While a good deal of consensus now exists behind the idea that the FA’S punishment of Rio Ferdinand was disproportionate, the issues that the case raised will carry on being contested for a fair time yet, and not just in sporting circles. Only a few weeks earlier, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling revealed that under proposed new laws, internet trolls could face up to two years in prison. The contested idea of free speech and the right to offend over the internet will remain at the forefront of the political agenda, and could well intensify in the run up to the election next year.
Nobody is equating Ferdinand’s off-hand and cheap insult with the spewers of death threats that Grayling referred to, but people being punished for what they say on social media is something we might be seeing more often. From a sporting point of view however, the fiasco confirms what has been obvious for some time; that sportsmen and women are burdened with the task of being ‘role models’.
Nobody is quite sure of exactly when it became expected of sportspeople to be the nation’s moral tutors. It was probably sometime towards the end of the last century. The process seemed to be concurrent with the rise of celebrity culture and its bedfellow the mass media, the combination of which produced two perfect examples of the ‘role model’ in the shape of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa. Public saints about whose work the public knew very little; all they knew was that somewhere in the world it was doing some good. This leads to the sordid notion that people can lead vicarious lives modelled on the lives of their ‘role model’ and, because the rich world has a poor conscience, rest assured that somebody is helping those in the third world. Similar developments in the media coverage of sport have also cemented the idea of the ‘role model’.
Nobody is quite sure of exactly when it became expected of sportspeople to be the nation’s moral tutors. It was probably sometime towards the end of the last century
While it may be a good idea for aspiring young sportspeople to have somebody they admire who can inspire or motivate them, those who are placed under the category of ‘role model’ are elevated to an almost god-like status. Therefore, no sooner is the idea proposed that you might be able to emulate that person than it is moved out of your reach. Trying to make a living as a professional sportsperson is a daunting enough task without the added pressures of having to live up to the standard of the ‘role model’. People such as David Beckham are exceptional because they are just that, an exception. They are singular cases, and highly unlikely to be emulated.
If my son or daughter was a young golfer or central defender and they wanted to hold Tiger Woods or John Terry up as their gold standard, I’d be more than happy to let them do so. If they wanted them to be their gold standard in matrimonial affairs, I’d probably advise them to look elsewhere. It really ought to be possible to divorce the private and the professional lives of sportspeople.
Dr Martin Luther King is a figure that many people would class as a ‘role model’ for his role in the Civil Rights movement and his integrationist politics. Perhaps they do or don’t know that he cheated on his exams, plagiarised most of his doctoral thesis and was a serial fornicator and unfaithful husband. Many people cheer up at that news, because they think ‘well I could do all that!’ People are encouraged to find out that they might be able make a contribution to politics, culture or sport without having to pass a ‘role model’ test.
It really ought to be possible to divorce the private and the professional lives of sportspeople
To give a more recent and subject specific example, Jack Wilshere was criticised by his manager, the public and the media for smoking a cigarette while on his summer holiday. An extremely good Arsenal blog pointed out how social media has transformed that type of issue. The piece pointed out how Arsenal have had their fair share of players with disciplinary and behavioural problems, such as Paul Merson, Tony Adams and Ian Wright. How would such individuals cope in today’s environment? They’d find themselves being condemned on an almost weekly basis on Twitter.
True, there was the odd story in the Sunday newspapers, such as when a drunken Adams drove his car into a wall, but by comparison today’s culture would be incredibly unforgiving of such characters. They’d be angry mobs marching down Holloway Road with torches and pitchforks demanding the club to take action, lest they be seen to be setting a bad example. It may be a sign that our sporting culture has progressed that we would longer tolerate alcoholics and drug users. Nevertheless, it also shows that we now expect a good deal more from our sportspeople than merely what they produce on the field of play.
It shouldn’t be too much to ask of Rio Ferdinand, or any sportsperson for that matter, not to abuse people’s mothers over Twitter. The status of the player as a ‘role model’ however, was the reason for his punishment and not the action itself. Had a lower league player done the same thing, the FA wouldn’t have looked at the case for more than five minutes before throwing it out. It would be beneficial for players, the media and the general public if we dropped the pretence that sportspeople should be society’s ‘role models’.
Dan Zeqiri
You can follow Dan on Twitter: @ZeqiriDan
Follow Impact Sport on Twitter and Facebook
Image courtesy of skysports.com
