Archives
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Vol. 29 No. 312 (2024)
National pride and global inequality in sports
Success in sport has notable significance because it fosters national pride and social cohesion. At the same time, it impacts the positive international image because athletes operate as ambassadors, spreading values associated with their talent and effort. These achievements can inspire new generations to achieve their dreams and thus contribute to the training of more high-performance athletes. Many nations even use sporting triumphs as an effective tool for soft diplomacy by establishing links of cooperation and fraternizing with others.
These are the reasons why the most powerful countries invest a lot of money in the training of athletes and this is verified in the medal tables. In the Olympic Games there is practically an almost coincidence between economic power and the position obtained. It is no coincidence that the United States and China, the hegemonic powers of this century, have led in medals obtained in recent events.
But medals do not always come from the training of the athletes themselves. Countries with more resources offer better economic incentives and financial benefits for changing nationality to athletes born in countries with less economic development. Many of these countries make enormous efforts to support high performance training programs, although ultimately other flags will wave on the podiums. Not getting the necessary support leads athletes to seek new horizons that would provide them better opportunities to stand out in the elite. In this context, in football there is at least an obligation to pay training fees and the majority of international sports federations contribute little to reverse this injustice.
Tulio Guterman, Director - May 2024 -
Vol. 29 No. 311 (2024)
Play in Peace, Play as a Team
Sport constitutes a universal language that we can all understand and interpret in the face of actions that produce endless positive emotions, which are shared in the community. However, as a reflection of society, it is not exempt from discrimination and this is perceived in a multitude of situations. In recent weeks, Vinicius Jr., a Real Madrid player who is persistently the victim of racist insults from fans, has made the problem visible in public debates with his complaints.
It is possible to build an environment without violence, fairer and more inclusive, and in this sense, in different educational and sports centers there are programs that promote respect for diversity, inclusion and non-discrimination, both for players, coaches, referees, leaders, parents and the general public. An active role for federations is essential in establishing clear anti-discrimination policies, implementing reporting and sanction protocols and procedures. At the same time, States must strengthen laws and regulations, ensuring their effective application and condemnation of offenders, and these actions must be accompanied by the media promoting a narrative that avoids racist, sexist or homophobic language.
Facing these challenges allows us to imagine everything that sport can contribute to building a fairer, more inclusive, more supportive society, privileging dialogue and collaboration between different actors.
Tulio Guterman, Director - April 2024 -
Vol. 28 No. 310 (2024)
Talent in sports has no gender
Before the creation of the WNBA, two players were selected in the NBA draft: Denise Long in 1969 by the San Francisco Warriors, who was annulled by the League and Lusia Harris by the New Orleans Jazz in 1977, who did not play due to being pregnant. A few days ago, during the All-Star Weekend, Stephen Curry, the best shooter in the NBA, and the best shooter in the WNBA, Sabrina Ionescu, faced each other in the shooting test. 'Chef' won with the final shot, in a confrontation that showed that the gender gap is becoming smaller. If the competition had been against any other player, the New York Liberty star would surely have won.
In addition to Ionescu, there are female players who, with proper training and preparation, could compete on equal terms, stand out and overcome the challenge, such as Aliyah Boston, A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Caitlin Clark, who just broke the scoring record in the university league; and in a short time, Zhang Ziyu, the young Chinese promise 2.26 meters tall.
It would be important for the NBA to open the doors to these female players and provide the opportunity to show their talent in the League that delivers the highest financial rewards. Being a management model that most sports associations of all sports try to emulate, this initiative is a possible way to break the glass ceiling and eliminate inequality. It would be a giant step to break stereotypes and move towards gender equality in professional sports.
Tulio Guterman, Director - March 2024 -
Vol. 28 No. 309 (2024)
Common benefit
For more than a century, clubs in Argentina have been privileged spaces for the social and sporting development of communities. By being configured as non-profit entities, they became places of belonging, identity and the promotion of democratic values. A common benefit that to this day has a positive impact on the promotion of health, well-being, integration and the personal and social development of people.
In these times, the privatization attempt was revived, which, if carried out, will inevitably cause the exclusion of relevant sectors of the population that have traditionally been an important part of sports culture. Furthermore, it means limiting access to a training environment for a large majority of young people who over decades have stood out worldwide in sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, rugby, field and roller hockey, rugby and softball, among others.
