Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Jordan Henderson & Narinder Batra
Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT – JORDAN HENDERSON
Communicating with fans is fundamental for any sports club or player, particularly during these lockdown times where engagement is even more challenging
But the increase in online social media abuse has also become even more prevalent in recent months, with Thierry Henry declaring recently that he is deleting his accounts completely until platforms do more to combat the trolls.
Manchester United quartet Anthony Martial, Axel Tuanzebe, Marcus Rashford and Fred and Chelsea’s Reece James have also been targeted by racist social media abuse this season.
There have been reports that the Premier League and Football League might consider a collective social media blackout while Swansea City announced a week-long social media boycott last week on all platforms in response to abuse and discrimination.
The blackout includes all players, staff and the club's official accounts and comes after Jamal Lowe, Ben Cabango and Yan Dhanda have suffered racial abused in the past two months.
A Swans statement read: “As a football club, we have seen several of our players subjected to abhorrent abuse in the past seven weeks alone, and we feel it is right to take a stand against behaviour that is a blight on our sport, and society at large.
“We also want to stand with players from other clubs who have had to endure vile discrimination on social media platforms. As a club we are also acutely aware of how social media can impact on the mental health of players and staff, and we hope our strong stance will highlight the wider effects of abuse.”
Championship rivals Birmingham City soon followed Swansea’s lead and said: “The Club stands in solidarity with Swansea City Football Club…with this fight going beyond sporting rivalries and one that must be tackled in unison.
“Regardless of who such abhorrent abuse on social media is directed towards, Blues do not believe this should determine who speaks out against it and that making this stance together is paramount to ridding the game and society of this evil. This goes far beyond pulling together as Blues, but as football and society."
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has taken things a step further, giving control of his social media channels over to an anti-cyberbullying charity due to continuing online racist abuse.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita were subjected to racist abuse on social media following the Reds' 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
That prompted Henderson to work with the Cybersmile Foundation, which aims to provide support for victims of cyberbullying and promote a positive use of the internet.
Taking to Twitter, Henderson said: “Online abuse has got to stop. Recently I’ve been thinking about what I can do, as an individual, to try and make a difference. I've seen friends, team-mates, other players within football and in wider society be on the receiving end of horrendous online abuse which is now out of control.
“The platforms should be doing more but as a society we need to be kinder to each other – that’s where it starts and stops. I have seriously considered deleting my social media accounts in the last few weeks but instead I want to use my platforms to try and drive positive change – people shouldn't have to boycott platforms or deactivate accounts just to avoid abuse.
“So I'm handing all my social media accounts over to @CybersmileHQ who I have partnered with to raise awareness of the impact that cyberbullying and online abuse can have on people. They'll be sharing stories of people affected as well as resources for education, reporting and how to get help if you or someone you know is struggling. Things have got to change. Jordan.
He added: “I partnered with Cybersmile for the People Not Profiles campaign because the problem of online abuse is continuing to destroy lives every day. It has been great working with Cybersmile to address such an important issue and it is my hope that this campaign raises awareness of how seriously online abuse can affect people and also lets people know there is help and support available to them.”
Henderson should be applauded for taking a proactive approach to addressing the issue of online abuse, especially with social media platforms seemingly impotent at policing the trolling that occurs on their channels.
Rather than simply complain or boycott them, Henderson is using his huge profile to highlight the importance of good behaviour online and the devastating impact has on those who are abused.
A Cybersmile statement added: “The campaign will run for a number of weeks and will be featured on The Cybersmile Foundation and Jordan Henderson’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - all driving content to raise awareness of the severity of the issue while providing support and education options to millions of people online.”
Dan Raisbeck, co-founder of the Cybersmile Foundation, added: “Everybody at Cybersmile is honoured to be working alongside Jordan on this important campaign, designed to serve as a reminder that behind social media profiles there are real people with real feelings.
“By effectively utilizing Jordan's powerful platform, we will be reaching millions of people with behaviour-changing insights into the effects that cyberbullying and online abuse has on people's lives, as well as offering potentially life-saving access to crucial advice and support services.”
Let’s hope Henderson’s support for the campaign highlights the realities of trolling and prompts some if not all the keyboard warriors to think twice before targeting those that they abuse.
MISS – INDIAN OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT NARINDER BATRA
Lalit Bhanot has been one of the powerful figures in Indian sports throughout the 21st Century, but he has never been far from controversy.
A former secretary general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Bhanot previously spent 11 months in jail on corruption charges linked to the New Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.
In May 2020, further questions were raised over Bhanot’s involvement in the IOA after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had insisted previously that officials facing charges should not be involved in the administration of the organisation.
Despite Bhanot offering his resignation in October, IOA President Narinder Batra did not accept the resignation, vowing that Bhanot will continue to serve on IOA commissions so long as he continues in his role as President.
“If anybody has a problem thank you very much,” Batra said, according to the New Indian Express. “I don’t care, he is my chairman. As simple as that. For me he is very important.
“If somebody does not like his face, they are welcome to go and bang their head. As long as I am President, he will continue. If I get elected in November, he will remain as chairman.”
Last month, the IOA Ethics Commission ruled that Bhanot will cease to be a member of any committee of the Olympic body with immediate effect as an interim measure pending a final adjudication on charges of impropriety in his appointments.
The Commission also sought details from Bhanot on his positions in the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).
The IOA website, however, continues to list Bhanot as member of several committees including Chairman of the Tokyo Olympics Preparations Committee.
Given the ruling from the IOA Ethics Commission, Batra’s comments are entirely misplaced and raise further questions about his ability to run the organisation.
Suggesting that anyone unhappy with Bhanot should go and “bang their head” was clumsy language at best and incites unnecessary thoughts of violence and regardless of his views on the decision of the Ethics Commission, the way he communicated his thoughts fell short of what you’d expect from a President of a National Federation.
Rather than simply disregarding Bhanot’s resignation and calling out any critics, Batra should have explained why he felt Bhanot remained the right person for the job.
It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the coming months, particularly in the build up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and whether the decision will be taken out of Batra’s hands.