Anti-Sports (Warrior Culture) but Pro Trans and Intersex Rights in Sports!

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Anti-Sports (Warrior Culture) but Pro Trans and Intersex Rights in Sports (Viedo)

When I hear the term traditional values, I think what, sexism, racism, and homophobia??? And this is often also part of what makes the so-called family values too many people believe… Like many people, I too must fight against romanticizing my past behaviors while being critical of the past behaviors of others. It is an error in reason to limit just critique to others giving oneself a pass. I was not the great person I would like to have been and so I changed.

What we don’t understand we may come to fear. That which we fear we could come to hate. That which we hate we often seek to destroy. Thus it is upon us to not fall into the unreasonable arms of fear by trying to understand and not so easily hate. I am more worried about how sports threaten children than how people wrongly think trans players could possibly hurt sports.  

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ @Skepticallefty “Not that trans people actually hurt sports by participating. And, yeah, how sports threaten children is definitely a much more serious problem. I’m not a pro sports fan. So when people pick teams and devote their time to them, it confuses me. It confuses me, even more, when those same people side with the owners of the teams and leagues rather than the players when it comes to labor disputes.”

“A museum in the United Kingdom has identified the Roman emperor Elagabalus to be a transgender woman.” ref

I am anti-sports but if there are sports trans people and intersex people should be able to play as they are.

“Violence in sports involves crossing the line between fair competition and intentional aggressive violence. Athletes, coaches, fans, and parents sometimes unleash violent behavior on people or property, in misguided shows of loyalty, dominance, anger, or celebration. Rioting or hooliganism by fans, in particular, is a problem at some national and international sporting contests.” ref

Ancient Egyptian religion, sports, and warrior culture (military and sports)

“Military sports are sports practiced by the military. Particular sports may be chosen to improve combat readiness, skill, toughness, the development of physical qualities of the warfighter, and professional proficiency based on the different areas of the military action.” ref

“Many of today’s sports were practiced by the Ancient Egyptians, inscriptions on monuments indicate that they practiced wrestling, weightlifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, shooting, fishing, and athletics, as well as various kinds of ball games.” ref

“Physical training has been present in human societies throughout history. Usually, it was performed for the purposes of preparing for physical competition or display, improving physical, emotional, and mental health, and looking attractive. It took a variety of different forms but quick dynamic exercises were favored over slow or more static ones.” ref

“Egyptologists have long debated the degree to which the pharaoh was considered a god. It seems most likely that the Egyptians viewed royal authority itself as a divine force. Therefore, although the Egyptians recognized that the pharaoh was human and subject to human weakness, they simultaneously viewed him as a god, because the divine power of kingship was incarnated in him. He, therefore, acted as an intermediary between Egypt’s people and the gods.” ref

“In ancient Egyptian sporting events formed part of the rites and religious festivals honoring the gods. Participants often staged simulated battles between Horus’ adherents and those of Seth to celebrate Horus’ victory and the victory of harmony and balance over the forces of chaos. Ancient Egyptians enjoyed both individual and team sports. Just as ancient Greece had its Olympic Games ancient Egyptians enjoyed playing many of the same activities. Egyptian tombs contain numerous paintings showing Egyptians playing sports. This documentary evidence help Egyptologists understand how sports were played and athletes performed. Written accounts of games and especially royal hunts have also come down to us. Hunting was a popular sport and Egyptians used Pharaoh Hounds to the hunt. These hounds are the oldest recorded breed and closely resemble paintings of Anubis the jackal or dog god. Archery was similarly popular but largely limited to royalty and the nobility.” ref

“Amenhotep II (1425-1400 BCE) claimed to be a skilled archer who “was apparently able to shoot an arrow through a solid copper target while mounted in a chariot.” Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE) was also renowned for his hunting and archery skills and he prided himself on staying physically fit during his long life. (((Warrior culture in Sports))) Sports and the Pharaoh: The importance of physical fitness to a pharaoh’s ability to govern was reflected in the Heb-Sed festival, staged after a king’s initial thirty years on the throne to revitalize him, gauged the pharaoh’s capacity to perform different tests of skill and endurance including archery. Princes were often appointed as generals in the Egyptian army and were expected to command major campaigns, they were encouraged to exercise regularly, particularly during the New Kingdom.” ref

“Simple graves in the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000 – c. 3150 BCE) evolved into the mastaba tombs of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 – c. 2613 BCE) which then became the grand pyramids of the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE). All of these periods believed in an afterlife and engaged in mortuary rituals, but those of the Old Kingdom are the best known from images on tombs. By the time of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the culture had a clear understanding of how the universe worked and humanity’s place in it. The gods had created the world and the people in it through the agency of magic (heka) and sustained it through magic as well. In the Old Kingdom the kings were buried in their pyramid tombs, but from the First Intermediate Period of Egypt (2181-2040 BCE) onwards, kings and nobles favored tombs cut into rock face or into the earth. By the time of the New Kingdom (c. 1570-1069 BCE) the tombs and the rituals leading to burial had reached their highest state of development.” ref

“Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals that formed an integral part of ancient Egyptian culture. It centered on the Egyptians’ interactions with many deities believed to be present in, and in control of the world. Rituals such as prayer and offerings were provided to the gods to gain their favor. Formal religious practice centered on the pharaohs, the rulers of Egypt, believed to possess divine powers by virtue of their positions. They acted as intermediaries between their people and the gods, and were obligated to sustain the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could maintain Ma’at, the order of the cosmos, and repel Isfet, which was chaos. The state dedicated enormous resources to religious rituals and to the construction of temples.” ref

“Individuals could interact with the gods for their own purposes, appealing for help through prayer or compelling the gods to act through magic. These practices were distinct from, but closely linked with, the formal rituals and institutions. The popular religious tradition grew more prominent over the course of Egyptian history as the status of the pharaoh declined. In Egyptian belief, this cosmos was inhabited by three types of sentient beings: one was the gods; another was the spirits of deceased humans, who existed in the divine realm and possessed many of the gods’ abilities; living humans were the third category, and the most important among them was the pharaoh, who bridged the human and divine realms.” ref

“Deities had complex interrelationships, which partly reflected the interaction of the forces they represented. The Egyptians often grouped gods together to reflect these relationships. One of the more common combinations was a family triad consisting of a father, mother, and child, who were worshipped together. Some groups had wide-ranging importance. One such group, the Ennead, assembled nine deities into a theological system that was involved in the mythological areas of creation, kingship, and the afterlife.” ref

“Hunting and fishing influenced both the development of other sports as well as military applications of these sporting skills and techniques. Archaeologists believe the modern javelin probably developed from both spear hunting skills and military spearman techniques. Similarly, archery was also a sport, an effective hunting skill and a potent military specialty.” ref

The Nobility And Sport In Ancient Egypt

“Surviving evidence suggests sports formed part of a new pharaoh’s coronation celebrations. This is unsurprising given athleticism was part of everyday life. Pharaohs regularly went go on hunting expeditions in their chariots. Similarly, Egypt’s nobility enjoyed both participating in and watching sports, and women’s gymnastic dance competitions were one form of competitive sport supported by the nobles. The nobility also supported pageants and rowing competitions. Egypt’s most celebrated written reference outlining this sporting interest is narrated in the Westcar Papyrus from the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782-1570 BCE) through the story of Sneferu and the Green Jewel or The Marvel Which Happened in the Reign of King Sneferu. This epic story tells how the pharaoh is depressed. His head scribe recommends he goes boating on the lake, saying, “…equip for yourself a boat with all the beauties who are in your palace chamber. The heart of your majesty shall be refreshed at the sight of their rowing.” The king does as his scribe suggests and spends the afternoon watching twenty women rowers perform.” ref

Ancient Chinese religion, sports, and warrior culture (military and sports)

“Artifacts and structures suggest sport in China as early as 2000 BCE. Gymnastics appears to have been popular in China’s ancient past. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zoorkhaneh had a close connection to warfare skills. Among other sports that originated in ancient Persia are polo and jousting.” ref

“Sport in China has been long associated with the martial arts. Today, China (including mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau) consists of a variety of competitive sports. Traditional Chinese culture regards physical fitness as an important characteristic. Dragon boat racing dates back about 2000 years ago and remains a traditional event held around China every year. Cuju, a game similar but not related to the modern game of football, was played in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE. qigong martial arts activities became popular in China.” ref

“Cuju” (ancient Chinese Soccer (Football) game)

“Cuju of ancient China is the earliest known recorded game of football. It was also played in other Asian countries like Korea, Japan, and Viet Nam. A competitive form of cuju was used as fitness training for military cavaliers.” ref

“Football is one of a family of football codes, which emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity. Association football, more commonly known as simply football or soccer, is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams. It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies, making it the world’s most popular sport.” ref

“Cuju resembles England’s association football made thousands of years later with changed rules. The first mention of Cuju in a historical text is in the Warring States era Zhan Guo Ce, in the section describing the state of Qi. It is also described in Sima Qian‘s Records of the Grand Historian (under the Biography of Su Qin), written during the Han Dynasty. A competitive form of cuju was used as fitness training for military cavaliers, while other forms were played for entertainment in wealthy cities like Linzi. During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – CE 220), the popularity of cuju spread from the army to the royal courts and upper classes. It is said that the Han emperor Wu Di enjoyed the sport. At the same time, cuju games were standardized and rules were established. Cuju matches were often held inside the imperial palace. A type of court called ju chang(鞠場) was built especially for cuju matches, which had six crescent-shaped goal posts at each end.” ref

“The sport was improved during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). First of all, the feather-stuffed ball was replaced by an air-filled ball with a two-layered hull. Also, two different types of goal posts emerged: One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field. The Tang Dynasty capital of Chang’an was filled with cuju fields, in the backyards of large mansions, and some were even established in the grounds of the palaces. Soldiers who belonged to the imperial army and Gold Bird Guard often formed cuju teams for the delight of the emperor and his court. The level of female cuju teams also improved. Cuju even became popular amongst the scholars and intellectuals, and if a courtier lacked skill in the game, he could pardon himself by acting as a scorekeeper.” ref

“Cuju flourished during the Song Dynasty (960–1279) due to social and economic development, extending its popularity to every class in society. At that time, professional cuju players were popular, and the sport began to take on a commercial edge. Professional cuju players fell into two groups: One was trained by and performed for the royal court (unearthed copper mirrors and brush pots from the Song often depict professional performances) and the other consisted of civilians who made a living as cuju players. During this period only one goal post was set up in the center of the field. It influenced the development in Japan of kemari (蹴鞠), which is still played today on special occasions. The kanji writing (蹴鞠) is the same as for cuju. Cuju began to decline during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) due to neglect, and the 2,000-year-old sport slowly faded away.” ref

“Kicking ball games arose independently multiple times across multiple cultures. The Chinese competitive game cuju (蹴鞠, literally “kick ball”) resembles modern association football. Cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), cuju games were standardized and rules were established. Other games included kemari in Japan and chuk-guk in Korea. In North America, pasuckuakohowog was a ball game played by the Algonquians; it was described as “almost identical to the kind of folk football being played in Europe at the same time, in which the ball was kicked through goals.” ref

“The Japanese version of cuju is kemari (蹴鞠), and was developed during the Asuka period. This is known to have been played within the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto from about 600 CE. In kemari several people stand in a circle and kick a ball to each other, trying not to let the ball drop to the ground (much like keepie uppie).” ref

“Women may have been playing “football” for as long as the game has existed. Evidence shows that an ancient version of the game (Tsu Chu) was played by women during the Han Dynasty (25–220 CE). Two female figures are depicted in Han Dynasty (25–220 CE) frescoes, playing Tsu Chu. There are, however, a number of opinions about the accuracy of dates, the earliest estimates at 5000 BCE.” ref

“Archaeology news: 3,000-year balls from China were played in Eurasia’s oldest ball game. Humanity’s fascination with ball games has no limits, as more than 10 billion people combined watch football, cricket, basketball, and tennis. And archaeological evidence spanning the centuries and continents tells us ancient humans were equally thrilled by kicking or throwing a ball around as a pastime. In ancient Egypt, for instance, the oldest-known balls were made out of linen about 4,500 years ago.” ref