It is true that many institutions face various problems, but they can be solved by improving management and incorporating trained professionals in various areas. However, the indifference of some and the fantasy of others of believing that the market will solve everything can lead to the disappearance of many clubs. A culture is at risk of being devastated by the predatory market, which is an unmistakable sign of the notable degradation of social capital, unique traditions and tangible values.
Tulio Guterman, Director - February 2024 -
Vol. 28 No. 308 (2024)
Priorities
In 2015, a majority of Hamburg citizens voted against the city's bid to host the Olympics. They understood that the millionaire budget that was going to be allocated to the construction of stadiums and other facilities should be allocated to social projects. The arrival of refugees highlighted the lack of shelters and the need for public power to address this urgency.
At that same time, the hegemonic media instilled intense nationalist feelings in the citizens of Paris to create an environment favorable to the city's candidacy, which these days presents a monumental housing deficit as a result of the absence of reasonable policies that deal with solving the problem. that impacts thousands of homeless people. According to activists from different humanitarian organizations, the next Olympic event is being used by government power as a pretext to displace homeless people to other regions. They decided to transfer hundreds of immigrants living on the streets to other cities in France, showing an evident improvisation and lack of interest in supporting people who arrive escaping wars and famines, largely originating from their own colonial policies.
Paris is preparing to receive thousands of spectators and for the authorities one of the priorities is to eliminate homeless people from the party, even for those days, so that they do not visually contaminate the city of love. Very far from the Olympic ideal that advocates a peaceful society committed to the maintenance of human dignity, the International Olympic Committee should take it into account when designating a venue.
Tulio Guterman, Director - January 2024 -
Vol. 28 No. 307 (2023)
African runners: beyond the limits
One of the most impressive sports performances carried out this season was that of Kelvin Kiptun, a runner born in Kenya, who was less than 1 minute away from reaching a time of less than two hours to complete the 42.195 km of the marathon. In this way he surpassed the previous record of his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, who, among other awards, won the last two editions of the Olympic Games in the event in 2016 and 2020.
Both are part of the elite of athletes from African countries, the majority Kenyans, Tanzanians and Ethiopians who carry out these feats, using various technological resources, training in high-performance groups, application of advances in applied sciences, added to the increase in monetary rewards. (although still meager compared to other sports). This mark that until a few years ago seemed impossible will surely be surpassed. We imagine that this feat becomes a reality in some of the World Marathon Major venues: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, or perhaps in August during the Paris Olympic Games.
An achievement of this magnitude reflects the dedication, talent, determination and excellence of these runners, most of whom come from rural agricultural communities, who stand out for their humility and their ability to overcome adversity, thus inspiring many people to fulfill their dreams. dreams, both in the field of sports and outside of it.
Tulio Guterman, Director - December 2024 -
Vol. 28 No. 306 (2023)
Paris 2024: a show of wealth and misery
Every time the International Olympic Committee (IOC) designates a city as its venue, it seeks to ensure that the event takes place in spectacular settings where the feats of contemporary Olympic heroes are celebrated, with the aim of attracting a global audience and thus companies that contribute huge sums of money in sponsorship. The construction of stadiums, accommodations and sports centers are handed over to contractors whose main objective is to obtain the greatest possible profits, and to do so, some use various strategies to further increase their profits, such as job insecurity, savings in security measures and the freezing of salaries in times of inflation.
A few days ago, the workers of one of the sports centers assigned for the next Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which was under construction, began a strike and occupation of facilities demanding decent working conditions, contracts and residence permits as promised by the organizers at the beginning of the works.
The IOC emissaries inspect the works, ensuring that the agreed project and the scheduled times are met, but evidently they act distracted when it comes to a toxic work environment, generating misery and exploitation for the workers, many of them immigrants. Far, very far from the objectives proclaimed by the Olympic Movement of mutual understanding, spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play, something else takes place: another example of the inequitable distribution of wealth on the planet.
Tulio Guterman, Director - November 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 305 (2023)
Sport and democratic participation
Major sporting events serve to encourage people to engage in physical activity and thus promote an active and healthy lifestyle. At the same time, they can inspire feelings and emotions that accompany the achievements of athletes and also promote values such as respect, fair play and the discipline necessary to achieve personal or collective achievement.
