The Importance of Being...

By Dr. Nauright

We are in Finland learning about sport and event marketing and the students had a great trip to Estonia that you will be hearing about shortly. While learning about how to promote sport and sporting events, we are learning more and more about the operation of sports organizations.

Right now, the news is full of the “crisis” in FIFA, the governing body for international soccer. Only a day after the splendid performance of Barcelona in dominating Manchester United in the Champions League Final at Wembley in England, FIFA’s press conference reporting on its internal investigation of bribery and corruption was covered live around the world. The current state of play is that the head of the Asian Football Confederation and Vice President Jack Warner of Trinidad have been temporarily suspended and we are told they have a case to answer. Warner has claimed he has many revelations to make.

All of this has left the current FIFA President Sepp Blatter running unopposed for another term as President of what is arguably now the most significant sporting organization in the world and certainly the largest for a single sport. We have learned, however, that whatever the issues it will be resolved within the FIFA “family.” Stay tuned if you haven’t been until now.

Good or bad, soccer is news around the world. I think we are beginning to see glimpses of this in the USA. Large countries with excellent infrastructure such as the USA, UK and Australia lost their bids to host the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 in favor of Russia (where the upcoming Winter Olympics are said to be six times over budget) and Qatar, a small oil-wealthy Arab state. Allegations of corruption surround Qatar winning the 2022 bid are rife, though nothing has been proven for certain at this stage. Whether you are pro or anti FIFA, there is no denying that its presence is felt from small communities in Africa to large arenas in Japan and everywhere in between.

That sport makes the news time and again for scandals: of corruption (the International Olympic Committee in the 1990s and now FIFA); doping (The Tour de France at least since 1998); or for bad behavior of players. Surely those who hold the reigns of power cannot remain convinced for much longer that any of us exist with our eyes closed to the wider world of sport. This is not to say that we can or will “overthrow” the current power structures in world sport, but, even while appreciating the positive impacts that sport makes in society, we should continue to pressure sports organizations and officials to work for the good of sport more than for the good of themselves and to create a more positive sporting environment for all. Thankfully the following story was a feature on Lorna Thorpe, the teacher in Jamaica who inspired Usain Bolt and many others to enjoy running. Bolt has used his success to give back to the school and to support its athletic and other programs.

Watching hundreds of Finns out walking and playing sport this evening on a beautiful blue sky summer’s evening as well as the inspiring story from Jamaica reminds me that we as humans love to move, to play, and to enjoy the physical universe. Suddenly those scandals seemed further away, and there is a lake around every corner to see…