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Listen to one young hockey player formerly with the NHL whose coach was
accused of sexual intimidation and whose words were quoted in many Canadian
media articles.
"The coach is so respected. Your parents send you away and say. Do what the
coach says. At that age you listen. That's your first step if you want to play pro."
He went on to say "You do not have a clue what to do. You tell your mother and
she makes you come home. You tell your friends and they will just portray you as
a gay guy. It's a very scary thing..."
Listen to the words of a 20-year-old swimmer: "I was 13 when he made his first
advances and it's been like carrying a heavy weight around all these years. My
feelings towards him are absolute hatred. My parents had complete trust in him.
It's not something they will ever get over... I had had no idea so many other girls
were involved. When I found out I just couldn't believe it."
And finally, the Outsider may also observe VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR in the name
of sports. He or she will shake his or her head in relation to parents and conflict.
Parents engage in open and occasionally deadly conflict with each other, coaches
or officials on behalf of their children in sports. Their children will learn that
this is how to deal with conflict; and officials and coaches will leave sports. The
Outsider will learn of athletes who are ultimately prosecuted because the laws
of society can no longer permit sport to be a law unto itself. The Outsider learns
of assaults, sexual assaults and rape, aggression, team brawls (particularly evident
in hockey, football, soccer and baseball) - even murder — all on behalf of sports.
With the advent of the Internet and increased global communication, we can
literally flood the airwaves with negativity in sports.
Of course, the Outsider may also observe positive aspects of able-bodied elite
sports, but it is clear that media continuously informs us of what is negative
about able bodies sports rather than what is positive. Unfortunately, this is
the paradigm by which the uninformed Outsider analyses sports.
(c) The Ideal View
So, what is it that we want the Outsider to see? What are the ideal images that
we wish him or her to observe?
We can do little about the negativity surrounding able-bodied sports but we
can do a great deal to promote the positive aspects of what the Paralympics
represents. For example, we want the Outsider to observe excellent performances
in an ethical environment.
We want the Outsider to see a model of sport that places its athletes at the
centre of its structure and its organisation.
We want the Outsider to see a world of sport that is not only honest, ethical
and athlete centred, but that is:
1. Treated equitably by the able-bodied sports organisations, and not as
second-class.
2. Striving towards equality for all its athletes: men and women alike, the
severely disabled, all-sports, all-disabilities and all countries.
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