However, it has also served to hide atrocious realities that occurred in the countries. For example, the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were the scene where a totalitarian government attempted to use sport, through propaganda, as a means to show the superiority of the Aryan race. For its part, during the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the military dictatorship sought by all means to hide the illegal repression and the disappearance of people, diverting attention and manipulating public opinion.
Sport is a manifestation of culture that should be affirmed as a space for egalitarian and democratic participation, which can add to peaceful coexistence between communities. And in this sense, it must be an expression against denialism, forgetfulness and indifference.
Tulio Guterman, Director - October 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 304 (2023)
Africa, France and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Through various mechanisms, for centuries and to this day, France maintains a high degree of control and regulation of Africa's resources, which benefits its businesses and its economy, while has a negative impact on African countries, which see how their natural resources are exploited for the benefit of others.
Recently, a military coup overthrew the president of Niger, accused of corruption and of benefiting foreign regimes to the detriment of the local population, condemned to misery. The French government is threatening to take military action against the de facto government of Niger and other countries in the region that try to support it. More than defending the democratic system, it is interested in maintaining its interference in the region and perpetuating its colonial policy. If it does, the International Olympic Committee should withdraw the host city from Paris and sanction the French in the same way as Russia and Belarus for their actions in Ukraine, that is, their athletes could participate but not represent their country's flag.
Times of conflict between nations had a negative impact on international sporting events. The 1916, 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were suspended due to the two World Wars. Likewise, various boycotts such as those in 1980 in Moscow and 1984 in Los Angeles detracted from the splendor of the event and denied many athletes the possibility of experiencing an unforgettable agonistic experience. Faced with violences, we state the hope that sport can express its most positive version: the opportunity to promote peace, cooperation, mutual respect and equal dialogue among nations.
Tulio Guterman, Director - September 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 303 (2023)
From Pelé to Messi: a question of image
In the mid-1970s, the United States was experiencing the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President Richard Nixon, after the Watergate scandal. The heroic struggle of the Vietnamese, coupled with pressure from their citizens and the enormous cost of the war, led to their defeat in the Vietnam War. In this context, in 1975 Pelé, who at that time was still the undisputed best soccer player in the world, arrived in Major League Soccer (MLS) to play for the New York Cosmos. He had retired from Santos, his only club until then, and participated in three seasons, inaugurating the interest of the public north of the Rio Grande for a sport that is played with the feet.
In current times, the country of opportunities leads by a wide margin, among developed countries, the list of deaths by firearms, among suicides, homicides and accidental victims. It has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world, which means a huge gap between rich and poor, which is accentuated year after year. For more than a year it has been involved in a war in eastern Europe, which many qualified analysts agree could have been avoided, with multimillion-dollar budgets that swell the military-industrial complex and reduce public resources to meet the legitimate demands of improvement of the quality of life of a large part of its population.
After rejecting an offer to play in Saudi Arabia of 400 million dollars a year, Lionel Messi signed for Inter Miami, bottom of the MLS table. Both Pelé at the time and Messi now, in addition to promoting football and competing in an environment with less pressure, obtain benefits that go hand in hand with commercial agreements with international companies. For the United States, it means having the best player in the most popular sport in the world in its League; It benefits as a tourist destination, as a territory to do business, and by promoting soccer as part of global culture, it improves its image and international prestige, precisely when its role as a hegemonic power is in question.
Tulio Guterman, Director - August 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 302 (2023)
Geopolitics and Sport
In the long history that links it to geopolitics, sport was and is a form of intense expression of national and regional identity, and at the same time it has been used to increase the power and influence of States. International sporting events such as the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Championships have been the scene of political and ideological clashes.
These days, it is worrying that, given the escalation of insults and provocations among the leaders of the hegemonic powers, voices are not raised to promote rapprochement through sport and, on the contrary, international events continue to be used to widen the gap based on the differences. The path towards a multipolar world must foster a dialogue on common interests, in the search for agreements that put national, ethnic or religious differences in the background. In this sense, sport is a practice that links people from different cultures, it is a universal language that everyone can express and share, a setting where it is possible to settle differences peacefully, without antagonism being the main goal.
On the contrary, the violence stimulated by a tiny minority in power, more concerned with investing public money in war resources and enduring with their privileges, than with improving people's quality of life, can determine the end of humanity as we know it, that is, the end of all of us.
