Chris Gayle’s comments toward Australian Ten Sports’ presenter Mel McLaughlin were tactless, graceless and categorically unprofessional, whether it was said in Australia, Kazakhstan, Myanmar or any part of the Caribbean.
At the same time the call by Ian Chappell for an international ban on Gayle is fraught with unreasonableness and ludicrousness after Gayle issued an ‘apology’ and was fined US$7,000.
There are two lessons to be learnt from Gayle’s unthinkingness. Firstly, the undesirable behaviour (not unique to Gayle) did not germinate in Melbourne, Australia but had its seeds sewn and fertilised in the Caribbean by the many institutions and people who have lauded his (and others) sporting talents and allowed balls of wool to be pulled over their critical and objective eyes.
Therefore, the conferring of ‘superstar’ status on sportsmen (and sportswomen although it’s difficult to find sportswomen who are treated on par as their male counterparts) provides them with unencumbered excesses to do as they please as they know their overly respectful supporters are not prepared to call a spade a spade even when their constructed ‘superheroes’ engage in injudiciousness.
The situation is further problematised by an increasing blurring of what is considered culturally acceptable. It is not uncommon to see the goalpost being constantly moved to suit the societal status of the actors involved. An example of this can be drawn from local politics when supporters of one party may justify corruption by saying the other party also thief! Apparently two wrongs make a right once it serves someone’s interest!
Had the CPL in 2014 reprimanded Gayle for his comments at a press conference in Antigua instead of claiming that, “Chris is excited for the tournament and was having a laugh with a journalist, who has a laugh back; there was no malice intended” (Jamaica Observer July 18, 2014), he would have known that such a behaviour is unacceptable and distasteful even in the Caribbean.
Additionally, Caribbean cricket fans could have also reflected on such a reprimand of a ‘superstar’. Instead such a response by the CPL was a further granting of unrestrained use of language to exhibit power over others especially women in an appropriated male space of Caribbean cricket. This is another example of how Gayle’s behaviour is also the product of a complex and contradictory Caribbean culture.
The CPL committee missed a golden opportunity to demonstrate to all its stakeholders especially the headliner players that any form of behaviour that transgresses the rights of people through sexism, racism, classism, ethnicity and sexual orientation will be unequivocally unacceptable.
The same can be said about all the different international T20 leagues and franchises who have also used Gayle and other high profile sportsmen and women for marketing purposes and thereby empower them to believe they possess certain kinds of unbridled power.
The second important lesson is that steps should be taken to ensure that the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen are properly sensitised in their development programmes to the various social, economic and political issues that are inherent in the modern sport environment either at the amateur and or professional level.
These steps include:
• The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs ensuring that all National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) have policies that set out acceptable behaviour as it relates to issues of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation and health related issues. Additionally, it is important that these NSOs implement these policies so that all its members are aware.
• All national teams from the junior level should embark on programmes that educate athletes about these social issues for both locally and international engagements.
• Schools have an important role in building the social capacity of the student athletes.
• Coaches, administrators and officials should also be sensitised about these different social issues.
• Based on audio and visual interviews, it is evident that some of our sportsmen/women may not have had and or not enough of training as it relates to conducting interviews. It is important that part of the overall development programme, that all athletes are exposed to training to addressing the media and know exactly how to field questions especially on topical issues. Additionally, being able to interact with the media can go a long way toward developing self-esteem.
In essence, what the aforementioned will do is create an embracing environment from very early where our sportsmen/women will be exposed to the requisite training in social and communicative skills that can complement their direct sporting skills and be better prepared to embrace the professional world of sport.