Finances in sport - the effect of Coronavirus
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| Crowds are essential for pesis clubs. Coronavirus is effecting clubs at a profound level Photograph from Joensuu Facebook (c) Joensuun Maila 2019 |
The impact of Coronavirus on finances
The impact of Coronavirus (or Covid-19 to be more specific) is many fold, non more so of course than on the health of individuals and in particular the most vulnerable in our society. The unseen costs of this virus are the impact on jobs and finances both in the immediate and near future. Priorities for people must be public health first and foremost, which is why such drastic measures taken across the world are so important.
When society goes into “lockdown” or has to ban gatherings of more than a handful of people, the “entertainment” industry will suffer greatly. Depending on your philosophy, sports can be seen as part of the “entertainment” industry, creating “content” for people’s entertainment, but to me sport is so much more. Sport is a vital part of society and integral to emotional and physical wellbeing. It is important therefore to consider the impact that Coronavirus has on sport and what fans must do to protect their favourite teams and competitions.
Why is sport important
Competition and athleticism has been central to most cultures and civilisations around the world, but modern sporting competitions are rooted in the response to industrialisation. In the UK the development of Rugby (League and Union) and Football was seen as a way of increasing public health and giving the working classes something to lose their troubles and enjoy. The rollercoaster that sports fans follow allows us to project our emotions in good times and bad - when our teams win, we are elated; when they lose, we despair. As fans we all follow that journey together, irrespective of our race, gender or background (whether people always see it that way is another matter). After the Boer War, the UK faced a significant issue with the fitness of its population and most of those who served in the army were of poor health. In the years that followed there was a surge in promoting sport in society and has ultimately led to a significant increase in fitness. A similar drive was seen in Japan during the Meiji restoration and the years that followed. In Japan health clubs were established and one of the key sports imported was baseball. Much like pesäpallo, baseball in japan has taken on a distinct character (albeit in Japan the sport is still fundamentally the same as that played in MLB).
In Finland, sport has helped cement national identity as well as forming a vital way to secure and protect its people against invaders. The development of pesäpallo is often credited with teaching fundamental survival and military characteristics as well as improving the health of the players. In the years that followed the Finnish Civil war the country faced threats from the USSR as well as internal pressures and poor harvests. The strength and courage of the Finnish people is admired across the world and many people neglect to remember the importance that sport has played in shaping and nurturing the raw talent and qualities i think people.
Today the world faces different challenges; food is more globally available and the world is a far more connected place with the use of the internet and social media. Challenges to society are far more nuanced in the 21st century, but the core needs of society remain: people need to engage in social activities and belong to communities; society also needs to maintain a good level of health, both physically and mentally. Sport, in my opinion remains an essential element of society to ensure these key needs are met.
What challenges does Coronavirus present to sport
As governments across the world have sought to contain or otherwise manage the pandemic, sporting events have been cancelled or suspended. The impact on society will take time to surface, as many people will need to focus on looking after their health as a priority. The focus for sporting organisations is more complex and immediate; many sports around the world rely heavily on attendance at games to fund their teams - pesäpallo is a key example. Away from the top-tier teams and professional players, the amateur level and grass-roots players are equally affected, if not more so. Small clubs are often the centre of a town’s community - living in South Wales I can say with certainty that the impact of suspending Rugby clubs in this area is significant.
On 18th March 2020 a UK national newspaper (the Guardian) published an article on the impact of a ban on cricket leagues to stop the spread of Coronavirus. My Father is (as many of you will have read before) a huge cricket fan and he plays every week during the summer months as well as taking cricket tours around the world with fellow enthusiasts. The impact on him will be significant - throughout my life he has always played. The finances of these clubs is now in jeopardy, many of the clubs rely on small margins from refreshments or drinks from the bar to survive. What will happen when the businesses must cease activities? Will they be protected? Will people return once the pandemic is over? What will we lose if the clubs disappear?
What can be done
It is vitally important that during these times people remain supportive of their clubs, many of whom are integral to communities and local businesses. Many Superpesis teams have taken to social media to urge people to show support and help keep their teams and communities alive - I entirely support this and urge all fans to do what they can to save their clubs. I have placed orders for some merchandise from the store of a team I support (I won’t mention who that is), I would urge anyone who has some money to spare (in particular if they would have spent it on the team for tickets) to visit the team stores online.
In the meantime, it is important for everyone to maintain good physical and mental health. Where people can exercise (and where it is safe to do so) this should be maintained. Perttu Hautala published an article on his blog recently about a typical training week for pesis players - elements of this can be followed in isolation from others and in fact Kitee have produced some video’s for individual training which are worth viewing.
As far as mental health, if you are missing watching pesäpallo and you have time to spare, Anti Haapasalo has live streamed some classics on Twitch with great success. You can also access old games on Ruutu, in particular from 2019. You can even watch some games on YouTube, for example the entire 2011 championship series is available between Vimpeli and Sotkamo - it is an epic series and is well worth watching again.
Links:
Twitter:
@KiteenPallo90
Most importantly
Whilst this post is about finances in sport, the most important thing is to protect yourselves from Coronavirus - stay healthy everyone. Follow government guidance and only from official sources.
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