Ancient Greek religion, sports, and warrior culture (military and sports)

“A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sport in Greece influenced one another considerably.” ref

“Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. Athenaeus, writing in 228 CE, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros, and harpastum were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling, and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified “mob football“, the antecedent of all modern football codes, these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking.” ref

“The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball games, some of which involved the use of the feet. The Roman game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a Greek team game known as “ἐπίσκυρος” (Episkyros) or “φαινίνδα” (phaininda), which is mentioned by a Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388–311 BCE) and later referred to by the Christian theologian Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215 CE). These games appear to have resembled rugby football.” ref

Ancient Greek Ballistic training

“Ballistic training, also called power training, is a form of training which involves throwing weights, and jumping with weights, in order to increase explosive power. The word ballistic comes from the Greek word βάλλειν (ballein), which means “to throw”. Evidence of ballistic training can be seen throughout recorded history, especially in depictions which show the throwing of a large stone (stone put). Other ballistic disciplines from antiquity include the javelin throw and the discus throw. The hammer throw is a younger discipline, known from the 15th century. Such throws have been both a popular sporting pastime, and a training method employed by soldiers.” ref

Ancient Roman religion, sports, and warrior culture (military and sports)

“The Roman politician Cicero (106–43 BCE) describes the case of a man who was killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber’s shop. Roman ball games already knew the air-filled ball, the follis. Episkyros is recognized as an early form of football by FIFA.” ref

Ancient Native American religion, sports, and warrior culture (military and sports)

“The Aztec ball game was actually a revision of an ancient Mesoamerican game that was played by many peoples including the Mayans. It may have originated with the ancient Olmec civilization. It became a very important part of the Aztec Empire, not just as entertainment, but for political and religious reasons as well.” ref

“It is not known precisely when or where the Mesoamerican ballgame originated, although it is likely that it originated earlier than 2000 BCE in the low-lying tropical zones home to the rubber tree. One candidate for the birthplace of the ballgame is the Soconusco coastal lowlands along the Pacific Ocean. At Paso de la Amada, archaeologists have found the oldest ballcourt yet discovered, dated to approximately 1400 BCE.” ref

“The other major candidate is the Olmec heartland, across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec along the Gulf Coast. The Aztecs referred to their Postclassic contemporaries who then inhabited the region as the Olmeca (i.e. “rubber people”) since the region was strongly identified with latex production. The earliest-known rubber balls in the world come from the sacrificial bog at El Manatí, an early Olmec-associated site located in the hinterland of the Coatzacoalcos River drainage system. Villagers, and subsequently archaeologists, have recovered a dozen balls ranging in diameter from 10 to 22 cm from the freshwater spring there. Five of these balls have been dated to the earliest-known occupational phase for the site, approximately 1700–1600 BCE. These rubber balls were found with other ritual offerings buried at the site, indicating that even at this early date the game had religious and ritual connotations. A stone “yoke” of the type frequently associated with Mesoamerican ballcourts was also reported to have been found by local villagers at the site, leaving open the distinct possibility that these rubber balls were related to the ritual ballgame, and not simply an independent form of sacrificial offering.” ref

“Excavations at the nearby Olmec site of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán have also uncovered a number of ballplayer figurines, radiocarbon-dated as far back as 1250–1150 BCE. A rudimentary ballcourt, dated to a later occupation at San Lorenzo, 600–400 BCE, has also been identified. From the tropical lowlands, the game apparently moved into central Mexico. Starting around 1000 BCE or earlier, ballplayer figurines were interred with burials at Tlatilco, and similarly styled figurines from the same period have been found at the nearby Tlapacoya site. It was about this period, as well, that the so-called Xochipala-style ballplayer figurines were crafted in Guerrero. Although no ballcourts of similar age have been found in Tlatilco or Tlapacoya, it is possible that the ballgame was indeed played in these areas, but on courts with perishable boundaries or temporary court markers. By 300 BCE, evidence for the game appears throughout much of the Mesoamerican archaeological record, including ballcourts in the Central Chiapas Valley (the next oldest ballcourts discovered, after Paso de la Amada), and in the Oaxaca Valley, as well as ceramic ballgame tableaus from Western Mexico (see photo below).” ref

“The Mesoamerican ballgame (Nahuatl languages: ōllamalīztli, Nahuatl pronunciation: [oːlːamaˈlistɬi], Mayan languages: pitz) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BCE by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a newer, more modern version of the game, ulama, is still played by the indigenous populations in some places. The rules of the Mesoamerican ballgame are not known, but judging from its descendant, ulama, they were probably similar to racquetball, where the aim is to keep the ball in play. The stone ballcourt goals are a late addition to the game.” ref

“There are a number of references to traditional, ancient, or prehistoric ball games, played by indigenous peoples in many different parts of the world. For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis, went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit people in Greenland. There are later accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, called Aqsaqtuk. Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal. In 1610, William Strachey, a colonist at Jamestown, Virginia recorded a game played by Native Americans, called Pahsaheman. Pasuckuakohowog, a game similar to modern-day association football played amongst Amerindians, was also reported as early as the 17th century.” ref

“Games played in Mesoamerica with rubber balls by indigenous peoples are also well-documented as existing since before this time, but these had more similarities to basketball or volleyball, and no links have been found between such games and modern football sports. Northeastern American Indians, especially the Iroquois Confederation, played a game which made use of net racquets to throw and catch a small ball; however, although it is a ball-goal foot game, lacrosse (as its modern descendant is called) is likewise not usually classed as a form of “football.” ref

“The Mesoamerican ballgame had important ritual aspects, and major formal ballgames were held as ritual events. Late in the history of the game, some cultures occasionally seem to have combined competitions with religious human sacrifice. The sport was also played casually for recreation by children and may have been played by women as well. Pre-Columbian ballcourts have been found throughout Mesoamerica, as for example at Copán, as far south as modern Nicaragua, and possibly as far north as what is now the U.S. state of Arizona. These ballcourts vary considerably in size, but all have long narrow alleys with slanted side-walls against which the balls could bounce in.” ref

“Even without human sacrifice, the Mesoamerican ballgame could be brutal and there were often serious injuries inflicted by the solid, heavy ball. Today’s hip-ulama players are “perpetually bruised” while nearly 500 years ago Spanish chronicler Diego Durán reported that some bruises were so severe that they had to be lanced open. He also reported that players were even killed when the ball “hit them in the mouth or the stomach or the intestines.” ref

“With city-states and tribes playing against one another, in the Mesoamerican ballgame, it’s not surprising that the Aztec ball game took on political significance. A win or a loss was very much taken to heart. At times, the game would turn into an excuse for an assassination or attack. The game might also be used to settle differences between two parties. Huge wagers might be made by kings as well. A story is told of two kings, one wagering a garden, another wagering a marketplace. The marketplace was lost, but the winning king was assassinated when a contingency from the loser congratulated him. They gave him a garland, with a leather strangling cord hidden inside.” ref

“The Aztec ball game had a lot of ritual significance. It was mean to mirror the ball court of the heavens, this being the ball court of the underworld where the sun passed each night. The game represented the battle between day and night, and so was also related to the human blood sacrifices that were intended to keep the sun moving in the sky. (Read more about the Aztec sacrifices here) It is said that the ball represented the head of a sacrificed victim. In Tenochtitlan, the ball court was at the foot of the blood-stained stairs of the temple, and the ball game itself would often be a scene of sacrifice. It is believed that the losing coach, or even the whole team, might be sacrificed. Some historians have disputed this – because it was an honor to be sacrificed, it may have been the winning team that lost their lives.” ref

Oceania Sports

“On the Australian continent several tribes of indigenous people played kicking and catching games with stuffed balls which have been generalised by historians as Marn Grook (Djab Wurrung for “game ball”). The earliest historical account is an anecdote from the 1878 book by Robert Brough-Smyth, The Aborigines of Victoria, in which a man called Richard Thomas is quoted as saying, in about 1841 in Victoria, Australia, that he had witnessed Aboriginal people playing the game: “Mr Thomas describes how the foremost player will drop kick a ball made from the skin of a possum and how other players leap into the air in order to catch it.” Some historians have theorized that Marn Grook was one of the origins of Australian rules football.” ref

“The Māori in New Zealand played a game called Ki-o-rahi consisting of teams of seven players play on a circular field divided into zones, and score points by touching the ‘pou’ (boundary markers) and hitting a central ‘tupu’ or target. These games and others may well go far back into antiquity. However, the main sources of modern football codes appear to lie in western Europe, especially England.” ref

Turkic peoples and Sports

“Mahmud al-Kashgari in his Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, described a game called “tepuk” among Turks in Central Asia. In the game, people try to attack each other’s castle by kicking a ball made of sheep leather.” ref

Politics and Sports

“The use of sports and politics has had both positive and negative implications over history. Sports competitions or activities have had the intention to bring about change in certain cases. Nationalistic fervor is sometimes linked to victories or losses to some sport on sports fields.” ref

While many clubs don’t have a fixed political identity, some clubs are known to have clear leanings. According to YouGov statistics, supporters of the English club Sunderland AFC predominantly lean to the political left, and often sing “The Red Flag” during games. While Sunderland fans are generally regarded as left wing, the hooligan firm Seaburn Casuals was known for having far-right associations. When 26 Seaburn Casuals hooligans were arrested in a police raid before the 1998 FIFA World Cup, some of them were found to be involved with neo-Nazi groups like Combat 18.” ref

“One of the biggest and oldest football rivalries is the Old Firm rivalry between the Scottish clubs Celtic and Rangers from Glasgow. The competition between the two clubs had roots in more than just a simple sporting rivalry. It has as much to do with Northern Ireland as Scotland and this can be seen in the flags, cultural symbols, and emblems of both clubs. It was infused with a series of complex disputes, sometimes centered on religion (Catholic and Protestant), Northern Ireland-related politics (Loyalist and Republican), national identity (British or Irish Scots), and social ideology (Conservatism and Socialism). The majority of Rangers and Celtic supporters do not get involved in sectarianism, but serious incidents do occur with a tendency for the actions of a minority to dominate the headlines. The Old Firm rivalry fuelled many assaults on Derby days, and some deaths in the past have been directly related to the aftermath of Old Firm matches. An activist group that monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old Firm weekends, violent attacks increase ninefold over normal levels. An increase in domestic abuse can also be attributed to Old Firm fixtures.” ref

“Benito Mussolini used the 1934 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Italy, to showcase Fascist Italy. Adolf Hitler also used the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, and the 1936 Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, to promote the Nazi ideology of the superiority of the Aryan race, and inferiority of the Jews and other “undesirables“. Germany used the Olympics to give off a peaceful image while secretly preparing for war. When apartheid was the official policy in South Africa, many sports people, particularly in rugby union, adopted the conscientious approach that they should not appear in competitive sports there. Some feel this was an effective contribution to the eventual demolition of the policy of apartheid, others feel that it may have prolonged and reinforced its worst effects.” ref

“In the history of Ireland, Gaelic sports were connected with cultural nationalism. Until the mid-20th century a person could have been banned from playing Gaelic football, hurling, or other sports administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) if she/he played or supported Association football, or other games seen to be of British origin. Until recently the GAA continued to ban the playing of football and rugby union at Gaelic venues. This ban, also known as Rule 42, is still enforced, but was modified to allow football and rugby to be played in Croke Park while Lansdowne Road was redeveloped into Aviva Stadium. Until recently, under Rule 21, the GAA also banned members of the British security forces and members of the RUC from playing Gaelic games, but the advent of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 led to the eventual removal of the ban.” ref

“Nationalism is often evident in the pursuit of sport, or in its reporting: people compete in national teams, or commentators and audiences can adopt a partisan view. On occasion, such tensions can lead to violent confrontation among players or spectators within and beyond the sporting venue, as in the Football War. These trends are seen by many as contrary to the fundamental ethos of sport being carried on for its own sake and for the enjoyment of its participants. Sport and politics collided in the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Masked men entered the hotel of the Israeli Olympic team and killed many of their men. This was known as the Munich massacre.” ref

