Three of the Guardian’s sports writers reflect on the role of journalism in bringing about change, on and off the pitch
Writing about
racism is tiring and – if we’re going to be honest – not all that much fun. By definition, it’s an exploration of pain and suffering. We saw that when Azeem Rafiq spoke in parliament about the racism he had encountered in Yorkshire
Cricket. It entails spending a good deal of time with the very worst impulses of humanity. It requires trying to understand the mindset of people who have no interest in understanding you. We see that every time a rightwing politician or media outlet tries to justify racism under the deceitful banner of “anti-wokeness”.This is doubly true in the case of sport, which for the most part is a place where we go to feel uplifted, perhaps even seek temporary refuge from the world and its complex, maddening problems. And so often in this
Job it’s impossible not to feel a little churlish. You know that thing you love? That you’ve loved ever since you were a child? That source of simple, happy, incorruptible memories? Turns out it’s actually morally bankrupt beyond measure! Then there are the days when you feel like you might just be getting somewhere. An article that changes a few minds. A revelation or news story that forces the powerful to reflect. Or occasionally a moment that simply knocks you sideways. Perhaps one of the most quietly moving episodes of the sporting year came in an otherwise entirely forgettable pre-season friendly at the
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in August, when Bukayo Saka was introduced by
Arsenal as a substitute.As you will probably be aware, Saka missed the crucial penalty for
England in the Euro 2020 final against
Italy at Wembley, and in the days afterwards was subjected to a vicious and sustained wave of racist abuse. Now, as he stepped on to enemy turf at the home of his club’s biggest rivals, the Tottenham fans cheered his every step: a show of solidarity and kinship across tribal lines that felt shocking in its defiance.It was a gesture that said: actually, fuck the rivalry for a moment. Some things mean more. And you need to know that we know that. Every so often there are days when it feels like nobody is listening and nobody is learning, when there is precious little left to cling to. Well, cling to that.