I went to a seminar on sport and geopolitics here in London this week. The speaker spoke about the bread and circuses strategy of the Roman Empire, in which entertaining the people with gladiators diverted the population’s interest from politics. He recalled that fascist Benito Mussolini and Nazi Adolf Hitler used the 1934 World Cup and the 1936 Olympic Games, respectively, as propaganda for their authoritarian regimes, and pointed out that Vladimir Putin does the same.
I get home, turn on the TV and see smiling tennis players competing in a women’s tournament in Saudi Arabia, one of the most restrictive places in the world when it comes to women’s rights. And it’s not just any championship, it’s the WTA Finals, which brings together the top eight in the rankings and ends the season. Weeks earlier, Carlos Alcaraz had taken to the courts of Riyadh at the 6 Kings Slam exhibition tournament.
The Saudis invested heavily in football, golf, boxing and Formula 1 and are targeting tennis. It’s not love of sport, it’s “business”. Part of the strategy to diversify investments and generate revenue beyond oil. I imagine what must go through Saudi women’s minds, seeing foreign women with their legs exposed being applauded in their country and earning millions, while they are arrested for asking for basic rights. Until 2018, for example, Saudi women were not allowed to drive, go to the cinema or go to football stadiums.
Saudi activists asked tennis players not to remain silent and use their fame to draw attention to the issue. Saudi Arabia’s money even bought Lionel Messi’s silence. According to The New York Times, his contract with tourism authorities prohibits the player from criticizing the kingdom. And Rafael Nadal became ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation.
Jannik Sinner, winner of the 6 Kings Slam, walked away with a check for US$7.5 million (R$43 million). Then, someone will say: oh, but how can you resist such a big deal?
Coco Gauff competes in the Finals and was the only one to admit, in an interview, that being there is something controversial. The number three in the ranking said she didn’t want to “just play and leave” and that she questioned her sport about plans to help the LGBTQIA+ community and women. Finally, he said he liked what he saw. I wanted to know if Gauff was on the streets, in the real world, or is he just in the tournament “bubble”.
Those who defend it say that it is a good thing, because Saudi girls can be inspired, and that criticism is a prejudiced view of the West. For others, it is pure “sportswashing” – the use of sport to clean up a regime’s image.
The fact is that I saw little discussion about tennis deciding to host one of its most prestigious women’s tournaments (and in front of many empty seats) in a place that does not respect human rights, women, freedom of expression, where homosexuality is a crime.
These issues need to be debated, not only in the sports environment, but also in society. What is the price of doing nothing? We normalize that money buys everything, and there is no problem with that. That the vote and our voice do not matter. Thus, Mussolini, Hitler, Putin, Trump, Bolsonaro, many others pass by. When you don’t learn from history, you can be sure: it repeats itself and comes back to haunt us.
LINK PRESENT: Did you like this text? Subscribers can access seven free accesses from any link per day. Just click the blue F below.