“A study of US elections has shown that the result of sports events can affect the results. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that when the home team wins the game before the election, the incumbent candidates can increase their share of the vote by 1.5 percent. A loss had the opposite effect, and the effect is greater for higher-profile teams or unexpected wins and losses. Also, when Washington Redskins win their final game before an election, then the incumbent President is more likely to win, and if the Redskins lose, then the opposition candidate is more likely to win; this has become known as the Redskins Rule.” ref

Racism and Sports

“Racism in sports has been a prevalent issue throughout the world, and in particular racism towards African Americans has been especially severe over the course of the history of sports in the United States and around the world. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) released a report in 2007 stating that racial abuse and vilification are commonplace in international sports, in places such as Australia, Europe, and America.” ref

“Racism has a long history in association football, and has prompted a response from numerous political and footballing organizations. The topic of racism in association football has been widely covered by the media as well as academic studies. Scholars have described an “invisible centrality of whiteness” that permeates the upper levels of football in Europe. Non-white football players in Europe are frequently stereotyped in a racialized manner. In response to these incidents, numerous anti-racism organizations have been formed, including Show Racism the Red Card, which was established in 1996. Other organizations include Football Against Racism in Europe and Racism Breaks the Game.” ref

Negro leagues: Negro league baseball

“As sports progressed, race relations progressed at a comparable rate. In baseball for instance, African Americans were barred from participation in the National Association of Baseball Players because of regional prejudice and unofficial color bans dating back to the 1890s. Due to this segregation, blacks worked together to create the Negro leagues. These leagues comprised mostly all African-American teams. As a whole, the Negro leagues became one of the largest and most successful enterprises run mainly by African Americans. Their founding and resilient growth stood as a testament to the determination and drive of African-Americans to battle the imposing racial segregation and social disadvantage.” ref

“Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and was the youngest of five children. At an early age, his father deserted the family, and his mother, Mallie Robinson, decided to move the family to Pasadena in California. Here, Robinson began to excel at many sports, especially baseball. Jackie Robinson is arguably one of the most historically significant professional baseball players in Major League Baseball, next to Babe Ruth during their era. Jackie Robinson constantly faced discrimination throughout his entire life but would overcome the discrimination when he made his way into Major League Baseball.” ref

“In the 1940s through ’60s, many NBA teams had unofficial quotas on the number of Black players on their teams. Many players joined other professional leagues, including the Eastern Professional Basketball League. The Eastern Professional Basketball League (1946-78) was fast and physical, often played in tiny, smoke-filled gyms across the northeast and featuring the best players who just couldn’t make the NBA—many because of the quotas. Donald Sterling was the previous owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who was banned from the NBA for life for racially insensitive remarks he made about African-Americans.” ref

“After seeing a picture that his then-girlfriend, V. Stiviano, posted with Magic Johnson, Sterling was recorded saying:

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to? … You can sleep with them [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on that…and not to bring them to my games.” ref

“These remarks outraged his players and coach Doc Rivers (who is African-American), who threatened to boycott games and called for Sterling to be removed as owner. Despite the remarks, players kept striving to advance in the playoffs. The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, and the NBA Board of Governors officially approved the sale of the Clippers to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion, and effectively banned Sterling from the NBA for life.” ref

“Only a few minority players, such as Tiger Woods, have dominated professional golf. Woods is of African American and Asian-American descent. With 83 percent of golf participants being white, a white majority dominates golf. Woods has the second most major wins of any individual in golf history, with 15. His excellence was well recognized as he became one of the most marketable players in the world. Woods helped tear down the imposing racial discrepancies in golf by not only competing with golf’s current best but also by challenging other accomplished golfers for being the best of all time. In 1997, he became the first black player to win a Men’s major golf championship at just 21 years of age. After winning the 1997 Masters Tournament, Woods faced ridicule from Fuzzy Zoeller, who won this championship in 1979. Zoeller responded to Woods’ win by stating, “That little boy is driving well and he’s putting well. He’s doing everything it takes to win. So you know what you guys do when he gets in here. You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year. Got it.” Zoeller says his comments were misconstrued, and later apologized.” ref

“In 2011 Woods’ former caddie Steve Williams described him as a “black arse”, which sparked much controversy over the racial dynamic between Woods and the world of golf. His comments opened a debate on the racial tensions present in golf. Williams described his comments as “stupid” and not racist, and later apologized. Broadcaster Kelly Tilghman was suspended from The Golf Channel after joking about Tiger Woods being “lynched in a back alley” during final-round coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.” ref

“A number of black drivers have been involved in NASCAR, with Wendell Scott being indicted to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. Following the Black Lives Matter movement, and a call from driver Bubba Wallace, NASCAR banned Confederate flags entirely at all of their events. An incident occurred during the 2020 GEICO 500 weekend at the Talladega Superspeedway where a noose was discovered in Wallace’s garage. An FBI investigation was launched and later concluded that it was not a noose, it was a handle to pull the garage door down that existed long before Wallace was assigned that garage for the weekend, and that Wallace was not In fact a victim of hate crime.” ref

“Despite universities making strides to diversify their student bodies, racism has had an effect on universities’ athletics. According to Charles T Clotfelter, “No bigger issue has faced the United States during the reign of big-time college sports than the blot of racial segregation and discrimination.” As college sports have gained notoriety, the national attention towards this issue has increased. Clotfelter continues his analysis of equality in collegiate sports by stating that the “Brown v Board of Education decision of 1954 set the stage for an epic confrontation between… the South’s devotion to college football and its cultural commitment to Jim Crow laws”. With a significant portion of the South’s football players being African-American, tensions between the players and the southern atmosphere became readily apparent. In terms of the South maintaining a sense of authority over blacks, in the year 20 “92.5 percent of university presidents in the FBS were white, 87.5 percent of the athletic directors were white and 100 percent of the conference commissioners were white”. In comparison, “roughly 31 percent of position coaches are black and 12 percent of coordinators were black. Out of the players in the FBS, roughly 54 percent are black.” ref

Whereas the NFL has implemented the Rooney Rule in order to create opportunities for minority coaches, college football has no such rule in place. However, over time racial cohesion in sports has improved, as Clotfelter states that there has been a “realization that future success would require integrated teams”. One of the most notable events involved the 1956 Sugar Bowl. The game was played shortly after the Rosa Parks event and much controversy preceded the game. Segregationists tried to keep Pitt fullback/linebacker Bobby Grier from playing because he was black. Georgia’s governor publicly threatened the Georgia Tech’s president Blake R. Van Leer to cancel the game. Ultimately, Bobby Grier played making this the first integrated Sugar Bowl and is regarded as the first integrated bowl game in the Deep South.” ref

Sexism and Sports

“Historically, sports have been seen as a male domain. The masculine perception of sport was first moderated with the rise of women’s sports and further challenged with the gradual acceptance of gay sportsmen. A third departure from tradition occurred with the emergence of trans athletes, many of whom challenge the culturally accepted binary gender norms of male and female.” ref

“Sexism in sports exists at all levels. Female athletes still face harmful double standards that manifest in many ways including intolerance, gendered dress code restrictions, and staggering pay gaps. In fact, no female athlete is included in the 2018 list of the world’s top 100 highest paid athletes.” ref

“Genderqueerness may be considered confusing or nonexistent to people who ascribe to the binary theory of gender. Discrimination or prejudice against non-binary people, or people who do not identify exclusively as male or female, may occur in social, legal, or medical contexts. This is sometimes known as enbyphobia and exorsexism. Both cisgender and transgender people can display such prejudice, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities.” ref

“According to a 2016 study from The Journal of Sex Research, one of the most common themes of discrimination for genderqueer people is the incorrect use of preferred gender pronouns. The study labeled this as ‘nonaffirmation’, and it occurs when others do not affirm one’s sense of gender identity. Participants within this study also reported experiencing gender policing. An article from the book Violence and Gender, states that this experienced violence and discrimination leads to high levels of stress. This article stated that non-binary participants are less likely to experience hate speech (24.4% vs. 50%) compared to trans men and equally as likely (24.4% vs. 24.4%) as trans women, yet genderqueer/nonbinary participants, along with trans women, are more likely than trans men individuals to be concerned about the safety of themselves and others.” ref

“Sexism and the lack of gender diversity in the sports world continue to have major effects on the ability of everyone having equal opportunities to advance in all areas in sports. Sexism is defined as any prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination typically against women but can apply to males as well (Masequesmay 2019). Sexism and the lack of gender diversity continues to occur at all levels in sports and is not only reserved for athletes and those who compete. Women are often underpaid in the sports industry at the highest levels. According to blackenterprise.com, WNBA players in the upcoming 2019-2020 season will earn about 20% of the minimum salary of an NBA player even though they are essentially doing the same job, according to CNBC.com. In fact, rookie WNBA players earn a minimum of just $50,000 per year, while the minimum starting salary for NBA players is about $580,000 (Salam 2019). The gender pay gap affects every sport on all levels from junior league to professional. The lack of diversity in sports media coverage is also a continued problem in America. According to dailyevergreen.com, 90 percent of sportscasters in America are men, with almost 5% of NFL sports reports being women.” ref

“Sexism continues to be an oppressive barrier for men and women seeking careers in the sports industry. Although sports can bring us together unlike any other thing, it can also divide us in the fight for gender equality. Sexism and discrimination in sports continues to be an oppressive barrier for future opportunities for men and women, despite the progress made politically and socially in the sports world The struggle for women’s equality in the political, social, and economic spear dates back the suffrage movement of the 19th century. For as long as traditional democratic societies have existed, women have desired to be treated equally amongst their male counterparts in economic, social, and political environments. These long struggles for women’s equality continue in today’s sports industry. The state of today’s women’s equality in sports mirrors the historic struggle for women equality in society.” ref

“Of the approximately 6,450 transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 2008–2009,: 12–15, 50  864 (13%) chose the write-in option for gender identity, “A gender not listed here (please specify)”. (The other options were “Male/man”, “Female/women”, and “Part time as one gender, part time as another”.)  Responses from these participants were analyzed in the 2011 journal article “A Gender Not Listed Here: Genderqueers, Gender Rebels, and Otherwise in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey”. The “a gender not listed here” (Q3GNL) individuals reported higher rates of physical (32% vs. 25%) and sexual (15% vs 9%) assault due to bias than other NTDS respondents.” ref

Violence and Sports

“Violence in sports usually refers to violent and often unnecessarily harmful intentional physical acts committed during, or motivated by, a sports game, often in relation to contact sports such as American football, ice hockey, rugby football, lacrosse, association football, boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling, and water polo and, when referring to the players themselves, often involving excessively violent or potentially illegal physical contact beyond the normal levels of contact expected while playing the sport. These acts of violence can include intentional attempts to injure a player or coach by another player or coach, but can also include threats of physical harm or actual physical harm sustained by players or coaches by fans or those engaging in the spectating of sports, or threats and acts of violence performed by fans or spectators upon opposing fans or other spectators.” ref

“There are two major theories on the cause of violence in sports. One theory holds that humans have an instinct for violence, developed during a time when early human ancestors had to resort to violence and aggressiveness to survive and reproduce. Another theory deals with the sociological aspects of violence in sports, stating that sports are “mock battles” which can become actual battles due to their competitive nature.” ref

“Through a “civilizing process”, many modern sports have become less tolerant of bloodshed than past versions, although many violent aspects of these sports still remain. Athletes sometimes resort to violence, in hopes of injuring and intimidating opponents. Such incidents may be part of a strategy developed by coaches or players.” ref

“High school, college, and even professional sports teams often include initiation ceremonies (known as hazing in the USA) as a rite of passage. A 1999 study by Alfred University and the NCAA found that approximately four out of five college US athletes (250,000 per year) experienced hazing. Half were required to take part in alcohol-related initiations, while two-thirds were subjected to humiliation rituals.” ref

Athletes and domestic violence

“Domestic violence perpetrated by male athletes upon their intimate partners or family members is one of the most common off-field crimes that affects sports administration. There is an ongoing struggle among sporting leagues, governments, and viewers to address the increasing number of domestic violence incidents committed by athletes that come to the sporting public’s attention. The NFL, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Basketball Association (NBA), and the sport of boxing employ and promote athletes who have committed domestic violence, which presents a dilemma when their offending becomes public knowledge. Most prominent are instances of domestic violence that are reported as being perpetrated by members of the NFL, due largely to the immense popularity of the sport in the United States and the role models the sport’s participants are expected to be.” ref

