We have always heard about how much sports and the passions around the games we love to watch and play can drive people to aspire higher. However the rigors of the day to day side of sports rarely allows for interaction amongst leagues and teams. It happens in cities from time to time, the players unions and leagues, even brands, can unite within their respective siloes, but across all of sport as a unified voice? That’s cumbersome and rare. For years there has been talk about creating a “Sports Czar” to help marshal all the good and share best practices on a national and international level, but there has never been the need, the time or the funds to do so. The siloes are very full on their own, and when a best practice comes around, especially one that can be monetized, it seems to find itself from place to place.
Best practices can be replicated.
The Pandemic, and the issues with social justice this past year have seemed to alter those siloes a bit. The issues were global, the cry for solving issues was very broad, and we saw some great work done by athletes, coaches and organizations to rally awareness and support that helped to heal, and make a difference regardless of whether you played in the NBA, the Premier League, or were part of NASCAR or the WTA. The issues were self evident and touched all, and the collective response was enormous and impactful. The messages were also tailored but there was not one capture across all sport.
The same has held true for things like voting and vaccination sites. We saw the NFL step up for vaccination sites with all their stadia, and many arenas have come forth as well as needed, but there has not been one collective marshalling of all sport…everyone joins in as they can.
Now we are on to perhaps the most critical stage of return to play with regard to the Pandemic. Getting people vaccinated and making sure communities understand the need and the science that has made it safe. Especially in challenged communities, the distrust of the vaccine remains high, and who better to deliver that message than the athletic community? There have been instances where some NBA Legends…Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabbar…have taken to the social chorus for vaccinations, and we have seen some teams, most recently the New Orleans Pelicans, join the vaccination chorus, but not large numbers of athletes and coaches making this priority one, like we saw with social protests, voting and even mask wearing.
The first big step in using the power of sport to raise awareness final came this week when the AD Council released a cross sport video of highlights and moments showing the joy of big events with big crowds…with the vaccination message worked in. It was emotional, touched on almost every league and sent a clear message, one which teams are now following up on with awareness messages. It was a good step, but one that did not have the personal message of athletes yet sending the message, or even of athletes getting the shot en masse. (Video)
Now the reasons for that are probably but political (needlessly…wear a mask, social distance and get the vaccine to get back to games) and have to do with distribution (there are continued questions that young healthy athletes should not get the vaccine before other communities in need, and that the optics of athlete shots may be wrong messaging just yet), but it is becoming clearer that more vaccines are available and the emotional return to the stands can be satisfied by leaders…athletes and coaches…who publicly advocate and at least say they WILL get the shot when it is their turn.
That message and that video, should be both a hyper local focus and one that could be culled by a group like the Ad Council, or even Big Pharma, to send another cross sport impactful message at a time when it is needed the most.
Will we ever get to someone, or a group on the Federal Government side (a role in the President’s Council of Physical Fitness or Office of Liaison) rallying leagues, athletes and teams on key issues? There have been some one off efforts but not one that is consistent or impactful, or can show even greater value to all those in the matrix. It is a heavy, agenda and ego filled lift, but it can have some great upside.
One thing is sure, the impact of all these sports pulling as one can be vast, especially when it is an important, and well documented and planned call to action.
