The Sporting Spirit - George Orwell

The Sporting Spirit

Introduction:

George Orwell is a famous essayist and novelist.  His frank critical satire on communism in ‘Animal Farm’ and his vision of future novel ‘1984’ are very interesting. In this essay ‘The Sporting Spirit’ Orwell looks at sports from a different angle. Exchange of sports teams and athletic teams is generally expected to bridge a friendly relationship between the countries concerned. But Orwell warns that, unless the players have real sporting spirit and ‘play the game’, the result of such will be bitterness rather than friendliness.

Anglo-Soviet Relationship:

The author says he can speak very openly when many people cannot comment publicly before the arrival of the Dynamos football team from Russia.  The sports cause ill-will and the visit of Dynamo football team would not improve the relationship between Britain and Russia.  The match played between these two countries league team led to much bad feeling.  The players fought with each other or the crowd booed, or it was free-for-all from the beginning.  The controversy amongst the Russian team was they said it is not the Arsenal League team, rather it comprises of all England players. But the England claims that it was just a league team of Arsenal football club.  Overall it created a bitter relationship between the two nations.

The author often believed that sports increases good will between the nations.  He gives out an example as the 1936 Olympics under Hitler’s rule that the above opinion was wrong.  The international sporting contested lead to hatred and bitterness.

Sports are Competitive:

Sports which are practiced today are very competitive.  They do not play for fun.  They just play to win.  Prestige issue plays a vital role even in a school football or cricket matches.  At the international level sports is frankly a mimic warfare (small battle).  More than the behaviour of players the attitude of the spectators is really stunning.  Orwell gives out illustration from the Australian match being played against England in the year 1921 created controversy regarding the body line bowling.  Football is even worse, whereas Boxing is the worst of all sport.  The match played between a black and white among the mixed audience will create the most disgusting moment in boxing sport.  Women spectators are more horrible, so the army by its regulations does not permit women to watch the contest.

Audience from different countries:

Various countries react differently for different sports.  In England the obsession (fixation) with sports is very bad.  Countries like India and Burma should have a strong cordon of police to keep the crowd away from entering into the field during cricket and football matches.  Supporters break through the security force and disabled the goalkeeper of the opposite side at a crucial moment.  People wanted to see only one side on top and the other side to be humiliated and defeated badly.  Serious sports have nothing to do with fair play.  It is just the war without shooting.

Modern Sports:

Most of the games played today were played in olden days too.  But they played with different spirit.  Dr. Arnold generally known as the founder of Modern Public-School looked games as a waste of time.  Then cheaply in England and United States games were turned into money yielding factors by attracting vast crowds and the infection spread from country to country. Spirit of Nationalism aroused due to competitive sporting events.  The crowds feel with a group of people and imagined that their victory or defeat affected them and their nation.  Games were played in Rome and Byzantium as serious as they are played now, but they never mixed sports with politics or group hatreds.

Conclusion:

The author says that if one wants to worsen the world condition today is one can do it by a series of football matches watched by a mixed audience.  He does not mean that a sport is one of the main causes of international rivalry.  Orwell does not want the visit of the Dynamos to be followed by the visit of a British team to Russia and worsen the relationship more than ever by encouraging young men to kick each other of shins (below knee) among the mixed audience.