“Domestic violence among athletes specifically occurs off the field and is most often perpetrated by collegiate and professional athletes. Women are most often the victims during these perpetrations of violence. Football, a high contact sport, is played and watched by millions of Americans, and is at the center of the discussion surrounding domestic violence and major athletes. Scholars have worked on this phenomenon considering many variables when attempting to correlate the nature of athletes to domestic violence. Scholars (discussed below) have suggested that the violent behavior inherent in the football environment can be a potential accelerator or stimulator of domestic violence. Major sports franchises are increasingly criticized for their lack of action in regard to domestic violence.” ref

“The criminal behavior of football players has been studied more than that of other players in other sports. Because of the sport’s intrinsically violent nature, one might suppose that football players are particularly prone to off-the-field violence. One of the NFL’s biggest problems off the field is domestic violence, according to Jon Shuppe from NBC News, over the last 14 years there have been 87 arrests involving 80 football players. A survey of 252 nationally-reported criminal cases in one year that involved athletes found that about 14% of the athletes involved were professional football players. This compared to about 7% of professional baseball players and about 6% of professional basketball and ice hockey players. While this does not draw any specific causation of the violence, the survey is at least suggestive that professional athletes who play other sports besides football also break the law in significant numbers, amounting to perhaps dozens of high-profile incidents each year.” ref

“A contributing factor to domestic violence among football players may be that they are desensitized to physical conduct because it is a part of what they do all the time. Stanley Teitelbaum, a Ph.D Clinical Psychologist and author of Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols and Illusions and Disillusions, agrees with the previous statement by Mitch Abrams, saying, “They’re (elite football players) trained to be very aggressive and somewhat violent on the field, that’s the nature of the game and that’s how they become important players. And sometimes it’s difficult for athletes to turn that off when they go back to their regular lives.” Some players are raised in an environment where violence is used to resolve conflict. As one is raised in an environment that welcomes violence, their propensity to repeat what they’ve seen, or what has been done to them may increase.” ref

Sports and Fan violence

“Violence may also be related to nationalism or as an outlet for underlying social tensions. It is often alcohol-related. Violence by supporters of sports teams dates back to Roman times, when supporters of chariot racing teams were frequently involved in major riots. Usually, underlying political and/or theological issues helped fuel riots related to sporting events in the Roman era. The Nika riots of 532 were especially deadly, with tens of thousands reportedly killed. In periods when theatre was considered a form of mass entertainment, there were phenomena of rival fans supporting rival actors or theatrical teams, occasionally leading to violent outbursts having many similarities to present-day violence of sports fans – the Astor Place Riot in 1849 New York City being a conspicuous example.” ref

“The actions of English football hooligans and firms in the 1980s caused English teams to be banned from European competition for six years after the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985. Although the level of football-related violence was significantly reduced in England after this event, in the recent Euro 2004 tournament, England were publicly warned that any violence by supporters at matches could result in their ejection from the tournament. Many known hooligans were prevented from traveling to the tournament in Portugal.” ref

“There was a collective sigh of relief from security experts in the USA when England failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Alan Rothenberg (chairman of the World Cup organizing committee in the United States in 1994) said:

There were three countries in the world whose presence would have created logistical and security problems, so we’re very pleased they won’t be coming: Iraq, Iran and England.” ref

Notable examples of fan violence

• “In AD 59, a gladiator show in Pompeii led to a riot involving residents of Pompei and neighboring Nuceria, leading to numerous deaths. After an investigation by the Roman Senate, the town of Pompeii is banned from holding gladiator shows for 10 years.
• In 532, the rivalry between supporters of the Blue and Green chariot-racing teams in Constantinople led to 30,000 deaths in the Nika riots.
• The first meeting in the American football rivalry between Brigham Young University and the University of Utah took place in April 1896, when BYU was known as Brigham Young Academy. The two schools disagree to this day as to whether this game was official, but it mattered greatly to the spectators—at the end of the game, the two sets of fans fought one another.
• In the second edition of the Tour de France in 1904, as the riders climbed the Col de la République in the Loire department, supporters of regional favorite Antoine Faure physically attacked several of his opponents. The repercussions of this incident continue to this day—the Tour did not return to Loire until 1950, and although the Tour has returned to the République (the first pass of 1,000 metres ever climbed in the Tour) 11 times since then, its appearances in the 1903 and 1904 Tours are no longer officially recognized as Tour climbs.
• In 1972, Oregon pummeled Oregon State 30–3 in their annual “Civil War” football rivalry game, held this season at Oregon State’s Parker Stadium. After the game, jubilant Oregon fans rushed the field and tore down the south goal post. They then turned to do the same to the north goal post, but were met by Oregon State fans who had come on the field, resulting in a major brawl.
• In 1975, cyclist Eddy Merckx was viciously punched by a spectator as he climbed the Puy-de-Dôme in the Tour de France. Merckx, who had won the Tour de France five times previously and at the time was in the leader’s yellow jersey, finished the stage barely able to breathe, and went on to finish the tour in second place overall.
• The 1980 Scottish Cup Final between bitter Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers was marred by an on-pitch riot between rival fans. The result was the banning of alcohol from Scottish football and rugby matches.
• After Marvin Hagler knocked out Alan Minter in three rounds to win boxing’s world middleweight title at Wembley Arena in 1980, many of Minter’s supporters began to throw beer cans, bottles, and other objects into the ring. Both Hagler and Minter, along with their respective handlers, had to be escorted out by Scotland Yard.
• On August 12, 1984, during a game between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres that degenerated into a beanball war: At least five fans were dragged from the field at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium in handcuffs after participating in a bench-clearing brawl.
  One of the fans was charged with assault for throwing a full beer mug at the Padres’ Kurt Bevacqua, hitting him in the head, as he was returning to the dugout.
  The game ended with police riot squads on top of both dugouts in an obvious attempt to keep fans away from the players.
• At the end of the same season, violence erupted outside of Tiger Stadium in Detroit after the Detroit Tigers defeated the Padres in the World Series. A well known photo from the riot shows a Tigers fan holding a World Series pennant in front of an overturned burning Detroit Police car.
• Heysel Stadium disaster – 39 people died when a wall collapsed under pressure of Juventus supporters fleeing from ‘football hooligans‘ supporting Liverpool during the 1985 European Cup Final.
• Dinamo–Red Star riot – a 1990 football match between Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb was abandoned after ten minutes with thousands of fans fighting each other and the police. One of the Zagreb players, Zvonimir Boban, was seen to kick a policeman, and after an hour long riot, the stadium was set on fire. Dinamo fans saw the riot as the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence.
• In 1993, a mentally ill tennis fan stabbed Monica Seles during a changeover at a tennis match in Germany.
• In 1994, Vancouver Canucks fans rioted in the streets of Vancouver after their team lost in the Stanley Cup finals.
• During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Colombian football (soccer) player Andrés Escobar accidentally scored an own goal in a match against the United States, a match which Colombia lost 2–1. On his return to Colombia, Escobar was confronted outside a bar in Medellín by a gunman who shot the player six times, killing him. The gunman reportedly shouted “¡Gol!” (“Goal!”) for each bullet fired.
• Rioting Indian fans at the Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta forced the end of the semi-final match between India and Sri Lanka during the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Fans started rioting when the home team, seemingly on the way to victory, underwent a dramatic batting collapse. Match referee Clive Lloyd brought the teams off the ground for their safety, then attempted to restart the match. When the fans remained throwing projectiles and damaging stadium facilities, the match was called off and awarded to Sri Lanka (who went on to win the World Cup).
• In 1996 during a night Australian Football League match at Waverley Park in Melbourne between Essendon and St Kilda, a pitch invasion occurred when the lights went out during the third quarter. Initially, a serious car crash into power lines in the nearby area was reported to have caused the blackout, although it was later confirmed to be a major electrical fault. In the midst of the chaos, fans rioted and stormed the ground, some lighting bonfires in the center square, and removing two of the behind posts. The incidents were filmed on Network Seven, and the remaining quarter and a half was played three nights later.
• In 1998, Denver Broncos fans rioted in the streets of Denver after their team won Super Bowl XXXII. Near-riots happened when the team won the Super Bowl again the following year and after the Colorado Avalanche‘s Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001.
• A similar incident occurred in Oakland, California in 2003 when fans rioted and destroyed property after the Oakland Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
• In July 2000, 13 people were trampled to death in a riot at a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Harare, Zimbabwe after South Africa took a 2–0 lead over Zimbabwe.
• In June 2000, Los Angeles Lakers fans stormed the streets of Los Angeles after the Lakers victory over the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals. Fans briefly celebrated by starting bonfires, but it soon turned into a riot, with fans dancing and stomping on parked cars, and even turning a news van over.
• In May 2001 during an Australian Football League match between Geelong and Carlton at Optus Oval, Geelong’s Darren Milburn executed a very late and illegal bump on Carlton’s Steven Silvagni, collecting Silvagni’s head with his hip, knocking Silvagni unconscious and leaving him having to be carried from the field by trainers. Milburn then proceeded to clap towards the crowd after being substituted, further igniting the situation; Carlton fans threatened Milburn, attempted to enter the interchange box to assault him, and attempted to attack Milburn’s police escort in the car park after the match. Milburn was suspended for three matches for the incident.
• In May 2004 after an Australian Football League Friday Night Football match between Adelaide and St Kilda at AAMI Stadium which St Kilda won by 32 points, field umpires were booed and abused by Adelaide fans, and a drink bottle was thrown which hit a 12-year-old St Kilda fan. One fan was ejected and banned for one year from the arena.
• In September 2004 in the Cairns Australian Football League Grand Final between the North Cairns Tigers and the Port Douglas Crocs at Cazaly’s Stadium, a wild and violent 15 minute bench-clearing brawl erupted after Tigers players charged at the Crocs pre-match huddle at the end of the national anthem, and escalated when fans and team officials became involved. One fan was arrested and another five were ejected, while three Crocs players and a Crocs runner were left unconscious and having to be carried from the arena on stretchers. After a lengthy AFL investigation, the instigator, North Cairns Tigers coach and former VFL/AFL player Jason Love, was suspended for eight years, and the 22 North Cairns players were suspended for a total of 400 matches (suspensions ranging from 10 matches to five years) on a string of charges in relation to starting the brawl; the Tigers were forced to forfeit their first match of 2005 as a result of these suspensions. AFL Cairns declared the Grand Final a “no result” and withheld the 2004 premiership.
• In October 2004, after the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, Red Sox fans rioted near Fenway Park in Boston. Police used “pepper guns” in some cases, and an Emerson College student, Victoria Snelgrove, was killed by a paintball-like projectile that hit her in the eye.
• On November 19, 2004, near the end of an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, a brawl erupted between Pacers players and Pistons supporters.
• On April 12, 2005, the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal between intracity rivals A.C. Milan and Inter Milan was abandoned after Inter fans threw missiles and flares on to the pitch at the San Siro stadium, with A.C. Milan goalkeeper Dida hit by a flare.
• In May 2006 during an Australian Football League match between North Melbourne and St Kilda, a North Melbourne fan had a provocative confrontation with coach Dean Laidley, to which Laidley responded with a verbal barrage, inviting the fan to the club rooms to see how badly the players were feeling due to their consistently poor on-field performance. The incident was captured on Australian national television. The fan committed suicide by throwing himself in the path of an oncoming train the next morning.
• On June 6, 2010, the final game of the Greek Basket League finals between ancient rivals Olympiacos and Panathinaikos (PAO), also respectively known as the “Reds” and “Greens” from their club colors, degenerated into what one commentator called a “night of shame” for Greek basketball. Panathinaikos entered the game, held at Olympiacos’ home of Peace and Friendship Stadium, with a 2–1 lead in the best-of-5 series. The homestanding Reds fans were reportedly incensed at what they considered to be biased officiating in the Greens’ favor in Game 3. The violence began even before tipoff, with police forced to use tear gas on rioting Reds fans; the game started 40 minutes late. In the third quarter, with PAO leading 50–42, the game was halted for about an hour after Olympiacos fans threw various incendiaries at the PAO bench, with one smoke bomb exploding next to the bench. By the time the teams resumed play, all but about 2,000 fans had left. Then, with little over a minute left in the game and PAO ahead 76–69, many of the remaining Reds fans began throwing objects on the court, leading the officials to suspend play and forfeit the game to PAO, giving the Greens the title. The new champions had to be escorted off the floor by riot police. The league organizer, HEBA, fined Olympiacos €111,000 and required them to play their first nine home games of the 2010–11 season behind closed doors and without live TV coverage.
• The next meeting between the two teams, this time hosted by Panathinaikos on January 12, 2011, saw Olympiacos win 65–61, followed by a rain of incendiaries from Greens fans at the Reds.
• The 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot immediately followed the loss of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team to the Boston Bruins in the deciding Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in June of that year.
• Later in the same month, major violence broke out involving supporters of historic Argentine football club River Plate during and after their promotion/relegation playoff with Belgrano. The first leg on June 22 in Córdoba was delayed for 20 minutes after River Plate hooligans tore through a fence and stormed the field to verbally and physically attack River players. The second leg, on June 26 at El Monumental in Buenos Aires, had what was reported to be the largest security presence for any match in the country’s history, with over 2,200 police called in. However, it was not enough to keep River hooligans, angered at what became the club’s first relegation from the top flight in their history, from rushing the field. Violence quickly spread, with fires set in the stadium, pitched battles between hooligans and police, and looting in nearby areas. At least 35 police and 55 civilians were reported to have been injured.
• On December 21, 2011, a fourth round match in the 2011–12 KNVB Cup between Eredivisie clubs Ajax and AZ at Ajax’s home of Amsterdam Arena was marred by a violent fan incident. In the 36th minute, Ajax held a 1–0 lead when a fan ran on the pitch and launched a karate kick from behind at AZ goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado. The player responded by kicking the fan several times before security arrived. When Alvarado was sent off for retaliating against his attacker, AZ left the pitch, and the match was abandoned. The KNVB rescinded the red card and ordered the match replayed in its entirety behind closed doors on January 19, 2012. Ajax was also fined €10,000 for failing to prevent the fan—who was supposed to be serving a 3-year stadium ban—from entering the pitch, and given a suspended one-match spectator ban (not including the replay). Ajax accepted the penalties, and announced that it had given the fan a 30-year stadium ban and a lifetime ban from the club and its season ticket list.
• In 2021, fans of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens rioted on the streets of Downtown Montreal after the Canadiens defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series by a score of 3–2 in overtime to advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals since the 1992-1993 season. Fans set off fireworks, flipped and vandalized police cars, assaulted police officers, threw projectiles, and broke other municipal bylaws in the process, which forced the Bell Centre into a lockdown, locking down the 3,500 fans who saw the game live until police gave the all-clear. The situation was also notable for the fact that it happened on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), Quebec’s national holiday, in addition to happening less than one month following the end of the first province-wide curfew in Quebec imposed by Premier François Legault in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, which lasted from the beginning of January to the end of May of that year. The Canadiens would eventually fall to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals in five games, and would finish in last place in the NHL the following season.” ref

