Athlete Power on the Rise

2019 Athlete power on the rise 13-16 October Colorado Springs, CO • USA 11th world communication conference on sport and society CONFERENCE GUIDE 2 A welcome from the Chancellor of UCCS I am delighted and honored to welcome all From doping and dishonesty to the heart- participants to Olympic City USA, the site of breaking abuse of Olympic athletes, there the first Play the Game conference hosted are many difficult conversations still to outside of Europe. be had. But it is encouraging that the Play Since I began my tenure as Chancellor of the Game conference brings energy and the university, I have promoted a culture of thought to the many issues that require respect, compassion, safety and excellence solutions. Sports are universal – so it is cri- for our entire campus community. The UCCS tical that we continue to strive for ethical Venkat Reddy Daniels Ethics Fund Initiative provides our standards that can be upheld across the Chancellor, campus with practical tools to address ethi- globe. Building solutions in an international University of Colorado cal concerns on a day-to-day basis. And our context here at the Play the Game confer- students recently took it upon themselves to ence is an excellent first step. create a UCCS Creed enshrining the collec- Thank you for your time and dedication tive values of our student body – including to addressing these pressing concerns. Your integrity. very participation in this event means that Integrity in sports is equally important as you will become part of their solution. excellence, because it is an area where our Once again, welcome to Colorado ethics are tested the most. As we prepare Springs. I hope that you will enjoy our beau- our students academically to become future tiful city nestled at the foot of America’s leaders in sports and sports governance, I Mountain, and that you will engage yourself am proud that ethical decision-making is an fully in the conversations yet to come. I wish integral part of the process. you a wonderful conference. Dear colleagues in sport On behalf of the board of directors of the share. Corruption in elite sport has become Danish Institute for Sports Studies, the moth- an increasing challenge in the U.S., just like er institute of Play the Game, it is a privilege in Europe. And at the global level, U.S. au- to welcome you all to our 11th Play the Game thorities have played a crucial role through- conference, the first outside Europe. out Play the Game’s existence, launching We embark on this conference with both actions that have brought those who corrupt self-confidence and humility. The self-confi- sport with money and drugs to justice, and dence derives from a firm belief that the goal at the same time forced the most powerful Carl Holst of Play the Game – to promote democracy, sports organisations to carry out reforms. Chairman of the Board, transparency and freedom of expression – This is an inspiration that we will build on Play the Game / has proven its importance over the past two in the conference days ahead of us. Danish Institute for decades, and that this importance is growing. But intervention from authorities should Sports Studies We are thankful that numerous individu- be a last resort. Our aspiration must be to als and organisations, who share these goals, create a sporting environment and a leader- support our conference with their presence ship culture that has no need for outside and their commitment to dialogue and de- intervention to secure integrity, fair play and bate. the fundamental rights of athletes. But we are also humbled by the size of To develop such a culture requires a wil- the challenges we confront, and by the fact lingness to bring up all issues, also the most that we have for the first time moved Play sensitive ones, and discuss them openly and the Game into a North American setting. We in mutual respect. It also requires that we recognise that sports politics on this con- listen to athletes and welcome them as ad- tinent has its own special history and char- visers and decision-makers. acteristics, and that we have to listen to and This is our ambition, and we look forward learn from each other. to sharing it with you over the next few days. And yet, many of the challenges are sim- Welcome to Play the Game 2019! ilar, because human nature is something we 3 DANIELS FUND ETHICS INITIATIVE AT UCCS Leading students to success through their ethical compass Proud sponsor of UCCS.EDU/BUSINESSETHICS Play the Game 2019 4 FEATURE Will the rise of athletes’ power lead to the fall of empires? By Jens Sejer Andersen, International Director of Play the Game Jens Sejer Andersen The governing bodies of sport have never been chal- Others demand protection from a harmful sporting lenged by top athletes as they are today. But solu- environment, such as the brave female gymnasts, tions are complex, and that is why a wide range of who revealed horrendous sexual abuse from their stakeholders will discuss them during Play the Game national team doctor accompanied by oppression 2019. by the sports leaders that were responsible for pro- tecting their athletes. ”Yes, we play sports. Yes, we play soccer. Yes, we’re female athletes, but we’re so much more than that. And disappointment with the International Olympic You’re so much more than that. You’re more than a Committee’s (IOC) handling of the Russian-inter- fan. You’re more than someone who just supports national doping scandal – which not only included sport. […]. You interact with your community every state-sponsored doping by the Russian state, but also single day. How do you make your community bet- a prominent group of athletic leaders cheating and ter?” blackmailing the athletes – has triggered a variety of athletes worldwide to speak up and seek other plat- There is probably no speech given by any active forms and other groupings than the so-called Olym- athlete that has embraced the multiple dimensions pic family. of athlete activism as the one the co-captain of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Megan Rapinoe, Freedom of expression and freedom of gave a few days after winning the 2019 FIFA World association Cup in front of the New York City Hall. It contained Curiously enough, neither society nor the governing references to all key issues on the palette of athlete bodies of sports seem overly enthusiastic about the activism: The fight for better pay and working condi- way athletes energise the sports debate. Democrati- tions. The fight for diversity and against discrimina- cally elected governments, who would usually call for tion. The fight for influence in the decision-making civic engagement, seem to prefer athletes that move bodies of sport. only those muscles that do not affect the tongue. And last, but not least, the fight for creating better The international sports federations, who base their communities, even a better world, through sport. legitimacy on membership of millions of athletes with a right to vote, seem disturbed when some of their Even if Rapinoe’s speech stands out as particularly prominent members speak up and claim their demo- impressive, it also reflects a trend that has grown cratic rights. over the past few years: Elite athletes are increasingly speaking up to improve their situation or to improve Even the IOC, who always claims to put athletes first, society. asks of its athletes to swear an oath of unlimited loyalty to the institution, and has so far reacted nega- Some athletes target social injustice, such as Colin tively when athlete groups outside the IOC’s own Kaepernick, who peacefully decided to kneel, when ranks have raised their voices or dared to form their the U.S. national anthem was sung and the Stars and own, independent associations. Stripes raised, in protest against racism and police violence. 5 Photo: Sam Simmonds/Polaris/Ritzau Scanpix Photo: Megan Rapinoe delivered a powerful speech at the New York City Hall, after the U.S. women’s national soccer team won the 2019 World Cup, addressing equal rights and diversity of identity. It is hard to understand why democratic structures Because the call for rising athlete power also raises would like to silence their constituency. Are the pow- difficult questions: er brokers in sport afraid that the voices of athletes will bring empires to fall? • What is a genuine athlete representative? • How do athletes best organise? Some would like to dismiss the new trend as a move- • How many unions should a federation negotiate ment by privileged, well-paid athletes who just want with? a bigger slice of the cake. Such athletes probably • Who will speak for the millions of amateur ath- exist, but most professional and semi-professional letes in organised sport? athletes are not particularly well-paid, and they often • Who defends the interests of the millions of citi- try to make a living in a sporting environment that zens who practice sport outside the associations, defines its own laws and regulations, caught up in in the gyms, on the streets, in the woods? legal grey zones or sometimes in an outright criminal • Will professionalisation and unionisation put an environment. It is hard to blame them for organising end to sport as a civil society factor? in unions and other interest groups. We look forward to discussing these and many more But there is more to the trend than a natural call for central questions in a joint search for solutions that, labour rights in a growing global industry.

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