Tulio Guterman - Director - July 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 301 (2023)
Big Data and Sports
Big Data is closely related to sports. It consists of the storage and analysis of large amounts of data that can help improve the performance, strategy, health and marketing of athletes and teams. Before, during, and after a sporting event, millions of data are collected and processed by experts: match statistics, tactics and strategies based on information from the team itself and from the rival, the behavior of the public, the intervention the referee and others.
Having the data is not enough; it is necessary to understand the meaning and its application. Appropriate analysis, visualization and impact storytelling techniques must be applied to draw useful conclusions and communicate them clearly and simply to the recipients, whether they are coaches, athletes, managers or fans. It is also important to consider the context and purpose of each analysis, as well as the limitations and uncertainties of the data.
It is a model that, with the contribution of technology, can be applied not only to an elite of athletes but also to solve pressing problems such as environmental pollution, poverty, educational quality, access to health systems, water drinking water, transportation, decent housing, and healthy and varied food, in communities that demand it. In these cases, it is also necessary to form high-performance interdisciplinary teams that are capable of reading and interpreting data and, through public policies, make the most reasonable and relevant decisions, using material and human resources effectively to improve people's lives.
Tulio Guterman - Director, June 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 300 (2023)
Genetics and Sport
Many physical educators and coaches place great importance on genetics, since the hereditary component influences many physical traits that determine the athletic ability of people, such as strength, muscle fiber type, aerobic capacity, height and flexibility. However, there are also contextual factors that play an important role in the development of sporting potential, such as training, diet, motivation, and equipment.
Genetics can also help optimize performance, contributing to the development of safe sports practice, by evaluating the risk of a hereditary disease associated with sudden death in athletes. For this, there are different types of specialized tests that study different aspects of the genetic profile of each person and can guide the most appropriate guidelines for each case.
But at the same time, given the advances in these studies, the risk that can be glimpsed is that, under the Gattaca criteria, a system of discrimination and exclusion could be established in all levels of sport that prevents the participation of athletes like Messi (short height), Pelé (flat foot), Michael Phelps, Mireia Belmonte, Mo Farah, Dennis Rodman (asthmatics), and many more, who, although they were not benefited by the genetic lottery, at the cost of effort, perseverance , family and community support and other incentives, managed to express their talent despite bodily and organic limitations. Ultimately, genetics alone do not determine a phenomenon as complex as athletic performance, but rather interact with the environment to create a wide variety of possible outcomes.
Tulio Guterman - Director, May 2023 -
Vol. 28 No. 299 (2023)
Artificial Intelligence and Sport
Among doubts, questions, alerts and illusions, we are witnessing the intense advance of Artificial Intelligence in all areas of culture, art, science and technology. AI is already used to monitor physiological and technical aspects of athletes through sensors and wearable devices, which can provide complex information that collaborate with coaches to create preparation programs for comprehensive improvement, in the physical, technical, tactical, mental and social aspects.
Fans of record breaking will undoubtedly be surprised by the impact of AI in improving sports performance. By allowing the processing of a huge amount of data, its application to choose and select the best players, real-time performance control, individualization of athletic preparation and injury recovery is possible. In this sense, it will have a significant influence on the improvement of equipment, the development of marketing, and on refereeing, in short, on the sporting performance.
In addition, AI can add its contribution in the coming years to shortening the gap in access to body practices for groups that are still relegated, such as the elderly, the disabled, children and young people. However, thinking about and carrying out effective strategies for the society and, therefore, for a more inclusive, democratic, non-violent and integrated sport will continue to be a collective challenge owned by the human mind.
Tulio Guterman - Director, April 2023 -
Vol. 27 No. 298 (2023)
Multicolor, heterogeneous and multi-gender
Originating in the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece, Carnival is celebrated year after year and everywhere until today. It is a popular festival with religious roots that underwent prohibitions and censorship in the darkest periods. The celebration takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Gualeguaychú, Venice, Huejotzingo, Oruro, Montevideo, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Binche, among other places, where each participant sings and dances, expressing their art in murgas, escolas do samba or comparsas.
