The Sporting Spirit by George Orwell
Summary
George Orwell’s The Sporting Spirit, first published in Tribune in 1945, is a short
study exposing the facade of sports tournaments conducted in Europe post the
Second World War. It recounts the events during the Britain tour of Dynamo
Moscow- the league champions of the Soviet Union, as the guests of the English
Football Association. Their invitation by the British becomes a point of debate
amongst the intellectuals who were concerned with the recently ended war where
the two nations stood against each other. Orwell maintains a view, which he believes
many would hesitate to advocate, that sport is “an unfailing cause of ill-will” and such
invitations hold higher chances of severing the existing ties instead of mending
them.
He elucidates his opinion by describing the news that was in print after two matches
were played by the concerned teams. The players had entered into a physical spat
witnessed by the audience. Adding to the frenzy were the claims surrounding the
composition of the Arsenal team that in turn questioned the abrupt exit of Dynamos
from their tour, contributing to another controversy.
By tracing the origin and development of sports activities from the Middle Ages to his
contemporary era, Orwell deduces the rise of nationalism that colludes with the
politics of the time to be the major force that leads athletes of a team to associate
their win with the national win. The preoccupation with prestige, pride and
maintaining a competitive edge was never a push for the players when the games
were played before the war years. These activities used to be an expression of
enthusiasm and zeal for life displayed through vigorous engagement by men.
Claiming international-level sports as ‘mimicking warfare’, Orwell doesn’t hesitate to
bash the audience who, due to their social conditioning, presume that a few hours of
playing with a ball can be the ultimate criteria to evaluate a player’s “national virtue”.
He continues with examples from various sports, commencing from cricket which
has become a game of “grace rather than strength” to football which is played
distinctly by every country. However, Orwell considers boxing to be the worst of all. It
is a sport involving physical aggression and injuries and the heightened
unpleasantness when the match is between a white and a coloured boxer.
The obsession with sports is observed in countries that have recently achieved
independence and where nationalistic sentiments are fairly fresh. By listing instances
from India, Burma and Spain where the spectators defied rules, Orwell throws light
on the participation of an uncontrolled audience in such tournaments that become a
spectacle for animosity. The influence of such an audience attempt to mark upon the
players by cheering and raining insults on the opposite team is evidence that sport is
“war minus the shooting.” He further argues that instead of praising the Olympics for
its effort to bring all the countries together on one platform to showcase their talent, it
is far more necessary to dwell on the formation of the “modern cult of sports” that
does not involve healthy competition anymore. Earlier, games were perceived as a
“waste of time” but gradually they attracted heavy finances that invited crowds and
like an “infection” spread to each country.
Towards the end of his unveiling critique, Orwell clears his standpoint of not
accusing sports as a cause of international rivalry but as an “effect of the causes that
produced nationalism” in the first place. He asserts the ill-fate of sending a national
team to play with a rival team in their homeland promotes the feeling of shame one
must experience on losing the match. By sarcastically suggesting to not follow up the
Dynamos’ visit, Orwell reflects on the political, economical and social struggles that
are still looming around which should hold a much more significant position than the
potential troubles caused by the knocking of men amidst hundreds of onlookers.
The Sporting Spirit | Analysis
As a first-person narrative reflecting contemporary political and national issues,
Orwell’s work blurs the demarcation of different genres of writing and thus is loosely
placed under the category of an essay. His composition is a realistic piece that
delineates events revolving around the radical tour of Britain by Dynamo Moscow;
the Soviet champions post the Second World War. The work is premised on the
uncovering of the “ill-will” that the writer believes is fuelled by sports events
organised at international levels.
Orwell exposes the strategies meted out on the political front to mend relations with
hostile countries, in this instance Britain’s Football Association inviting a team from a
rival country. Such moves put the existing ties at stake and lure the possibility of
backfiring due to the collusion of sports and nationalism. The tournaments which
should be seen as a celebration of skill, unity and physical valour in a healthy
environment are otherwise viewed as a spectacle of prestige when one country
stands against the other. But if the concerned countries have a history of conflict, it
transforms into a matter of national honour.
So this interlinking between glory and win has contributed to a dynamic
understanding of sports which is now no more a friendly enterprise.
The principal role of media and spectators in the evolution of sports is highlighted by
the author to reveal the power that freedom of speech bestows and the web of
censorship it endures. After the war, people lost a sense of touch with reality and
experienced an existential crisis. The only way to maintain their faith was to provide
them with a key that led to an exploration of a substantial meaning in their lives. This
key was the development of the nationalistic trait among the citizens. When one
loses hope as an individual, he/she finds strength in unity. As a group, they believe
to possess a purpose in their lives, in this case boosting the morale of team players
of their own country to win against the opposition to avoid tarnishing the reputation
and honour of the country.
