Surrounding ourselves with stories we have not lived ourselves

This article was submitted as part of sportanddev’s call for articles on sport and democracy. Want to share your views? Find out how.

The whole population is involved in governing, this is what democracy represents. The whole population - what does this even mean? There is a huge diversity inside any population, and democracy means to represent all voices. This is a daunting task, which may even be doomed to failure from the start?

It might be doomed, but democracy can at least be approached step by step. Sports is one such step, because it works as a common anchor for people with many different stories. The only thing team members of a sports team, club members of a sports association or fans of a certain sports team might have in common is their sport. Their sport is what brought them together, what is bridging their lives.

With this first step of bringing diversity, a socialization process takes place. Being confronted with new perspectives, with paths walked in others’ shoes, and with stories some of us could not even imagine, opens up a whole new world for some individuals. These interactions shape our identities and make everyone to who they are. Sports and its potential to bring people together can therefore be a platform but also an inspiration to work towards reducing inequality and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.

By experiencing diverse stories first-hand, phobias of any kind can be reduced. Finding common ground with someone you would have never approached without this common anchor and exchanging words, emotions, and silence, maybe even having an argument with them; This is what democracy is about, including all those voices and sharing their thoughts, fears, and joy. Sports can be a step towards democracy by teaching an open mind and ear, by creating listeners and debaters.

But sports can also fail democracy, it can represent why democracy might be doomed from the start. If someone is not invited, attracted, or welcomed into sports, their voice will not be heard. If someone is uncomfortable to share their story, it will not be heard. This means that in order for democracy to work, some kind of democracy needs to already be in place. An inclusive, attractive, and comfortable place needs to be created in order for diversity to appear and reveal itself.

Of course, diversity can reveal itself through outbursts and movements as well. This is also a form of speaking up and sharing a story, of arguing and discussing. If democracy is not yet in place, this might therefore be the form it takes. But to get a step closer to democracy, it takes another party that can listen to an outburst and takes those voices seriously. It is a two-way street.

Sports tend to reinforce socially constructed norms, trends, and standards by categorizing and putting people into boxes. This can keep diversity suppressed. Sports are not intrinsically democratic, because humans are not intrinsically democratic. Humans only see with their own eyes, cannot read anyone else’s thoughts, and can only construct their world around themselves, humans are egocentric.

This is why conversations between these egocentric individuals need to be fostered. This is why sports need to bridge people’s lives and create space for these conversations. Sports are a way to socialize people in a democratic environment and grassroot sports can play a central role in this process. Communication to the outside of an association must show that there is a place for everyone, and that performance is not necessarily priority, but bonding over a common interest is. Sports need to be accessible, a possibility for everyone, and boundaries of any kind need to be removed.

Democracy is not yet in place. Let’s work step by step towards it and make the world around every individual fuller of stories they have not lived themselves.

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Valerie Jacot, a master student at the department of Sport Sciences at Malmö university. I am who I am because of all the interactions with people and places around me, and sports brought me to a lot of those and will continue to do so.