People gather, the more and more diverse, the better, in a party of multicolored, heterogeneous, multi-gender, multi-ethnic corporeality, far from any rationality and very close to humor and irreverence. It is a place and time of commemoration, of tradition, of lack of control, of freedom to be and to share, where creativity and fantasy manifest themselves in colorful masks and costumes, on floats or giant heads.
There the hierarchies are altered, and for those few days, the carnival legitimately represents the popular identity. Every year, for a few magical moments, part of humanity becomes visible and looks at itself without ties, without prejudice or hypocrisy.
Tulio Guterman - Director, March 2023 -
Vol. 27 No. 297 (2023)
Among the best even though the years go by
During the last soccer World Cup, three players stood out from the rest in their teams: Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić and Lionel Messi. Repeatedly each time they entered the game, the commenters recalled their ages, speculating when they would retire and anticipating their farewell to the World Cups. They expressed concepts loaded with prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination applied to people exclusively based on age.
A few weeks later we witnessed the surpassing of the mark of 38,387 points held by Kareem Abdul Jabbar in basketball. An achievement for LeBron James after two decades of playing at the highest level, averaging close to 30 points per game this season; among other notable successes, he was a four-time Finals and Regular Season Most Valuable Player, four NBA titles with three teams, and a two-time gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. There were more experienced athletes who stood out, such as Aladár Gerevich, a Hungarian fencer who won the gold medal at the age of 50 at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, and Dara Torres, an American swimmer who participated in five Olympic events, the last in 2008, obtaining 3 silver medals, at age 41.
Currently, with the contribution of technology, the care of training and rest, with the advice of highly trained professionals in sports science, added to succulent prizes that are awarded to the number ones, the time of participation in athletes has been extended. LeBron shows remarkable valuability at his 38. Messi will be only one year older in the next World Cup to be played in North America. And along with other outstanding athletes, they should be valued for their talent, their efficiency, their respect for the fans, their commitment to play, and not for their age.
Tulio Guterman - Director, February 2023 -
Vol. 27 No. 296 (2023)
I want to be World Champion
Match, extension, penalties, the end and now indeed, we are champions. It could be because of the changeable result of a game that with a few minutes left seemed defined, or because of the thirty-six years that have passed since the last World Cup was won in Mexico, or because of the joy of obtaining the third star, people massively turn to the streets wherever they were: inside the borders, in Buenos Aires, Rosario, Mar del Plata, González Catán, Calchín; and also in the rest of the world, in Barcelona, Dhaka, Jakarta, Bombay, Caracas, Miami.
Those who feel that their DNA has something or a lot of Argentina, sympathize with the colors, or cheer for Lionel Messi to finally get the award he had left to complete a legendary life playing soccer, multiply with a profusion of exploding bodies. of emotion.
And everything is light blue and white; and the endless and repeated recital is heard: Vamos Vamos, Argentina... (Let's go, let's go, Argentina) Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar, quiero ganar la tercera, quiero ser campeón mundial (Guys, now we're excited again, I want to win the third one, I want to be World Champion). It is a crowd that celebrates, jumps, sings and enjoys, exercising - even for a few days and with fleeting expectations - the genuine, legitimate and universal human right to happiness.
Tulio Guterman - Director, January 2023 -
Vol. 27 No. 295 (2022)
Why is a Soccer World Cup so attractive?
Soccer’s regulations originated almost 160 years ago and spread throughout the planet, producing a symbiosis with the traditions of each region, making us imagine that soccer was always played in every place. In this way, and in a relatively short time, it has constituted a universal language, of which and especially during world championships, the entire world is a participant. It has its own rules and codes, many times related and sometimes contradictory, with which we deal on a daily basis and where ethics, epic, art and science are present. The calculated and the uncertain, the obvious and the unpredictable, hope and pessimism, pride and shame, drama and celebration coexist within it.
The application of the regulation always leaves a margin for doubt, which the introduction of technology cannot resolve. That makes place for opinions, debates, discussions and questioning. In this scenario, we celebrate the triumphs and lament the defeats, knowing that sooner or later there will be revenge and we blame bad luck and curses. And although it rarely happens, the poor can beat the rich, the marginal can beat the champion, and in these circumstances incomparable emotions, and intense, legitimate and unforgettable joys emerge.
Thus, soccer affirms identities in a globalized world. People embrace their flag, their colors, in many cases, almost exclusively when the team of the country with which each one feels identified plays. It is an encounter, which at a symbolic level stimulates an intense illusion that expresses the differences, and at the same time the similarities.