It is a well-known belief that when a game is played, one has an equal chance of
winning and losing. It is necessary to exhibit sportsmanship and healthy competition
against opponents. But Orwell’s commentary is a powerful disclosure of the evading
sporting spirit each player should harbour while engaged in a game. And it is not just
the players who should have it but the supporting audience as well. A sport was
meant to be enjoyed but now its value has reduced to the question of who’ll be
taking the trophy back home because one’s honour is now inclined with his/her own
country. This is a perfect example of personal becoming political because
international-level sports “mimic warfare”. No one intends to lose and the players
play against one another with a passion equivalent to an army’s when fighting a war.
It is fascinating to learn the essence sports now have in our lives and Orwell’s words
could not be more relevant to our contemporary times. If we reflect on what happens
in India while a cricket match is played with its rival nation Pakistan, it’s no less than
a war. The entire country is hooked to their television screens with many
superstitious people even praying to god for their win. To lose a match against their
rival country is no less than a sin committed. If a player’s performance is not up to
the mark, he is showered with insults and criticism, not due to his bad performance
alone but his bad performance against that particular nation. The previous accolades
that the player might have achieved lose their worth the second he loses his form in
the match. This is the power of nationalism that is emphasized in Orwell’s work
which he condemns. His conclusion hints at a country’s resources to attend to more
pressing issues like unemployment, poverty, social infrastructure etc. that were some
outcomes of the war instead of organising sports events and inviting enemy nations
that might lead to controversies and more troubles.
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Outline
In The Sporting Spirit by George Orwell we have the theme of pride, nationalism,
jealousy, hatred and passion. Taken from his Shooting an Elephant collection the
reader realises after reading the essay that Orwell may be exploring the theme of
pride and nationalism. Orwell argues that the sport played by either side may not
necessarily be of the utmost importance. Be it football, boxing or cricket. The driving
factor is not to be beaten by another nationality as by doing so one may lose face. It
is also possible that Orwell is suggesting that sport is taken far too seriously.
Particularly in urban areas where individuals may not have an outlet for their
energies. The fact that the Arsenal team is mentioned by the Russians as being an
all-England team is also interesting as it highlights for the reader the fact that Arsenal
do not wish to be beaten by a foreign team. Hence using the best player’s available
to them from other teams. Likewise it is as though the element of fun has been taken
out of playing sport with those who attend sporting events trying their best to disrupt
the opposition.
Orwell also argues that there is an element of savagery among those who attend
sporting events. Something which some critics might suggest is an example of
excessive pride for one’s own team. The Olympic Games held in Germany in 1936
are also placed under a spotlight by Orwell. With many historians looking upon the
Games as being a propaganda event for Hitler and Nazism in general. Again the fun
that one may have playing football or any other sport on the local green is no longer.
Orwell also suggests that sport has become a big business and as such the owners
of teams dictate what happens. Again no longer is sport seen as being a fun thing to
participate in. Those who play football for example are mere pawns of the owners of
the football club. As too are the fans who pay the ticket price to watch the game.
Orwell’s introduction of boxing as an example to back up his point is also significant
as he views those who box against someone of a different colour as being purveyors
of white supremacy. When a white boxer wins. It proves in their eyes that the white
race is far superior to the black race. Boxing in particular appears to bring out
jealousy and hatred among those who watch it.
Orwell also disagrees with women attending boxing matches on the grounds that
they get too emotional. Though some readers might suggest that this is true it is
more likely that a female spectator is allowing herself to be passionate about the
sport she is viewing. Orwell’s theory that women are too emotional doesn’t really
have any logic behind it and in today’s terms may be viewed upon as sexist. Though
this may not have been Orwell’s intention and he was only drawing from personal
experience during his time in the army. Overall Orwell does not shine a flattering light
on the spirit of sport. He sees no positives for it once it becomes a divide between
different towns, cities or countries. If anything Orwell compares the participation in
sport as being similar to war without the weapons. Such is the actions of both the
participants and those who attend the sporting events. In Orwell’s eyes there is no
such thing as friendly rivalry. The business of sport is far more serious and
dangerous.
It may also be a case that Orwell is suggesting that individuals have misplaced
loyalty or pride to their teams or favourite sportsmen. They are after all only playing a
game. Even if that game is taken very seriously by all concerned. In Orwell’s world it
is better to put the fun back in sport and not have the emotional involvement that
comes at sporting events. To not be concerned about who should win or who should
lose or what the meaning of winning might be for those at the event. However it is
human nature to idolize a football team, a boxer or a cricket team. One wants their
team or sporting hero to win at all costs. Which may be the problem. By having
Arsenal play an all-England team they are in many ways cheating in order to prove
themselves better than they really are. The motivation being to not lose face to a
foreign team as there is a matter of national pride at stake. In some people’s eyes it
is better to cheat and win than lose with dignity. People don’t remember who came
second or who lost. In life it is only the winners who are remembered and who have
bragging rights for the time being.