Monday, March 14, 2011

What is sport?

According to our benighted Government it is,
sport is about fairness and equality, respect and dignity
No it isn't. It's about competitiveness, winning and losing, about working together. Actually to a great extent it is about having fun.

But no, today our wonderful Minister for Equalities has decided it is about other stuff. Don't get me wrong, of course,
everyone should be able to participate in and enjoy sport
Well as the yellow man says Doh! But hold on, when Ms Faeatherstone says this I begin to wonder,
 'Homophobia and transphobia has no place in sport and I'm delighted that so many sporting bodies are backing our campaign to stamp it out.

Well of course they don't. Sports should be about how much fun one can have running chucking kicking and so on, about teamwork and individual excellence. About larking about and all those other things. Who you want to celebrate you victories and commiserations with is by the by. So the question that headlines this whole thing,
We're against homophobia and transphobia in sport - are you?
is pretty daft. I mean, how many people are going to say, "No minister, it is a dashed good thing that cross dressers and pooftas shouldn't play sport"?
So this is a particular peice of vacuuity,
'Homophobia and transphobia has no place in sport and I'm delighted that so many sporting bodies are backing our campaign to stamp it out.

"So many sporting bodies." Go on Minister, that suggests that some don't. Surely you should tell us who was phoned and demerred? And all teams and associations can get a tick in the "Gosh aren't we nice box,by friending or liking the little Facebook page. It is like some form of secular indulgence.

Bloody gesture politics, and I wonder how much all this faffing around has cost in these days of austerity?
One small thought, does the Minister support religious teams?

2 comments:

TheBoilingFrog said...

Transphobia? Blimey which sport has a recognised problem with that? I've heard many things sung / shouted at football but anything resembling transphobia has never been one of them.

They're just making this stuff up.

Gawain Towler said...

Transphobia was a new one on me too,

Get your falsies out for the Err, lads/lassies?

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