THERE WAS a time when sport was considered something of a pastime, an avenue for fun and frolic, a chance to engage in friendly rivalry and an opportunity to claim a bit of bragging rights.
Times have changed to the extent that sport is now a vibrant business that not only offers high stakes but contributes significantly to the economic development of Caribbean nations.
At the local level, however, sport remains largely an amateur activity and only a small percentage of our sportspersons can use it to make a livelihood.
It is against that background that we are concerned about the growing number of disputes that have crept onto the domestic sporting landscape in recent years.
One cannot help but to notice the number of grievances that have made their way into the public domain. These only serve to paint an ugly picture for the relevant sporting bodies, organisations, clubs and sponsors.
Over the past five years, the pages of our newspapers have highlighted various complaints, protests, counter-protests, and appeals in varying sports disputes. Some that went unresolved ended up in the law courts or went through an arbitration process.
In many cases, justice prevailed but the result was often an embarrassment to some of the parties and a body blow for the particilar sport itself.
Many of the disputes stem from a lack of understanding of rules by players and officials, a need for greater clarity nin regulations, and most disturbingly, a win-at-all-costs mentality by those who cannot accept defeat.
We are conscious of the reality that mistakes will be made and we accept that any party can pursue the channels available to them to seek justice, but we feel that in many cases some clubs and teams have gone overboard.
Petty complaints serve no good, can possibly delay competitions, and will ultimately turn away the very fans who are depended on to make the events attractive.
Needless to say, current sponsors could want to dissociate themselves from such a turbulent environment and potential sponsors will not be lining up as replacements.
Clubs and teams must be wary of the impact of their actions and should know that they could lead to serious repercussions that will eventually do more harm than good.
Some organisations have rules to deter parties from filing complaints. In the international arena, FIFA, the world’s governing body for football, stipulates that court action will result in suspension. This extends to the local levels of the sport around the globe.
Other sporting bodies, locally and regionally, require a fee for each protest filed. While this move has led to a reduction in the number of protests lodged in recent years, it clearly has not solved the problem.
Be that is it may, we want to urge all concerned to return to the values that once characterised our local sport – play the game hard, give of your best, compete with a spirit of sportsmanship, but above all else, accept the decisions of the officials.