Youth Injuries Sports

“Each year over 60 million youth and adolescents in the United States participate in organized sports. Sports participation provides many benefits including developing lifelong physical activity skills, socializing, having fun with peers, building teamwork and leadership skills, and improving self-esteem. 2.6 million youth athletes are seen in emergency rooms each year for sports and recreational injuries.” ref

“Listed below are some of the most common pediatric overuse injuries:

• Sever’s disease – Also known as “calcaneal apophysitis”, this is the most common cause of heel pain in the growing young athlete and results from repetitive micro trauma to the growth plate in the heel. It generally occurs in children 8 to 12 years of age and boys are affected more often than girls. Factors that can lead to this injury are participation in sports or activities that involve running or jumping, poor running form, and lack of calf flexibility.
• Osgood-Schlatter disease – This condition is usually caused by irritation of the growth plate at the insertion of the patellar tendon at the top of the shin. It generally occurs in children 9 to 14 years of age who have undergone a rapid growth spurt. It is most commonly seen in boys, and occurs with sports that involve running, cutting, and jumping. It usually presents as pain in front of the knee that is worse with activity and improves with rest.
• Little league shoulder – Refers to chronic, repetitive micro trauma of the shoulder growth plate. This condition is mainly found in baseball pitchers between the ages of 11 and 14 as well as in tennis players and swimmers.
• Little League elbow- Refers to repetitive stress to the growth plate on the inside of the elbow. This injury is most common in pitchers but occur in other positions such as catchers, infielders, and outfielders.
• Stress fractures of the lumbar spine “spondylolysis”- A stress fracture is when a bone breaks after being subjected to repeated tensile or compressive stresses. Spondylolysis usually occurs in the low back, frequently in athletes whose sport involves repetitive spinal loads, particularly extension.
• Concussion – An injury to the brain caused by a blow to the head or body. While not an overuse injury it is important to mention as it requires immediate removal from play and consultation with a physician who specializes in concussions.” ref

LBTI Women in Sports: violence, discrimination and lived experiences

“In March 2021, a coalition of European networks working on LGBTI rights and including ILGA Europe, EL*C, TGEU, OII Europe, and EGLSF submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe a briefing note on violence and discrimination against LBTI women in sport.” ref

“The PACE has drawn attention to gender-based violence and discrimination in sports for many years and the submission aimed at offering a specific focus on the position of lesbian, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LBTI) women in sport, and had the objective to support the PACE in its formulation of the report on “The fight for a level playing field – ending discrimination against women in the world of sport” and a consequent resolution. The data and information we collected revealed the specific situations and barriers that LBTI women face in sport, while discrimination and violence against them remain phenomena largely unknown or not visible.” ref

“We decided for this reason to publish the results of our work and we urge decision-makers, stakeholders, and sports leaders at every level to take into account the needs of LBTI women in sport and ensure the full respect of their fundamental rights.” ref

“Provincial governing bodies for high school sports have independent policies on the participation of transgender or non-binary athletes on sex-segregated teams. Organizations such as the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association, the Manitoba High Schools Athletics Association, and BC School Sports each have policies that allow the participation of transgender student-athletes in accordance with their gender identity. Transgender or non-binary student-athletes looking to compete in a team consistent with their gender identity in British Columbia must submit an application to the BC School Sports Executive Director, and are required to have a written statement from both the student-athlete and the principal of their high school confirming their gender identity.” ref

“There are no rules federally to regulate inclusion of transgender children. States vary widely on participation of transgender children in sports and which locker room those students should use. Opponents of including transgender athletes emphasize the argument that there may be an unfair advantage of larger size and strength in trans women, and trans athletes could threaten the safety of cisgender children, both in competition and in the locker room.” ref

“Advocates in favor of allowing transgender children to participate in sports based on their preferred gender point out the known benefits of participating in sports and the psychological well-being of the transgender children. Many states have tried to mimic the NCAA and IOC rules that rely on testosterone level tests to determine when a trans woman can participate in women’s sports competitions. These kinds of rules are more difficult to enforce in secondary education because of the lack of resources to test testosterone levels, and medical professionals are often hesitant to prescribe minors hormones. States have individually come up with rules to regulate trans athlete participation through restricting transgender athletes to teams of their assigned sex at birth, matching NCAA/IOC guidelines, allowing school districts to decide, or allowing complete inclusion.” ref

• “In Indiana, schools rely on anatomical sex, requiring gender reassignment surgery for trans athletes to participate in the sport of their identified gender.
• Nebraska has formed a Gender Identity Eligibility Committee that decides on a case-by-case basis of how each transgender athlete can participate as their self-identified gender.
• Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, Kentucky, Idaho, and Florida require trans athletes to compete based on their biological sex.
• In Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, each school district makes their own decision on how to include transgender athletes.
• Maine gives approval for students to choose which team they wish to play on, approving based on safety and fairness.
• New Jersey and New Mexico require that trans athletes provide evidence that they have transitioned or are transitioning.
• Missouri and Ohio require athletes to undergo hormone treatment. Ohio requires that the athlete must have been on the hormones for at least a year prior to competing.
• Oregon allows those who identify as male to participate on male teams, and they are then on excluded from girls’ competitions. Those transitioning from male to female must be on hormone treatment for at least a year.
• Iowa bans transgender girls and women from playing female sports. No such stipulation applies to transgender boys and men with regard to male sports.” ref

Hecox v. Little

“In March 2020, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed into law the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act”, also known as House Bill 500. This legislation, the first of its kind in the United States, prohibits transgender athletes from competing in sports against athletes of the other biological sex. In April 2020, the ACLU and the Legal Voice filed a lawsuit, Hecox v. Little, arguing that this law violates the US Constitution and Title IX. ADF Legal Counsel Christiana Holcomb, representing two female athletes, said: “Both of our clients agree: Putting male athletes up against females is simply not fair because it changes the nature and dynamics of sport for young women … In one year, 275 high school boys ran faster times than the lifetime best of World Champion sprinter Allyson Felix.” On August 17, 2020, the United States District Court for the District of Idaho issued a preliminary injunction against the law pending trial, issuing an opinion that the plaintiffs were “likely to succeed in establishing [that] the Act is unconstitutional as currently written”. As of May 2021, the case is before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.” ref

Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools

“After women’s high school competitions were won by transgender student Andraya Yearwood in Connecticut, a lawsuit was filed against the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) and several school boards in federal court to try to stop the participation of transgender athletes. Christiana Holcomb, ADF Legal Counsel in the case, said that Yearwood and Terry Miller (another transgender student athlete in Connecticut) between them “amassed 15 different state championship titles that were once held by nine different girls across the state.” The lawsuit was dismissed in April 2021 by the district court as moot.” ref

“In October 2021, women’s sports icons Billie Jean King, World Cup Champion and United States women’s national soccer team Co-Captain Megan Rapinoe, WNBA stars Brianna Turner, Layshia Clarendon, and over 150 athletes in women’s sports filed an amicus brief in an appeal of the Soule v. CIAC trial court dismissal, along with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), Athlete Ally, and the Women’s Sports Foundation, in support of CIAC and affirming the dismissal.” ref

Intersex and Sports

“On February 25th, 2021 South African athlete Caster Semenya filed an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)1 to fight for dignity, equality, and the human rights of women in sports. She challenges the demeaning and intrusive regulations implemented by the World Athletics in 2018 that discriminate and prohibit some women, including women born with variations of sex characteristics, to participate in international competitions. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “Being intersex of itself does not entail better performance, whereas other physical variations that do affect performance […] are not subjected to such scrutiny and restrictions” “Since my victory in the female 800 meter event at the Berlin World Championships in August [2009], I have been subjected to unwarranted and invasive scrutiny of the most intimate and private details of my being. Some of the occurrences leading up to and immediately following the Berlin World Championships have infringed on not only my rights as an athlete but also my fundamental and human rights including my rights to dignity and privacy.” ref

“Sex Testing”

“Historically, so-called “sex testing” of athletes has taken many forms. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) began doing physical examinations in 1966, and in 1968 the International Olympic Committee began conducting chromosomal tests. The IAAF formally stopped conducting chromosomal testing in 1992, though in 2009 began a practice of hormone testing, which continues today. In each case, testing and verification schemes can be linked with nationalism (i.e. that women athletes from certain world regions were outperforming those from others, and particularly from Europe), racism (i.e. a significant portion of women targeted for these exams, particularly in the 21st century, are Black people or people of color, originating in Africa and Asia), and sexism (i.e. stemming from the belief that it was not possible for women to perform so well, and thus certain athletes must not be women at all).” ref

“Most recently, April 2018, the IAAF introduced “Eligibility Regulations for Female Classification (Athlete with Differences of Sex Development)” for international events, including 400m, hurdles races, 800m, 1500m, one mile races, and combined events over the same distances (‘Restricted Events’). Under these regulations, all intersex women whose testosterone level exceeds 5 nmol/L will be forced to take drugs that supress their natural testosterone level in order to be eligible. However, as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has pointed out, “being intersex of itself does not entail better performance, whereas other physical variations that do affect performance […] are not subjected to such scrutiny and restrictions.” ref

