TMO 10-15-15

6 — The Muslim Observer — Oct 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1436
Sports and
Consequences
Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
Get alcohol out of
the game
OPINION
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The Muslim Observer — Oct 15 - 21, 2015 — Muharram 3 - 9, 1437 — 7
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Steve Sarkisian had a bright
career ahead of him. Until a
few short days ago he was the
head coach of the University
of Southern California (USC).
At 41 he embodied the young
brash high-energy coaching
that elite programs attract. As
a mentee of former USC coach
Pete Carroll (now the head
coach of the Seattle Seahawks)
Sarkisian was blessed with the
mentoring and training to succeed.
What went wrong? Why
was Sarkisian’s season abruptly
cut short?
In the off-season Sarkisian
amassed what many considered
the best recruiting class
in the country. This years USC
team is loaded with young talent.
They have not played particularly
well, but they have
all the ability to do so – they
could be special. Well, not with
Sarkisian. The University of
Southern California just fired
their football coach because he
had let an alcohol addiction spiral
out of control. He’d hit rock
bottom. Sarkisian has what
scholars call a disease of the
heart. In a culture surrounded
by excess and drinking he was
an alcoholic and it has cost him
his career.
A number of high profile
athletes have also hit rock
bottom dealing with alcohol
and addiction. Yankees pitcher
C.C. Sabathia took a leave from
the team just a day before they
were about to play in a playoff
play-in game. Former NBA
champion Lamar Odom was
found unconscious in a Nevada
Brothel – among other things
they said he’d been drinking
cognac. The most widely used
drug of choice in the world
consistently ruins lives of some
of our brightest athletic stars.
Why do we let this situation
continue?
Alcohol and sports is big
business and a public health
threat. Beer companies have
long been significant partners
for most of America’s most revered
sports. Football, basketball,
baseball, and car racing
all reap generous profits from
alcohol advertising. In 2005
The World Health Organization
Alcohol released guidelines for
alcohol and sports advertising.
This stems from research that
shows that drinking inhibits an
athlete’s ability to perform but
also that alcohol use in sports
advertisement has a negative
ripple effect. Ads are targeted at
children and link an active lifestyle
with consumption of alcoholic
beverages. Even though
in most places advertisements
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are regulated they still appeal
to youth. This has detrimental
affects on some societies.
Citing the number of frequency
of alcohol related deaths there
exists a movement in Ireland
calling for a ban of sports and
alcohol advertisement.
Alcohol is a part of sports
culture. Many athletes, coaches,
and owners do not know
when the party ends and that
some people are sick. Some
people are alcoholics or have
the propensity for it. A Yemeni
family that I know recently
came face to face with addiction.
Their youngest, drank and
drifted and his sickness led him
onto the streets. Eventually he
landed in a treatment center.
He needed a lot of help. Most
people who have alcohol addiction
issues need a lot of help
and a lot of love and they are
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not getting it.
Culture change is needed.
Celebration time needs to be
reimagined. C.C. Sabathia took
part in a raucous locker room
celebration – a baseball tradition
– where players douse
themselves in champagne after
winning to advance to the next
level or winning a championship.
That needs to change. If
sports can become more equitable
landscapes they can also
become more mindful. Adding
alcohol into the mix of celebrations
reinforces unhealthy
choices. We should also be
more stringent about what type
of content is allowed. I am all
for a ban and I think I am not
alone in this opinion.
Sports should be spaces for
our children to imagine themselves
at their best. Let’s keep in
mind people like Lamar Odom,
Photo credit: Photodune
Johnny Manziel, C.C. Sabathia
and, of course, Steve Sarkisian
and for the sake of the integrity
of our sports lets get alcohol
out of the promotions and advertisement
of all games.
Editor’s Note: Ibrahim Abdul-
Matin has worked in the civic,
public, and private sectors and
on several issues including sustainability,
technology, community
engagement, sports, and
new media. He is the author of
Green Deen: What Islam Teaches
About Protecting the Planet and
contributor to All-American: 45
American Men On Being Muslim.
From 2009 to 2011 Ibrahim was
the regular Sports Contributor
for WNYC’s nationally syndicated
show The Takeaway. Follow
him on twitter @IbrahimSalih.
The views expressed here are his
own.
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