Stick to Sport!
By Michael Weadock, Jan 2024
Gary Lineker is at the centre of another controversy for sharing and subsequently deleting a tweet about Israel’s involvement in international football. Gary is no stranger to controversy about his posts on social media and last year was forced by the BBC to take a step back from his presenting role after criticising the Government’s Rwanda bill.
The BBC introduced new guidelines on use of social media following the incident. It led to Defence Secretary Grant Shapps essentially telling the former England International to ‘stick to football’. I’m not sure this is a helpful response. Whether you agree or disagree with Gary’s views on anything isn’t relevant – he’s entitled to use his own social media channels for whatever he wants. You might think that due to Gary’s profile as a leading BBC presenter, he should be more thoughtful about what he posts. That is a matter for Gary and the BBC – not a government minister. Only Gary, his advisors and his employers know the terms and conditions of his contract and again, whether you agree or disagree, they are the only people who should have a say on what an individual posts on their feed.
I’m worried about this view that sportspeople can’t use their voices to highlight bigger and wider issues. Marcus Rashford was rightly praised for his intervention in providing school meals during the pandemic. In essence, he was doing the job of the politician. And, he wasn’t sticking to football.
I write this mindful of four recent conversations we have had on our Great British Bosses podcast. Before Christmas, Chemmy Alcott was a guest talking about the need for sustainability in winter sports and her fears about how climate change is affecting some of the more traditional destinations for snow sports. It was a passionate response and one Chemmy feels strongly about. Should Chemmy just stick to skiing?
Likewise, our first guests of 2024. Hannah Mills is one of the most impressive individuals I’ve met. Aside from her sporting success – she’s the most successful female sailor in Olympic history – it’s the energy she has given to so many of the other big challenges facing the planet right now that stands out for me. Listen to our conversation and hear how Hannah is not just saying, but doing things to tackle gender inequality, climate change and plastic pollution. Hannah’s workplace is the ocean. She’s done more to raise awareness of the issues than any politician I can name currently.
Hannah has an ally in Eve Muirhead too. Eve is leading the Team GB delegation to the Winter Youth games. Eve won a gold medal in Curling at the last Winter Olympics. She’s another that appreciates there is more to sport than simply the field of play and winning medals. Leading a national delegation of young people means a wide-ranging role for Eve and I imagine those young people representing Team GB in Korea will look back at Eve’s experience and leadership over the next couple of weeks with lessons learnt from life. I wonder how many look up to their local MP in the same way?
Which brings me onto our latest episode of Great British Bosses which we’ve just recorded with David Clarke. Dave is the Chief Executive of Paralympics GB. Spoiler alert: We start the conversation by discussing the open letter he’s written to Government about why there needs to be a dedicated minister of state for people with disabilities. I urge you to listen to what David has to say – not just as a person with lived experience as David has been blind since birth – but as a leader of an organisation who recognise they are about more than just the preparation of a team for a winter or summer games every four years. David, if you didn’t already know represented Paralympics GB at three Paralympic games. Imagine if a politician had once told David to ‘stick to football…’