“Intersex individuals are born with variations of sex characteristics (sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormonal structure and/or levels and/or chromosomal patterns) that do not fit the typical definition of male or female.” ref

“In March 2019, the 2019 UN Human Rights Council resolution on the “Elimination of discrimination against women and girls in sport” notes with concern that the IAAF regulation “may not be compatible with international human rights norms and standards” and called upon States to “ensure that sporting associations and bodies implement policies and practices in accordance with international human rights norms and standards, and refrain from developing and enforcing policies and practices that force, coerce or otherwise pressure women and girl athletes into undergoing unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedures in order to participate in women’s events in competitive sports”. Despite these warnings, IAAF revised its guidelines in May 2019 to specifically mandate testing and coerced treatment based on testosterone levels linked to certain intersex variations.” ref

Testosterone

“According to sports experts, testosterone is only one of many factors that impacts performance, and the naturally occurring differences in humans (e.g. oxygen uptake, capillary density, or the ability to tolerate high levels of lactic acid) that have a direct impact on an athlete’s performance in sports competitions. Regardless whether testosterone is to be considered a key performance factor or not, the IAAF regulations might lead to further discrimination of intersex athletes in all areas of sports. In addition, implementation practices of these regulations may include discriminatory practices and the violation of the athletes right to privacy. The possible physical and psychological side-effects of coerced medication need also to be taken into account.” ref

Media scrutiny

“In recent years, the issues of athletes with natural variations of sex characteristics (e.g. hormone levels), such as Caster Semenya, Margaret Wambui, Annet Negesa, Francine Niyonsaba, Maximila Imali, Santhi Soundarajan, Pinki Pramanik, Dutee Chand, Pratima Gaonkar, have been brought into focus in international media. Intersex women athletes are exposed to significant media attention, and insensitive reporting and overall heightened media attention can lead to further pressure and stigma. The media widely-reported the case of Caster Semenya, and she states that the scrutiny of sports associations coupled with media attention have destroyed her “mentally and physically”. In other cases the circumstances had become unbearable, such as with Pratima Gaonkar, who took her own life in 2001 at age 184.” ref

Invasive medical examinations

“The prospect of “sex verificiation” testing and to be exposed to invasive medical examinations has a dramatic impact on these and future athletes and their ability and even desire to participate in sport. It is especially important to note that many intersex people are exposed to medical violence in infancy and childhood, being subjected to unconsented surgeries and other medical procedures as well as extensive examinations of their genitals. Simply the prospect of exposure to medicalisation can act as sufficient deterrent for intersex women to participate in sport.” ref

“Furthermore, there is a high risk of human rights violations stemming from these discriminatory regulations and practices of sex testing and medicalisation. According to the 2016 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Health, these policies “have led to women athletes being discriminated against and forced or coerced into ‘treatment’ for hyperandrogenism […] a number of athletes have undergone gonadectomy (removal of reproductive organs) and partial cliteroidectomy (a form of female genital mutilation) in the absence of symptoms or health issues warranting those procedures.” ref

Trans People and Sports

“The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution,[1] is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women’s sports. Opponents argue that transgender women have an unfair advantage over, and may endanger, cisgender women in competitive sports due to sex differences in human physiology, and that these differences are not sufficiently reversed by transgender hormone therapies.” ref

“Supporters of transgender athletes argue that medically prescribed puberty blockers and estrogen suppresses testosterone levels and reduces muscle mass of transgender women, reducing possible competitive advantages. Supporters also argue that sport, particularly youth sports, is also about belonging, well-being, and socialization of young people. Supporters, such as the American Medical Association, contend that legislation barring trans women from women’s sports harms the mental health of transgender people.” ref

“The controversy has caused debates regarding sex verification in sports. Since the mid-twentieth century, sports institutions have responded to the participation of transgender women, and women suspected to be transgender, male, or intersex, by adding eligibility requirements to women’s sports variously determined by physical examination, sex chromosomes, and sex hormones. Proponents of such regulations regard them as necessary to ensure fair competition and women’s safety. However, since their inception, such regulations have been criticized as discriminatory against transgender and intersex women, and as causing violations of medical ethics. More recently, some U.S. states have passed legislation restricting the participation of transgender youth in high school sports.” ref

“One of the earliest high-profile transgender athletes was tennis player Renée Richards. Already a promising tennis player in the men’s circuit, Richards underwent gender reassignment therapy in 1975 and started playing in women’s tournaments a year later. Her discovery and the resulting media frenzy sparked protests. After she accepted an invitation to a warm-up tournament for the US Open, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) withdrew their support and 25 of the 32 women pulled out of the tournament.” ref

“As a result the USTA and WTA introduced the Barr body test, which identifies a person’s sex chromosomes. Richards refused to take the test and was banned from the US Open. She filed a lawsuit in 1977 claiming that her civil rights were violated and that the policy was unfair. The New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor, saying that the Barr body test as the sole determinant of sex was “grossly unfair” and ruled Richards legally female. She then competed in the 1977 US Open at the age of 43, lost in the first round, and retired four years later. At the time, the ruling in Richards’s case did not lead to major changes outside of tennis.” ref

Trans People and the Olympics

“In 2003, a committee convened by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission drew up new guidelines for the participation of athletes who had undergone gender reassignment. The report listed three conditions for participation. First, athletes must have undergone sex reassignment surgery, including changes in the external genitalia and gonadectomy. Second, athletes must show legal recognition of their gender. Third, athletes must have undergone hormone therapy for an appropriate time before participation, with two years being the suggested time. It was not until 2004 that the IOC allowed transgender athletes to participate in the Olympic Games.” ref

“In 2015, the IOC modified these guidelines in recognition that legal recognition of gender could be difficult in countries where gender transition is not legal, and that requiring surgery in otherwise healthy individuals “may be inconsistent with developing legislation and notions of human rights”. The new guidelines require only that trans woman athletes declare their gender and not change that assertion for four years, as well as demonstrate a testosterone level of less than 10 nanomoles per liter for at least one year prior to competition and throughout the period of eligibility. Athletes who transitioned from female to male were allowed to compete without restriction. These guidelines were in effect for the 2016 Rio Olympics, although no openly transgender athletes competed.” ref

“In 2021, the IOC approved Laurel Hubbard, a trans woman, to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics in weightlifting. Hubbard became the first out trans woman to compete at the Olympics; she did not complete her lifts and won no medals. Katelyn Burns, an MSNBC Opinion Columnist, suggested Hubbard’s performance demonstrates that transgender athletes do not always win. Hubbard competed with the support of her fellow Olympian competitors. Australian weightlifter Charisma Amoe-Tarrant said “I have so much respect for her and wish her and the other lifters the best and hope we can all come together and enjoy the Olympics, because this Olympics right now is quite different compared to others. I’ve competed with her previously and always had good chats with her, I just wish her well.” ref

“On 21 July 2021, at the same Games, Canadian non-binary soccer player Quinn became the first transgender person to compete at the Olympics, playing for the Canadian women’s soccer team. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, they became the first out, transgender Olympian to medal and win a gold medal. Alana Smith, a non-binary skateboarder, represented the United States in the women’s skateboarding semifinals of the 2020 Summer Olympics.” ref

In November 2021 the IOC issued a non-legally binding framework that focuses on ten principles of inclusion: “prevention of harm, non-discrimination, fairness, no presumption of advantage, evidence-based approach, primacy of health and bodily autonomy, stakeholder-centered approach, right to privacy and periodic reviews”. The new guidelines have been described as loosening rules that impede transgender and intersex athlete’s participation in Olympic sports, with enforcement of sport-specific rules governing inclusion. On February 18, 2022, Timothy LeDuc became the first openly non-binary athlete to compete in a Winter Olympics in Beijing. They competed in pairs figure skating alongside their skating partner Ashley Cain-Gribble for Team USA.” ref

World Athletics

“In October 2019, World Athletics changed the testosterone limit for transgender competitors, setting it at 5 nmol/L, from the previous 10 nmol/L, in order to bring it in line with the DSD (intersex) regulations. According to regulations from October 2019, in order for a trans woman to compete in the women’s category: “3.2.1 she must provide a written and signed declaration, in a form satisfactory to the Medical Manager, that her gender identity is female; 3.2.2 she must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Expert Panel (on the balance of probabilities), in accordance with clause 4, that the concentration of testosterone in her serum has been less than 5 nmol/L continuously for a period of at least 12 months; and 3.2.3 she must keep her serum testosterone concentration below 5 nmol/L for so long as she wishes to maintain her eligibility to compete in the female category of competition.” World Athletics also has rules for intersex/differences of sex development (DSD) athletes. DSD athletes will be subjected to specific rules if they have XY male chromosomes, testes rather than ovaries, have circulating testosterone within the typical male range (7.7 to 29.4 nmol/L), and are androgen-sensitive so that their body makes use of that testosterone. World Athletics requires that any such athlete must reduce their blood testosterone level to 5 nmol/L or lower for a six-month period before becoming eligible for track running events from 400 meters to the mile run in international competition, though World Athletics publicly remains open to extending this to other events based on new scientific study. World Athletics created these rules as a way to ensure fair competition in the women’s category.” ref

Others

“In 1996, the Iron Ladies, a men’s volleyball team made up of gay men and transgender women from Thailand, won the national championship. The Iron Ladies were not allowed to join Thailand’s national volleyball team because of the way they dressed.” ref

“The first out transgender person to make a US national team was Chris Mosier, who in 2016 qualified for Team USA in duathlon. Mosier is considered the catalyst for the change in the IOC policy on transgender athletes in 2015, when he challenged the policy after initially being banned from the world championship race. Mosier also became the first known transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in the gender with which they identify, and the first trans man to make a men’s Olympic Trials, when he competed in January 2020 in the US Olympic Team Trials in the 50k Racewalking event.” ref

“In 2017, Mack Beggs, a teenager from Texas, was required to wrestle against girls throughout the season of his transition from female to male up through the state championship, despite wanting to wrestle against boys. This was due to state sport regulations requiring athletes to compete alongside athletes of their assigned sex. Some opponents say the testosterone prescribed as part of his transition gives him an unfair advantage and made it unsafe for the other wrestlers. (He finished the regular season at 52–0 and won the state championship.) In October 2018, Veronica Ivy (then known as Rachel McKinnon) won a gold medal at the cycling Masters World Track Championship in Los Angeles.” ref

“Since 2021, media has widely covered University of Pennsylvania student Lia Thomas, who swam for the men’s team in 2018–2019, and for the women’s team in 2021. The Washington Post wrote that Thomas was “shattering records”. In December 2021, USA Swimming official Cynthia Millen resigned in protest, because of her belief that Thomas has an unfair advantage over her competitors. In February 2022, CNN called Thomas “the face of the debate on transgender women in sports”. In March 2022, she became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle event. Thomas lost muscle mass and strength through testosterone suppression and hormone replacement therapy. Her time for the 500 freestyle is over 15 seconds slower than her personal bests before medically transitioning. Thomas’s winning time of 4:33.24 was 9.18 seconds short of Katie Ledecky’s NCAA record of 4:24.06. In other races, Thomas has been beaten by multiple cisgender women as well as by Iszac Henig, a transgender man not on hormones.” ref

How common are transgender women in female sports?

