- In all countries, discussions are currently underway on the resumption of activities, including professional sport.
- The actors' considerations are mainly economic, and the very essence of sport, entertainment, seems a little forgotten.
It's starting to take a long time ... and it's far from over. For those who like to see sports live, the current period is a torture. No meeting with friends, no debate on the selection of Moussa Sissoko or the chances of Stade Toulousain against Ulster around a small beer, no collective trance after a long line backhand by Richard Gasquet for lead two sets to zero, no family picnic while waiting for Thibaut Pinot to pass through the Madeleine, nothing. The coronavirus pandemic has got the better of sport like many everyday things, and now that it is time to talk about resumption, it is the most total blur.
And the happiness of the people, then?
French football (minus one person) said stop, Roland-Garros and the Tour de France will try to save the furniture in September, our European neighbors are thinking of relaunching what can be by the summer, with slightly distressing health protocols without public. In all of this, economic imperatives seem to be the only important argument. And the very essence of sport, entertainment, seems to have been forgotten.
Well almost. Dominic Raab, British Minister for Foreign Affairs, said at the beginning of May that "the resumption of the matches would boost the morale of the nation". In Germany, the Minister-President of Bavaria, Markus Söder, rightly pointed out that "a weekend with football is much more bearable than a weekend without football", while according to the Spanish government, "the professional sport contributes to improving the morale and psychological well-being of the population ”.
Sport, "not a fundamental factor in the cohesion of the nation"
And in France ? Such an exit is not in the standards of the Republic. "Sport will not be a priority in our society," said Minister Roxana Maracineanu on April 22 about deconfinement. This is understood, of course. Health precautions come first, everyone agrees on this point. It also reflects our society. "The place of sport in France has always been very measured, said Jean-François Lamour, Minister of Sports from 2002 to 2007. Sport is not seen as a fundamental factor in the cohesion of the nation, even if I find that it has changed in the last twenty years. "
Why ? Mainly a question of culture. "We have a somewhat more distant relationship with football, and sport in general, than other countries," observes Canal + journalist Hervé Mathoux, who has traveled to England, Brazil or Spain for the care of his documentary It's okay to love football. But that seems pretty logical to me. Sports culture is less developed, and there is also a certain wealth, cultural for example, which has come to compete more with sport than in other countries. The place of football, I find it balanced, and it has progressed. "
"It doesn't matter to love football!" ❤️⚽️
Writers, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists or historians explain to @MathouxHerve why "It's okay to love football" at 9pm on @canalplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/hBofVFaJI3
Priority or not, its importance is unquestionable. Economic, first of all, like any first-class sector of activity. Social, too, and perhaps most of all. Soccer, tennis, rugby, cycling and all the most popular sports entertain. Unite. "You have to give sport back to the French to give them happiness," says Jean-René Bernaudeau, manager of the Direct Total Energie cycling team. An event like the Tour is necessary for social and family ties. It is perhaps the only sporting event where the whole family is by the roadside. "
"Sport is about links," explains Marc, spokesperson for the National Association of Fans (ANS). The stadium is one of the only places today where everyone can hang out, regardless of their origins, skin color, religion. This diversity is important for society. "Not being able to go to the stadium is a sporting, emotional and social lack," summarizes Yannick Vanhee, the president of the club of supporters of the France team in the North. What we are looking for with sport is friendship, sharing of emotions, seeing this famous goal live where we can burst out in joy, all together. These are moments of joy or tears. These dramaturgy, these emotions are irreplaceable. "
Football symbol of "possible humanity"
Stadiums are also an outlet, places where we have the right - within a certain limit - to no longer be completely ourselves. Everyone needs to escape, and for many, this is where it happens. Sport, more generally, is a symbol. “In my documentary, José Miguel Wisnik [Brazilian composer and essayist] says that the existence of football is proof of possible humanity. As long as we can still play it, humanity is still possible, exposes Mathoux, who whistled the resumption of the Canal Football Club Sunday evening. In fact, we realize, when our entertainment is stopped, that we are not in danger of death but that our civilization is in danger. "
This is all that makes the weight of sport in a society. “The interest taken by intellectuals to give legitimacy to sport is very recent. He was long regarded as serving the interests of the populace which deserved contempt, says sociologist Christian Bromberger. Sport deserves a reassessment of its status. It teaches us, better than literature or theater, what are the conditions for success in the contemporary world. It tells us about merit, surpassing oneself, sociability in a club. "
The public actor of the show
The gradual resumption of competitions is an important marker. Even if the camera, which we fear will be the norm for a few more months, makes it a bit bland, almost meaningless. As for the legendary passes of the Tour de France without the Dutch motorhomes and the crowd that carries the riders in the passages at 10%, let's not even talk about it.
“Sport is a spectacle in which the spectators are also actors, unlike the theater or the cinema where history is written before the performance, analyzes Christian Bromberger. The public has the feeling, more or less founded, of being able to act on history. To fill the void, ideas are germinating right to left.
In Germany, fans of Mönchengladbach have devised a system allowing those who want to have their own cardboard effigy installed where they usually sit in the stadium. The British channels Sky and BT Sport are thinking about the possibility of broadcasting pre-recorded ambient sounds on TV that correspond to what is happening on the ground.
“Wouldn't it be counterproductive to show sports where there is no atmosphere at all?” Wonders Marc, from the ANS. In the end, wouldn't we show a bad image, or in any case an artificial image, which would serve us? It may be a short-term palliative, but in the long term it would be harmful. "
"That the public demands the return of sport is a pure act"
Everyone agrees that it's better than nothing, for the moment. In France, it will probably be necessary to wait until August to vibrate on local competitions. Everyone hopes to return to normal in the fall. This will already mean that the storm has passed. And that passion for sport will once again have its place for those who have made it a central element of their existence. “I am not ready to risk my life and that of my family, my parents, my grandparents, for a football match, of course. But I can't wait. Please, we can soon return to the stadium! Implores Yannick Vanhee.
We will leave the last word to the great sage Jean-René Bernaudeau: "When it is the players concerned who demand a resumption of competitions, there may be indecency because they are interested. This is not the case, however, when it is the public who claims it, because there is no interest, if not his personal happiness. He asks for his pleasure. For the public to demand the return of sport is a pure act. Amen.
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