Sport is on my mind a lot at the moment.
The Wimbledon Tennis Championship has just started and the Women’s Football World Cup kicks off in New Zealand later in the month. The Netball World Cup, World Athletics Championships and Tour de France are just some of the other events taking place this summer.
Alongside the competitiveness and rivalry, there is a lot of kindness to be seen in the world of sport.
From respect for the opposition, to the joy of teamwork. From superstars signing autographs for fans, to the winner throwing their sweatbands into the crowd. I find it really inspiring to see.
Role models
Women’s football is particularly popular in my house and we can’t wait for the start of the World Cup. We have our England flags at the ready, sticker albums are almost complete and we’ve been watching the team train via social media.
But it’s not just their footballing skills that cause us to admire England’s Lionesses so much. They also demonstrate a lot of kindness, from interacting with their fans as role models, to speaking up on social issues and getting involved with charities.
They are not alone in demonstrating kindness in elite sport.
Here are just a few other examples:
At the Tokyo Olympics, runners Isaiah Jewett of the United States and Nijel Amos of Botswana got tangled and fell during the 800m semi-finals. Rather than get angry, they helped each other to their feet, put their arms around each other and finished together.
Olympic slalom canoeist, Etienne Stott, is involved in campaigning and is currently taking part in a climate relay to highlight action for the climate emergency.
Snooker player Ken Doherty joined the True Athlete Project as a mentor and supported paralympic table tennis player, Jack Hunter-Spivey, by sharing his experiences of the highs and lows of top-level sport.
Kindness at grassroots
There is a lot going on at non-elite sport levels too.
These teams and individuals usually have coaches, referees and club organisers who are volunteers. Some of them are parents of young people who are playing, others are not.
The players themselves can show kindness too.
At my daughter’s recent end-of-season fun day, she took part in a six-a-side football tournament where the teams that play together during the season get mixed up.
Despite not knowing each other well, if at all, the players were great at checking everyone was happy, especially the goalie (that’s not usually a popular spot!). They celebrated with high fives when they scored and were supportive when passes didn’t come off.
Their manager was a parent volunteer in her first experience of ‘managing’ a team. This was also a kind act because she stepped in at the last minute when a more experienced volunteer had to drop out.
All in all, I think it’s safe to say that whatever sport you follow this summer, you will be able to spot kind acts if you look out for them.
Sarah Browning is a Kindness Cheerleader, Communicator and Strategist. For more inspiring stories of kindness, visit: www.timeforkindness.co.uk