“When BBC Woman’s Hour tackled the subject this month, they spoke to Williams, who said trans women posed a “threat” to female participation in sport, at a time when they are already under-represented. It is difficult to measure numbers accurately, but government figures suggest there are 200,000 to 500,000 transgender people in the UK, equating to 0.3%-0.75% of the population.” ref

And the numbers taking part in sports will be affected by, in the words of Pride Sports, “the significant barriers that still exist, such as hostility to trans people and lack of trans policies from national and international governing bodies”. “It’s never going to be the case that trans women are going to take over women’s sport,” says Martin. “That’s a crazy and sensationalist argument to try and make an impact.” ref

“McKinnon says: “There is no evidence that participation drops among cis women when a trans woman is present so we should never set our policy based on people who are fearful of trans people. That is the definition of transphobia. “Participation tends to improve when you make a sporting place more inclusive.” In a recent global survey of 1,000 women, 80% said trans women should have the same rights as them. McKinnon says it is also worth considering that trans people have been able to compete in the Olympics since 2004. “Not only is anyone yet to win a medal, but as far as we know, not a single trans person has gone to the Olympics,” she said. “In terms of Olympic sports, there have only been two world champions and I’m one of them.” ref

Sex Testing and Sports

Sex verification in sports

“Sports organizations have sought a test for sex verification to ensure fairness across all sports. This began in the 1940s with “femininity certificates” provided by a physician. In the 1960s, visual genital inspections were used to confirm gender, followed by chromosomal analysis to detect the presence of the SRY and DYZ1 genes, normally found on the Y chromosome. These tests were all designed to ensure that athletes were only allowed to compete as their sex, but mostly resulted in the exclusion of intersex athletes. Some LGBTQ advocates have referred to sex verification policies as “genital inspection” and “gender policing” of female athletes.” ref

“The first mandatory sex test issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the world’s track and field governing body, for woman athletes was in July 1950 in the month before the European Championships in Belgium. All athletes were tested in their own countries. Sex testing at the actual games began with the 1966 European Athletics Championships’ response to suspicion that several of the best women athletes from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were actually men. At the Olympics, testing was introduced in 1968. In some cases, these policies have led to athletes undergoing unnecessary surgery such as female genital mutilation and sterilization. Subsequent reports have shown that the tests could cause psychological harm. Sex verification—identifying athletes whose hormone levels are abnormal compared to others of their purported sex — can cause sex identity crises, elicit demeaning reactions (publicly and privately), isolate athletes socially, and lead to depression and sometimes suicide.” ref

“More recently, testosterone levels have become the focus and, at the same time, new guidelines have been sought that would allow successfully-transitioned athletes to compete. Since the proposition in 2003 to use testosterone levels, reputable organizations such as the IOC have adopted strict policies that employ testosterone as a metric to allow successfully transitioned female athletes to compete. More recent guidelines have focused entirely on testosterone levels, such as the IOC’s current guidelines, originally set in November 2015, which set limits on transgender athletes’ testosterone levels for them to be permitted in women’s competition categories. Controversy surrounding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also centered around testosterone levels, specifically over whether the IOC’s guidelines should be amended to set stricter testosterone limits, although this proposed change has been strongly debated. The testing of testosterone alone as a marker for athleticism has been debated.” ref

“The increased visibility of trans women in professional sports has led to debates on the IOC policies. Many scientists criticize the policies because of published papers showing that people who went through male puberty retain significant advantages even after a year of testosterone suppression. In July 2021, the IOC’s medical and science director, Richard Budgett, stated that the 2015 guidelines were outdated and that new ones would be coming in a few months. He stated that the new guidelines would help each individual sport to balance between safety, fairness, and inclusion.” ref

Testosterone, athletic ability, and injury risks

“Biological sex differences in humans impact performance in sports. Debate over whether and how transgender women should compete in female sports often has to do with whether they have an unfair advantage over cisgender women due to higher testosterone levels and skeletal, muscle, and fat distribution differences. Testosterone regulates many different functions in the body, including the maintenance of bone and muscle mass.” ref

“A 2021 literature review concluded that for trans women, even with testosterone suppression, “the data show that strength, lean body mass, muscle size and bone density are only trivially affected. The reductions observed in muscle mass, size, and strength are very small compared to the baseline differences between males and females in these variables, and thus, there are major performance and safety implications in sports where these attributes are competitively significant.” After 24 months of testosterone suppression, bone mass is generally preserved. The review states that no study has reported muscle loss greater than 12% with testosterone suppression even after three years of hormone therapy. It found that trans women are in the top 10% of females regarding lean body mass and possess a grip 25% stronger than most females. They suggest that instead of universal guidelines, each individual sport federation decide how to “balance between inclusion, safety, and fairness” due to differences between sports.” ref

“A 2021 systematic review found that significant decreases in measures of strength, lean body mass, and muscle area were observed after 12 months of hormone therapy, while the values remained above those observed in cisgender women, even after 36 months, suggesting that trans women “may retain strength advantages over cisgender women.” Effects of longer-duration therapy were unclear due to scarcity of data.” ref

“A 2017 systematic review of literature relating to sport participation and competitive sports policies reported that there is no direct or comprehensive evidence of transgender women having an athletic advantage over their cisgender counterparts at any stage of transition (e.g. cross-sex hormones or sex reassignment surgery), due to the lack of quantitative research on the subject; this made it “difficult to draw any definite conclusions”. Only one of the papers in the systematic review took any physical attributes into account. A 2018 extended essay analyzed the current IOC rule set in 2015 (testosterone below 10 nmol/L for trans women) and found that “the advantage to transwomen afforded by the IOC guidelines is an intolerable unfairness”, while they propose to abandon male/female categories in favor of a more nuanced division.” ref

“A 38-page draft document from World Rugby‘s transgender working group in 2020 acknowledged that rugby players who are cisgender women, when tackled by a player who has gone through male puberty, are at a significantly greater risk of injury. The working group calculated that increased injury risk for typical players with female characteristics, when tackled by a typical player with male characteristics, was between 20 and 30%, and potentially reaching “levels twice as large” in extreme cases where the players are unusually small and large, respectively. Consequently, the document proposes that in the absence of persuasive evidence to the contrary, International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines regarding a minimum 12-month lowering of testosterone are “not fit for purpose” in the context of rugby. This move was criticized because there were “no examples of transgender women causing serious injuries to cisgender women.” ref

Public opinion

“A March 2022 Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll found that 63% of Americans were against gender-transitioning athletes competing in opposite-sex sporting events, while 37% of Americans were in favor of them competing. 60% of Democrats, 32% of Independents, and 20% of Republicans were in favor of gender-transitioning athletes competing in opposite-sex sporting events, while 80% of Republicans, 68% of Independents, and 40% of Democrats were against them competing.” ref

Christopher Blessing:

“An argument I wish to make is that we need a unisex league and perhaps new rules. In fact, there should be rules that stress safety and would allow women to partake in more contact sports with men, this would also logically prevent more injuries. The fact that there are intrusive medical exams for women and intersex people violates human dignity. You could have divisions of male/male male/female, female/female, and completely open. Then have options for any to compete against one another from other divisions if they choose, via consent. I acknowledge some athletes want gender division and I think that it won’t fade any time soon. However open inclusion is easily accomplished, too. Or we could have preliminary tournaments that are performance based to pair people against one another more evenly. Rather than have sexed based sports we should have human based sports. I recognize that my second suggestion would be an ableist argument but many sports are based on physical ability which with a diverse group of people would happen. My first argument of having an open division would allow the inclusion of nonbinary people who claim no gender or sex. Sex wouldn’t be an issue in performance based matching if participants were willing to participate in such. I recognize there are flaws within my suggestions such as the execution may be undesirable as people have their preferences in who they wish to compete with, as well as the complications of how one would exactly best match two different people on physical performance. Something like the NFL combine could set some bench marks, but I couldn’t say for sure how well things would pan out in reality. Regardless, transgender people, intersex people, and people in general should be able to compete in sports while maintaining their dignity. Some rule changes and different thinking could open up new possibilities for fair inclusion.”

Pic ref 

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“In the United States:

• More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects.
• For children ages 1–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes.” ref 

“Every year in the United States there are an estimated:

• 3,960* fatal unintentional drownings, including boating-related drowning—that is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.
• 8,080† nonfatal drownings—that is an average of 22 nonfatal drownings per day.
• For every child who dies from drowning, another eight receive emergency department care for non-fatal drowning.
• More than 40% of drownings treated in emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer for further care (compared with 8% for all unintentional injuries).
• Drowning injuries can cause brain damage and other serious outcomes, including long-term disability.
• Many adults and children report that they can’t swim or that they are weak swimmers. 17-19 Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children and young adults.
• Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water, especially to unsupervised children. It happens in lakes and oceans, pools, bathtubs, and even buckets of water. Drowning can occur when lifeguards are present.
• The highest risk locations for drowning vary by age. Among infants under 1-year-old, two-thirds of all drownings occur in bathtubs. Most drownings happen in home swimming pools among children ages 1–4. More than half of the fatal and nonfatal drownings among people 15 years and older occur in natural waters like lakes, rivers, or oceans.” ref

How frequently do sports injuries occur?

“In the U.S., about 30 million children and teens participate in some form of organized sports, and more than 3.5 million injuries each year, which cause some loss of time of participation, are experienced by the participants. Almost one-third of all injuries incurred in childhood are sports-related injuries. By far, the most common injuries are sprains and strains. Obviously, some sports are more dangerous than others. For example, contact sports such as football can be expected to result in a higher number of injuries than a noncontact sports such as swimming. However, all types of sports have a potential for injury, whether from the trauma of contact with other players or from overuse or misuse of a body part.” ref 

“Injury rates:

• More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities.
• Although death from a sports injury is rare, the leading cause of death from a sports-related injury is a brain injury.
• Sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children.
• Almost 50 percent of head injuries sustained in sports or recreational activities occur during bicycling, skateboarding, or skating incidents.
• More than 775,000 children, ages 14 and younger, are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. Most of the injuries occurred as a result of falls, being struck by an object, collisions, and overexertion during unorganized or informal sports activities.” ref

“Where and when of sports injuries:

• Playground, sports, and bicycle-related injuries occur most often among children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old.
• The highest rates of injury occur in sports that involve contact and collisions.
• More severe injuries occur during individual sports and recreational activities.
• Most organized sports-related injuries (62 percent) occur during practice.” ref

“Consider these estimated injury statistics for 2009 from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• Basketball. More than 170,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for basketball-related injuries.
• Baseball and softball. Nearly 110,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries. Baseball also has the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5 to 14, with three to four children dying from baseball injuries each year.
• Bicycling. More than 200,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries.
• Football. Almost 215,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for football-related injuries.
• Ice hockey. More than 20,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for ice hockey-related injuries.
• In-line and roller skating. More than 47,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for in-line skating-related injuries.
• Skateboarding. More than 66,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries.
• Sledding or toboggan. More than 16,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for sledding-related injuries.
• Snow skiing or snowboarding. More than 25,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for snowboarding and snow skiing-related injuries.
• Soccer. About 88,000 children ages 5 to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for soccer-related injuries.
• Trampolines. About 65,000 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for trampoline-related injuries.” ref

Hazing in Sports

“Hazing is any activity expected of athletes joining a sports team that humiliates or abuses them. These activities are considered hazing whether the athlete wants to participate or not.” ref 

“Examples of hazing activities include:

• Being thrown in water or mud
• Eating disgusting things
• Wearing embarrassing clothing
• Drinking alcohol
• Destroying property
• Being beaten” ref

“Psychological Effects of Hazing

Because hazing includes humiliating, degrading, abusive, and dangerous activities, athletes who have been hazed may have negative psychological experiences. These psychological experiences will differ based on the athlete, the hazing activity, and the environment – some psychological experiences may last a short period of time whereas others may be longer-lasting.” ref

“Psychological effects of hazing includes:

• Decrease in confidence
• Self-doubting
• Depression
• Helplessness
• Low self-esteem
• Suicidal thoughts” ref

“These psychological experiences may result in athletes feeling like they are unable to be friends with people on the team and may even result in athletes quitting their sport. Additionally, these psychological experiences will probably affect other areas of athletes’ lives, such as school and family.” ref

Deterring Hazing

“Schools and athletic programs have the responsibility to have policies in place to discourage hazing. Two ways to help deter hazing is implementing a policy and creating alternative team bonding activities. Three steps should be used when creating a policy.” ref

1. “The zero-tolerance policy should be written in clear and simply language so that teachers, coaches, administrators, students, and parents understand the policy. Consequences for breaking the policy should also be included.
2. At the pre-season meeting for all sport teams, administrators and coaches need to explain the zero-tolerance policy to students and parents. After reviewing the policy, students should sign a student contract stating they understand the policy and will respect the policy or meet the consequences.
3. If hazing occurs on a sport team, administrators and coaches need to immediately investigate the incident. If students did violate the zero tolerance policy for hazing, strong action consistent with the policy needs to be taken.” ref