Tulio Guterman, Director, December 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 294 (2022)
Soccer, Hosts and Rights
It is clear that the World Cup that begins this month in Qatar is going to take place in a context of intolerance and discrimination. Among other controversies, it is estimated that thousands of migrants died in working conditions close to slavery in the construction of lavish stadiums and other facilities; local laws subjugate and control women, and there are prison sentences for LGBTI people. In addition, no one denies that the designation of the host country was the product of one of the most unfortunate acts of corruption in which several members of FIFA participated.
Given this scenario, there have been claims and symbolic protests, such as that of the French -current champions- who are not going to install giant screens in public places during matches. FIFA itself today is being pressured by national associations, sponsors, former players, social leaders and a few fans, to create a fund to compensate families for damages and deaths. If these greedy leaders who only aspire to obtain fabulous profits had observed in these years, apart from the progress of the constructions, who and in what conditions they were hired, surely we would not be facing this tragic panorama today.
The claim must be made with the same intensity as we shout the goals, so that in the agendas for the next Soccer World Cups, Olympic Games and others, standards and protocols to respect human rights fundamentals are accepted by each of the hosts. Thus, soccer and other sports will be viewed as places in which global society celebrates coexistence without discrimination, with equity and respect for diversity.
Tulio Guterman, Director - November 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 293 (2022)
Soccer, party, passion and business
Once again, like every four years, a World Cup is celebrated and for the first time, in an Arab country. Beyond criticism and questioning, it is a month where events keep us on edge, emotions on the surface and expectations at their maximum intensity.
It would be naive to imagine that in Qatar ancient traditions are going to be changed in exchange for organizing a sporting event, and furthermore FIFA already organized World Cups in the context of authoritarian governments in the '30s and '70s of the last century and never expressed some self-criticism about it, nor will it. In this context, the associations of participating countries and FIFA obtain millionaire income, derived from the enormous popularity that soccer reached worldwide and from the sponsoring companies that benefit from the event to promote their products and services.
At a time when events of this magnitude exceed what is played on the courts, conflictive issues are put on pause, and there is also an evident interest of the political power to associate itself with sporting success, if this happens. Undoubtedly, the World Cup will bring enormous happiness to the members of the triumphant team and to an entire colorful and noisy nation that accompanies them, without distinction of gender, ethnicity or social status. Something that expresses, in a universal language, the metaphor of contemporary society.
Tulio Guterman, Director - October 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 292 (2022)
Bill Russell, athlete and social leader
A few days ago Bill Russell died. He is one of the most outstanding basketball players in history, but also one of the most relevant athletes in the fight against discrimination to Afro-Americans. Along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other social leaders he accompanied Muhammad Ali on the day he refused to be drafted into the army. In the toughest years of civil rights demands in the United States, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks drew a path for this oppressed community to follow. The sports world was not immune to these struggles, with figures such as Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fist in protest on the podium at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
Angela Davis - North American philosopher and activist - affirms that the history of blacks is in fact the history of the United States, but it is also the history of the world. In our times, unfortunately, racism is still active. In 2013 Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors promoted the Black Lives Matter slogan, in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer. In 2016 Colin Kaepernick, an American football star, sat and later knelt during the anthem as a protest gesture, generating an impact that moved global society.
It is hopeful to see athletes who commit themselves and decisively face injustice. They are figures that influence a large part of society and become true social leaders. Sport is not only entertainment, it is also a way to achieve a better, fairer and more supportive world. Something that coaches should take note of when thinking about training processes.
Tulio Guterman, Director - September 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 291 (2022)
Everything changes
These days, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) returned the gold medals to Jim Thorpe, winner of the pentathlon and decathlon events at the Olympic Games of Stockholm in 1912. Thorpe, who died in 1953, was stripped of his titles as he was considered a cheater, for violating the strict rules of amateurism in those days, since he had earned some money playing baseball in a minor league team. For years the communities of native American people to which the athlete, considered in those years as the best in the world, belonged, fought to vindicate him in the face of tremendous injustice. The event reveals one of the many examples of the enormous transformations that have taken place in the last century.
