such aided success then leads to the financial rewards with the large amount paid to the winners of certain events. In other words, money controls sport. A further relevant issue is the fact that women are now demanding that their sports be treated in the same way that men’s sports are treated. It is a fair question ‘Why should men’s sport receive greater financial investment than women’s sport?’ The answer is quite simple, it is partly historical but mainly because men’s sport brings a greater return (profit) than women's sport, whether financially or just as important in terms of national pride and prestige. No Government is going to ignore the advantage that winning the World Cup can bring to the political fortunes of that Government. Given all of these considerations, many people with left wing views turn against sport, considering it a distraction from the really important things in life. Our efforts should solely be on building a revolutionary organisation. We would all agree that such an aim is very important. But often those same comrades will have interests in other cultural activities such as music, film and theatre. In our approach to life we need to have a well rounded approach. The aim of our politics is to improve the living conditions under which people find themselves. This cannot be completely done as long as we live under a capitalist system. However, such things as sport, culture, family, comradeship can help to soften the rigours of the exploitation under which we all suffer, some to a greater extent than others. But in recognising this, we have to be clear about what we are supporting. The issue about transgender participation in sport arises because of the capitalist nature of sport. I am reminded of a former Union colleague of mine whose passion was pub quizzes. He was a very knowledgeable man so that the rule at his pub’s quiz was that the person who came second took away the prize for the evening. He invariably came first but had had the pleasure of taking part which is what really interested him, the prize was of no consequence. Within football there is a growing feeling that club supporters should have a golden share so that they can prevent developments which they consider to the detriment of the club and its supporters. I understand that jockeys sometimes have to carry extra weights to allow for the fact that they are lighter than other jockeys and therefore at an advantage. The commercialisation of sport is leading to a sporting elite which is exclusive and will lead to poorer, working class youngsters being unable to take up certain sports. I read recently that the Cricket authorities are considering a changed two tier system in the County championship. The aim being that any one who does well in a team in the lower tier will move up to join a team in the higher tier. Thus teams in the lower tier will always lose their best players and will never be able to move up to the higher tier. This will mean financial loss and threaten their survival as a team. In enjoying sport, following the success, or maybe failure of my teams, I recognise that no aspect of life is free from capitalist exploitation. This is no reason to give up on sport, but an added spur to get rid of the capitalist society that spoils all of our lives. Scribar18.4.22