“We have all heard the myths of hazing: Bonding activities will bring the team closer together; new teammates need to earn their spot and prove themselves worthy of the jersey; activities are all in good fun and people can always choose not to participate. The reality is that hazing is associated with lower team cohesion2 and can put personal, academic, and athletic goals out of reach.” ref

“The NCAA defines hazing as “any act committed against someone joining or becoming a member or maintaining membership in any organization that is humiliating, intimidating or demeaning, or endangers the health and safety of the person. Hazing includes active or passive participation in such acts and occurs regardless of the willingness to participate in the activities. Hazing creates an environment/climate in which dignity and respect are absent.” ref

“Too many students have lost their lives due to hazing, including Lynn “Gordie” Bailey Jr., who died three weeks into his freshman year of college. He and 26 other new members were told to drink four handles of whiskey and six bottles of wine in 30 minutes. Bailey drank more than his share to help out some of the other members who were clearly past their limits. Tragically, after Bailey passed out on a couch, no one checked on him until the next morning when it was too late.” ref

Less serious, but more common risks of hazing, include: physical injury, legal penalties (for stealing, violence, or breaking state laws against hazing), losing institutional eligibility to compete, and canceling the rest of the team’s season. Other harms of hazing are more hidden. People respond to stress in individual ways. Some appear not to be bothered, while others cope by avoiding all contact with the hazers.” ref 

“Others may develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as nightmares, depression, and feelings of shame. Hazing may create unity within a recruiting class, but the abuse of power by upperclassman leaders frequently results in mistrust of all other team members. When teams include alcohol in hazing activities, the scales are tipped toward a greater likelihood of a negative outcome. In addition to increasing the risk of a season-ending injury, alcohol use can have a lingering negative effect on athletic performance for all involved.” ref

“Consider the following national data:

• 74 percent of student-athletes experience at least one form of hazing while in college.
• The most frequently reported hazing behavior among student-athletes is participating in drinking games (47 percent).
• 23 percent of student-athletes report having to drink large amounts of alcohol to the point of getting sick or passing out as part of a hazing activity.” ref

“In retrospect, some people who have been hazed feel that the experience wasn’t that bad or may have had positive results. But what does the research say on how the 55 percent of college students who have been hazed view their hazing experience?  The national “Hazing in View” study3 found the following:

• 69 percent disagreed that hazing made them feel more like a part of the group.
• 78 percent disagreed that they felt a sense of accomplishment.
• 82 percent disagreed that they felt stronger.” ref

“The national data is clear that hazing does not pull a team together.” ref

“Nearly half of college students (47 percent) were hazed in high school, so these individuals come to college with the belief that hazing is normal and to be expected.  Nine out of 10 college students who experienced hazing do not consider themselves to have been hazed. In 25 percent of hazing experiences, students believed coaches and/or advisors were aware of the activities.  As a result, few student-athletes identify problem behaviors as hazing, and even fewer report hazing when it occurs.  In most situations, student-athletes are most likely to turn to family members for help, yet only 27 percent of men and 29 percent of women reached out to family members if they had been hazed.” ref

“On the basis of their reported behaviors and activities, approximately 80 percent of the respondents were subjected to questionable or unacceptable activities as part of their initiation onto a collegiate athletics team. When this figure is projected to the national population, over a quarter of a million athletes – about 255,637 – were hazed.” ref 

“With all the possible interrelated combinations of acts, four mutually exclusive groups of students were defined based on the general seriousness of their activities:

• 21 percent were involved in non-alcohol-related, unacceptable activities.
• Another 39 percent were involved in alcohol-related activities.
• 19 percent were involved in questionable activities only.
• 19 percent were involved exclusively in acceptable activities.” ref

“The act of hazing has mostly been associated with college fraternities and sororities, but it is becoming a more frequent occurrence in high school athletics. Hazing certainly is not new; however, the degree to which it is reported in the news today is. Social media allows the average fan, player, and parent to get a more in-depth view into what actually goes on in players’ lives.” ref 

“The willingness for high schools to admit that bullying is a real and dangerous problem facing many students today has led administrators and athletic directors to take a much closer look at hazing rituals on their campuses. Ritual hazing might have been looked at by administrators a few years ago as kids being kids, but now there is no room for activities that degrade or defame anyone. Strict rules are in place to punish student-athletes involved in hazing students and athletes. More than ever, coaches need to be proactive to not only protect their own coaching careers, but to ensure the safety and well-being of those they coach.” ref

The Current Environment

“Coaches who are guilty of turning a blind eye to hazing incidents are fired. In a case in California, some members of a varsity girls soccer team forced four freshman girls to drink alcohol until the girls vomited or collapsed. In New Jersey, freshmen soccer players were physically abused and thrown in the mud as part of an annual hazing event. The head coach and two assistants were fired because they allowed it to happen. In New York, four members of a high school football team sodomized junior varsity players. The players were charged with a crime, and the coaches were fired (Martens, R., 2012). These incidents represent a very small sample of a problem that seems to be epidemic in high school athletics but reinforce the need for all coaches to take the issue seriously.” ref

Hazing, Bullying – How They Can Feed Off Each Other

“One distinction that should be made about hazing is that bullying and hazing are not the same thing. Hazing is a form of bullying, but hazing is seen as temporary. They are different from each other because bullies usually act alone to single out someone they perceive as weak. Bullies want to exclude a person from a group.” ref

“Hazing is an act often performed by a group. The act of hazing is done to individuals who want to join a group. Being put through a hazing ritual usually ends with the person or persons being allowed into the group. Bullying continues with no end in sight. Both bullying and hazing involve mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule of the victim or victims (Martens, R. 2012).” ref

“In bullying, there is no consent by the victim, whereas in hazing there is an air of implied consent by the victim or victims (stophazing.org. 2013). Hazing is an activity defined as any requirement that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers individuals. The victims’willingness to participate does not eliminate the activity from being hazing (Tokar, K., & Stewart, C. 2010). With this definition in mind more and more high school “rituals” may be seen as hazing, but neither act has any place in high school athletics.” ref

Qualitative review of hazing in collegiate and school sports: consequences from a lack of culture, knowledge, and responsiveness

“As with most mental health disorders, the topic of hazing is not exclusive to the student-athlete. However, it is also clear that the unique set of situations faced by athletes creates a set of additional and difficult challenges to their mental and physical well-being. A deep-rooted culture, a lack of knowledge about hazing and its causal relationships, and a failure to act by teammates and adults all play a role in the propagation of this danger. Also, in an era where the popular press similarly celebrates and chastises episodes of hazing, it is increasingly crucial to turn to the scientific literature for guidance.” ref 

MENTAL HEALTH IMPACT AND UNDERPINNINGS OF HAZING

“According to Cimino, the abuse of new or prospective group members, has fascinated social scientists for over a century. Initially conceptualized as a manifestation of individual aggression and psychopathology, the concept of hazing has evolved into complex theories transcending individual psychodynamics, and now encompasses myriad social, psychological, and evolutionary theories. A review of the literature yields studies referencing the terms hazing, psychological/sexual/physical harm, bullying, violence, abuse (in various forms), harassment, psychological maltreatment, neglect, brawling, exploitation, and foul play. Stirling has provided recently a conceptual framework for researchers in this area, coalescing the variable terms noted in the literature to the superordinate concept of ‘maltreatment’, defined as ‘volitional acts that result in or have the potential to result in physical injuries and/or psychological harm’. 5 Recently, and at a clinical level, the IOC’s consensus statement on Youth Athletic Development crystallized the term into ‘violence’, and proffered safeguarding principles for the child athlete.” ref

Pic ref 

I strive to be a good human ethical in both my thinking and behaviors thus I strive to be:

Anti-racist, Anti-sexist, Anti-homophobic, Anti-biphobic. Anti-transphobic, Anti-classist, Anti-ablest, Anti-ageist, and as Always ???? Antifascist ????

ref, ref, ref

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

The “Atheist-Humanist-Leftist Revolutionaries”

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ Atheist Leftist @Skepticallefty & I (Damien Marie AtHope) @AthopeMarie (my YouTube & related blog) are working jointly in atheist, antitheist, antireligionist, antifascist, anarchist, socialist, and humanist endeavors in our videos together, generally, every other Saturday.

Why Does Power Bring Responsibility?

Think, how often is it the powerless that start wars, oppress others, or commit genocide? So, I guess the question is to us all, to ask, how can power not carry responsibility in a humanity concept? I know I see the deep ethical responsibility that if there is power their must be a humanistic responsibility of ethical and empathic stewardship of that power. Will I be brave enough to be kind? Will I possess enough courage to be compassionate? Will my valor reach its height of empathy? I as everyone, earns our justified respect by our actions, that are good, ethical, just, protecting, and kind. Do I have enough self-respect to put my love for humanity’s flushing, over being brought down by some of its bad actors? May we all be the ones doing good actions in the world, to help human flourishing.

I create the world I want to live in, striving for flourishing. Which is not a place but a positive potential involvement and promotion; a life of humanist goal precision. To master oneself, also means mastering positive prosocial behaviors needed for human flourishing. I may have lost a god myth as an atheist, but I am happy to tell you, my friend, it is exactly because of that, leaving the mental terrorizer, god belief, that I truly regained my connected ethical as well as kind humanity.

Cory and I will talk about prehistory and theism, addressing the relevance to atheism, anarchism, and socialism.

At the same time as the rise of the male god, 7,000 years ago, there was also the very time there was the rise of violence, war, and clans to kingdoms, then empires, then states. It is all connected back to 7,000 years ago, and it moved across the world.

Cory Johnston: https://damienmarieathope.com/2021/04/cory-johnston-mind-of-a-skeptical-leftist/?v=32aec8db952d  

The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist (YouTube)

Cory Johnston: Mind of a Skeptical Leftist @Skepticallefty

The Mind of a Skeptical Leftist By Cory Johnston: “Promoting critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics by covering current events and talking to a variety of people. Cory Johnston has been thoughtfully talking to people and attempting to promote critical thinking, social justice, and left-wing politics.” http://anchor.fm/skepticalleft

Cory needs our support. We rise by helping each other.

Cory Johnston ☭ Ⓐ @Skepticallefty Evidence-based atheist leftist (he/him) Producer, host, and co-host of 4 podcasts @skeptarchy @skpoliticspod and @AthopeMarie

Damien Marie AtHope (“At Hope”) Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist. Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Poet, Philosopher, Advocate, Activist, Psychology, and Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Historian.

Damien is interested in: Freedom, Liberty, Justice, Equality, Ethics, Humanism, Science, Atheism, Antiteism, Antireligionism, Ignosticism, Left-Libertarianism, Anarchism, Socialism, Mutualism, Axiology, Metaphysics, LGBTQI, Philosophy, Advocacy, Activism, Mental Health, Psychology, Archaeology, Social Work, Sexual Rights, Marriage Rights, Woman’s Rights, Gender Rights, Child Rights, Secular Rights, Race Equality, Ageism/Disability Equality, Etc. And a far-leftist, “Anarcho-Humanist.”

With religion, it is like your brain is in a noose, squeezing out any hope of critical thinking about religious beliefs. Leaving the victim faith-drunk as if all the oxygen of their mental freedom is cut off and hope for self-mastery is but some far away fantasy out of reach.

My Thought on the Evolution of Gods?

Animal protector deities from old totems/spirit animal beliefs come first to me, 13,000/12,000 years ago, then women as deities 11,000/10,000 years ago, then male gods around 7,000/8,000 years ago. Moralistic gods around 5,000/4,000 years ago, and monotheistic gods around 4,000/3,000 years ago. 

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope’s Art

Damien Marie AtHope (Said as “At” “Hope”)/(Autodidact Polymath but not good at math):

Axiological Atheist, Anti-theist, Anti-religionist, Secular Humanist, Rationalist, Writer, Artist, Jeweler, Poet, “autodidact” Philosopher, schooled in Psychology, and “autodidact” Armchair Archaeology/Anthropology/Pre-Historian (Knowledgeable in the range of: 1 million to 5,000/4,000 years ago). I am an anarchist socialist politically. Reasons for or Types of Atheism

My Website, My Blog, & Short-writing or Quotes  My YouTube, Twitter: @AthopeMarie, and My Email: damien.marie.athope@gmail.com