There was a conversation taking place between a chicken and a pig about the Farmer’s breakfast. The suggestion was that the Farmer would like to have Ham and Eggs and the chicken saw no problem with the suggestion as he too sought to enlist the pig’s support. The pig turned to the chicken and said, “for you it is only a contribution, but for me I will have to sacrifice my life.”
Sports is at a cross roads where it needs Administrators who have more than just a part-time involvement, in which it costs them very little to participate in a discussion about cancelling all sports. It is unacceptable for Sports Administrators to be talking about cancelling all sports rather than making the sacrifices that are necessary to balance the issues and develop solutions. This is where the absence of the problem solving skills become a major problem. As a former teacher of math and physics up to Grade 12 and also lectured Engineering Statics at the University level, I know that problem solving is not an automatic skill that a student receives by sitting in my class. It is unwise to assume that all the students who participated in the lecture can solve the problem that is written on the board. Problem solving is actually a skill and enlisting the right set of skills to deal with the current reality is what we must demand of our Administrators.
The biggest threat to the future of sports is not COVID-19, but instead is the lack of planning and the mere “contribution” that some administrators are making. There is no question that changes to how we do Sports will have to be made, but it is already a big mistake to treat all sports the same. There are Individual Sports, which presents a relatively low risk, and there are the team sports, which present a high risk to those who participate. Much of the conversation seems to be influenced by the challenges facing team sports. Team sports cannot be conducted without testing and the question of the cost of the testing and who will underwrite it is predominantly what is stalling plans to resume. What this might mean is that the title sponsor may no longer be the sports drink manufacturer but the National Health Fund who may come on board to absorb the cost of testing. You can then rework how you engage the fans and further explore innovating income streams.
Individual Sports like Track and Field, Table & Lawn Tennis, Golf, Badminton, Cycling and several others can exist and thrive in this pandemic. The linkages in the Sporting Industry are too extensive for any Administrator to feel comfortable in presiding during a period of the demise of Sports. One proposal is to create a national network of training sites to allow athletes to use a facility within walking distance from home, as one method of reducing the use of public transportation. Incorporate innovations to monitor workouts, intensity and data acquisition are ripe with opportunities. Redefining the training squad to prepare only the “Top-tier athletes” during the pandemic and encourage the “Developing Athletes” to work on their own is also a plausible approach. Almost 80% of track and field teams are less than 30 persons, so why can’t those persons train and do so safely? Maybe this is also the opportunity to further de-emphasize certain competitions and have a longer developmental plan for athletes with the ability and the interest to unlocking global opportunities.
There are well established and documented benefits to the population when we engage in sports and being active. In fact, many of the underlying medical conditions that increase the mortality of COVID-19 are lifestyle diseases. It therefore means that all effort must be used to balance the concerns to preserve as much about sports as possible. Failure to do so would be a complete dereliction of duty. Let’s not chicken it out!
Very forward thinking and proactive. Particularly like the opening paragraph and what it connotes.
Whilst I have not given as much thought to this as you obviously have, there’s much that I can agree with. Rather than sitting and waiting for the pandemic to pass, which in all likelihood will take at least 2-3 years, we ought to be seeking the opportunities that abound.
Opportunities in the use of technology, in individual specific training, in psycho-social development, in research and planning are just a few.
Exactly. We should demand more from our Sports Administrators to buckle down and find solutions.
Truth is, they are still in volunteer mode and without them understanding the value chain of what the business of sport really does, then we will always be in that comfort mode.
Sport, while physical, has economic and social implications for all of us and we have evidence to show real and aspirational values. I hope we get this, very soon!
I fully agree .Well if they are thinking to put a stop to this that’s cruel to the persons who will rely on it for there future and career , in addition to good point in using the individuals that are at high risk are the ones susceptible to lifestyle diseases Solutions can be made.
Not the first a pandemic has arise and sure know they can develop and learn from history to create more solutions as well.
Solutions. Its all about solutions.
A well thought out value-added piece that adds value to one’s thought process. It’s thought-provoking. Sacrifice from a different view point.
And it is because there are different view points why there needs to be a broad consultation before decisions are made.
great Article… on point!
Let’s keep the discussion going.
Great article coach. You should really push for these policies to be in place, even as a recommendation from the controlling offices so that there can even be some choice involved in terms of action.