Undoubtedly, we will witness enormous innovations with the popularization of technology, applied sciences, professionalization, the fight for equal rights, and other social and cultural changes. At the same time discussions, debates, complaints, hopes, disputes between conservatives and progressives, are all the ingredients that always make sport something striking and convening.
These days the Chess Olympiad is taking place in Chennai, in the south of India, with the participation of 350 teams from 186 countries and it involves two categories of competition: Open (regardless of gender) and Women. The event offers a format that all sports federations should reproduce, considering those who today have no chance of accessing the major prizes awarded by sport and may choose to do so, and those who want to continue competing in a protected category, could also keep competing there. This is a fairer and more equitable alternative, surpassing the ancestral model of segregated sport, which should not wait 110 years to be represented.
Tulio Guterman, Director - August 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 290 (2022)
The last bastion of the patriarchy
The sports fact should be conceived as a confluence between a multiplicity of factors, the biological one being one more. The dichotomous classification of genders that serves as a guide to justify the segregation between men and women shows enormous limitations, even in the medical field. The emergence of transgender bodies makes visible the fragility of the very foundation on which modern sport was built: the staging of the superiority of men (all men) over women.
Reality shows that the norms that apply to men are not the same as to women, which determines the material and symbolic prizes that are awarded in each case. A woman who stands out is always under suspicion, a man who rises above the rest is remarkably recognized, and in some cases, becomes wealthy. If segregation between the sexes in sport is eliminated, all people will compete affirming their uniqueness, without being stigmatized or differentiated, with the motivation of being able to reach the highest rewards.
Sport is one of the last areas of culture where the patriarchal system still survives, supported even by those cisgender women who criticize it so much. The survival of this phenomenon in a practice of enormous media coverage could affirm a normative model that justifies the expulsion and exclusion of people, in sport and also in other areas. Leaving this alternative open means a setback in basic rights, which is already happening in several countries.
Tulio Guterman, Director - July 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 289 (2022)
It's soccer, not a war
In a few months a World Cup will take place. A moment where massively, without distinction of gender, the deepest tribalism emerges, the one that affirms the feelings of cultural and ethnic identity, represented in the colors of the shirt, the anthem, the features of the players, the style of play and in everything we imagine represents and testifies to what is ours, to us, what distinguishes us from others. And it causes the deepest emotions of satisfaction and pride, or anger and humiliation.
On the media side, we see how the language of war is naturalized, with metaphors typical of epic discourse. Words like crush, eliminate, massacre, fight, hit, destroy, hero, sacrifice, battle, defeat, strategist, shot, dominate, submit, enemies, execution, and others run through the usual lexicon of sports journalists who live, during the event, their dream days.
If the soccer narration is crystallized by representing a war, perhaps the same thing will be reproduced in daily life. In a time plagued by violence, with an unusual number of senseless massacres, of displaced migrants in search of hope, it would be beneficial to broaden the emotional field, and above all empathy and solidarity, to value the multiplicity of cultures, the ethical aspects, playful and aesthetic, affirming that beyond their own tribe there are others with whom, in one way or another, they can share, because they are also close.
Tulio Guterman, Director - June 2022 -
Vol. 27 No. 288 (2022)
25 years of EFDeportes.com
A few weeks ago we celebrated 25 years on the Internet. During these two and a half decades we have shared the process of growth and expansion of several subjects: education, sports and comprehensive health. Staying up-to-date, self-improvement and professional qualification became necessary and along this path we proposed topics that became new challenges for applied professionals, scholars and researchers.
At a time when communities are facing enormous changes and professions are strongly impacted, the technological wave has been and still is overwhelming and requires constant learning and adaptation. But there are essential issues that are always there and are inexcusable: respect for uniqueness and differences, social and educational inclusion, equal rights, access to culture for everyone, without exception.
Although technological tools are essential, this digital magazine does not originate with the sole intervention of artifacts. It is a task of a human group: there are those who edit, correct, review, supervise, draw, translate, design, and necessarily those who produce the texts and choose this medium for their broadcasting. This gives as a result, readers, commentators, broadcasters, critics, each adding value and providing feedback on the work done. In the search for the highest quality and improvement day by day, I share this unique moment with all those who contributed and continue to contribute their time, their knowledge and their talent. For what we did and for what will come, cooperating, exchanging... we keep going.
Tulio Guterman, Director - May 2022
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