Pique, Ecclestone, Hamilton and the crossroads between sport and social justice

The dimension of the racist and homophobic manner in which Nelson Piquet referred to English driver Lewis Hamilton was another reminder of society’s intolerance of actions or rhetoric that may have gone unnoticed or underestimated in the past.

At a press conference ahead of last week’s British Grand Prix, Hamilton delivered an elegant English-style dash. Without naming Pique or Formula One director Bernie Ecclestone, who has taken on the Brazilian’s pain, he said it was time to stop giving the podium to these “old and unrelated” people.

Hamilton is a stakeholder, as he has been the target of racist and homophobic comments. But he expressed a feeling not only for athletes who abuse their color, their origin or their religion.

A study published last month by Britain’s YouGov Institute examined global sports fans’ thinking about contemporary values and their expectations of clubs, brands and athletes. According to YouGov, these fans tend to be more aware of issues like sustainability and social justice than the average population in many countries.

These sentiments apply to a vision of social responsibility for athletes, teams, sponsors, and manufacturers of sports products. The institute has described this perception of fans as “a crossroads between sport and social justice”.

Diversity and inclusion emerged as key desires for those who follow the major competitions. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of fans think these events should take diversity into account. And seven in 10 want the sport to be more inclusive.

Brazil is not part of the countries surveyed. But our Argentine neighbors are among the most diverse, coming close to South Africa and Italy.

equal pay It’s not just an Achilles heel in the corporate world. The pattern of male athletes’ privilege in terms of salaries, sponsorships, and awards is also not satisfactory, with 68% of respondents opposed to the practice. The difference between men and women who think this way is minimal, only 3 percentage points.

Even for men’s soccer. On average, 51% of fans think the men’s and women’s World Cup teams should win the same.

Fans also expect sports rights holders – such as media companies – and athletes to get involved in social issues. A look at four countries (Australia, Germany, UK and USA) revealed that in all of them teams or individual athletes are seen as the ones who should be more involved in issues than actors, musicians or influencers.

Anti-racism in sport is the main reason for Australians and Germans, while the British and Americans prefer social justice.

Considering what fans believe and what their values are is vital to guiding decisions about sports sponsorship, marketing, or public relations actions involving sports, whether by companies or athletes.

The study notes that fans expect professional athletes to act as role models and support brands with an “ethical message”.

On the other hand, companies that ally with champions in sports with personal reputations eroded by scandals can send consumers an unwelcome message.

In this environment, Lewis Hamilton can be seen as a model for what fans and sports organizations crave.

This is not an audience to be despised. YouGov claims that global “socially responsible” sports fans are more likely to consume all types of media than the total global population, are more involved in advertising and sponsorship, and are more likely to favor the brands they admire for their values.