It's in your hands! COVID-19 and SPORT (2 of 4)

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ENGAGEMENT

When new ways of guided / recommended living are announced there will obviously be a continued element of responsibility on the public to abide by the guidance and take responsibility for themselves and others – as per previous post, future guidance on ‘integration’ (coming out of lockdown) will not be as clear as the guidance on going into lockdown. Furthermore, for the public to follow the guidance they need to engage with the process of these decisions and experience them as legitimate (Tyler & Jackson, 2013). Simply put, if you engage in a decision making process and understand the logic then people are significantly more likely to follow it.

SO WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH YOU AND YOUR SPORT?

I am curious about what people are doing during the lockdown in preparation for returning to competition / integration.

What is going to happen in each sporting arena?

Golf courses, tennis courts, rugby and football matches, cycling races, athletic meets etc. There may well be guidance from each governing body, but these individuals tend to be far away from the front line of the sports, e.g. you don’t see the head of the FA or England Golf every Sunday morning to talk to.

But does this mean you should be passive in this transition?

What do you want your sport to look like in the future? How would you like it to be different? What ideas do you have that you could share with those of influence (managers, coaches, governing bodies)?

On what basis are people making decision?

There is also another fundamental consideration at any time of change, values. On what basis are people making decisions – economic benefit, health, fitness for all, money for the elite etc.? What is important to you and your sport? What values would you want these decisions to be based around, what is important?

Society and sport will not be the same again and we all need to be responsible and engage in the process of change to shape the future in a positive way.

If nothing else I hope this stimulates some thought about the roles that you can play in determining the future of a sport that you love.

Happy to help.

Paul