Political Expression in Sport

212 Pages·2022·2.384 MB·English

by  Cem Abanazir

Political Expression in Sport
This powerful new book looks at how private institutions governing and organising
sport restrict political expression. Uniquely, it makes a case for the freedom
of expression for athletes, spectators and audiences built upon philosophical
foundations.
In the era of Colin Kaepernick and taking a knee, politics and protest in
sport have never been more visible and immediate. Drawing on a wide range
of international cases, including protest actions from athletes such as Tommie
Smith and John Carlos, Naomi Osaka and Feyisa Lilesa, as well as the reactions
from sport organisations including the IOC, FIFA, UEFA and the NFL, the book
argues that the organisation of sport at the hands of associations and leagues and
their transnational power to regulate, adjudicate and enforce matters according
to their interests lead to the restriction of freedom of expression. Focusing on
the individual, the book presents a framework for the defence of freedom of
expression in sport on moral grounds and also explores the limits to freedom of
expression, especially those arising from hate speech, that might better serve both
the individual and sport as an institution.
This book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the ethics,
philosophy or politics of sport, sport governance, the relationship between sport
and wider society, or moral or political philosophy.
Cem Abanazir works as an independent researcher, Turkey.
Ethics and Sport
Series editors
Mike McNamee, University of Wales Swansea
Jim Parry, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
The Ethics and Sport series aims to encourage critical reflection on the practice of
sport, and to stimulate professional evaluation and development. Each volume
explores new work relating to philosophical ethics and the social and cultural
study of ethical issues. Each is different in scope, appeal, focus and treatment
but a balance is sought between local and international focus, perennial and
contemporary issues, level of audience, teaching and research application, and
variety of practical concerns.
Titles in the series:
Coaching, Sport and the Law
A Duty of Care
Neil Partington
The Philosophy of Mixed Martial Arts
Squaring the Octagon
Edited by Jason Holt and Marc Ramsay
Philosophy, Sport and the Pandemic
Edited by Jeffrey P. Fry and Andrew Edgar
Return of the Grasshopper
Games, Leisure and the Good Life in the Third Millennium
Bernard Suits, edited by Christopher C. Yorke and Francisco
Javier López Frías
Political Expression in Sport
Transnational Challenges, Moral Defences
Cem Abanazir
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Ethics-
and-Sport/book-series/EANDS
Political Expression in Sport
Transnational Challenges, Moral
Defences
Cem Abanazir
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2023 Cem Abanazir
The right of Cem Abanazir to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Abanazir, Cem, author.
Title: Political expression in sport : transnational challenges,
moral defences / Cem Abanazir.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. |
Series: Ethics and sport | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022024754 | ISBN 9781032147864 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781032147895 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003241102 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sports—Political aspects. | Sports administration—
Political aspects. | Athletes—Political activity. | Freedom of
expression.
Classification: LCC GV706.35 .A33 2023 | DDC 306.4/83—dc23/
eng/20220713
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022024754
ISBN: 978-1-032-14786-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-14789-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-24110-2 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003241102
Typeset in Goudy
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To those who fight for the right to be treated as an
equal.

Contents
Acknowledgements x
A Note to the Reader xi
List of Abbreviations xii
List of Written Norms xiii
List of Cases xiv
Introduction 1
PART I
Sport, Politics, the Market and the Law 7
1 The Autonomy of Sport 9
1.1 A Worthy Foundation 9
1.2 Rethinking Autonomy 10
1.2.1 Interlinked Autonomies 10
1.2.2 Legal Autonomy 15
1.3 The Moral in the Normative 18
2 Power Over Stakeholders 30
2.1 Introduction 30
2.2 Maintaining the Normative Order 30
2.3 Regulatory Powers 33
2.4 Adjudicatory Powers 35
2.5 Enforcement Powers 38
2.6 A Plurality of Normative Orders 41
viii Contents
3 Political Sport 49
3.1 A Brief Overview of Nation-States, Politics,
Symbols and Sport 49
3.2 Sport Associations as Collaborators 53
3.2.1 The Setting 53
3.2.2 The Practices of International Sport Associations 55
3.2.3 Domestic Sport Associations’ Front 60
3.2.3.1 The US 61
3.2.3.2 England 64
3.2.3.3 Turkey 65
3.2.4 A Possible Objection 67
3.3 Final Remarks 69
PART II
Defending Freedom of Expression 77
4 Arguments for Freedom of Expression 79
4.1 Introduction 79
4.2 Argument from Truth 79
4.3 Argument from Democracy 82
4.4 Arguments from Autonomy and Self-Fulfilment 84
4.5 Suspicion of Government 86
4.6 Constructivist/Rights-Based Approach 87
4.7 The Way Forward 89
5 Athletes, Spectators and Audiences as Individuals 94
5.1 Introduction 94
5.2 Fashioning the Ideal Individual for Sport 94
5.3 Global Entertainment and the Role of Borders 99
5.4 The Monopoly of Sport Associations 103
5.5 Preassigned Roles in Sport 106
5.5.1 Overview 106
5.5.2 The Athlete: ‘Additive Identity’? 107
5.5.3 The Spectator: ‘Multiplicative Identity’? 111
5.6 Captive Audiences 114
5.6.1 Athletes, Spectators and Audiences as
Captive Audiences? 115
5.6.2 Arguments Against Captive Audiences in Sport 115
5.7 Final Remarks 117
Contents ix
PART III
Limiting Freedom of Expression 123
6 The Limits of Freedom of Expression 125
6.1 Introduction 125
6.2 Restriction or Regulation? 125
6.3 Harms, Rights and Interests 126
6.3.1 The Harm in Expression 126
6.3.2 Balancing 129
6.4 Valuation and Categorisation of Expressions 136
6.4.1 The Foundations and Their Critique 136
6.4.2 The Situation in Sport 138
6.5 Arguments for Restriction 141
6.6 The Impact on Play 143
7 Hate Speech 150
7.1 Introduction 150
7.2 What Is Hate Speech? 150
7.3 The View from Sport 153
7.3.1 Overview 153
7.3.2 Expanding the Scope of Hate Speech 155
7.3.3 Hate Speech on the Part of Athletes 157
7.3.4 Hate Speech on the Part of Spectators 162
7.4 Histories 167
7.4.1 Challenging Histories 167
7.4.2 Unacceptable Histories 169
7.4.3 Acceptable Histories 171
Conclusion 180
Index 187