Controversial Sports Events That Divided Fans

Darren - July 22, 2021

Controversial Sports Events That Divided Fans

Darren - July 22, 2021

3. NBA Bubble (2020):

The global health crisis became the story of the world in 2020. It had a profound effect on the world of sport but some events plowed on. These included the NBA postseason. This was a controversial decision because there was also significant social unrest across the United States at the time. However, a decision was made to host the playoffs in Disney World in Florida.

Many players felt dubious because of personal health concerns. These related to their family members as well as themselves. In the end, the playoffs went ahead with relative smoothness. It was a massive operation that required hundreds of supporting personnel to stay on site. Players also faced restrictions about where they could go and who they could bring into the bubble.

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2. Qatar World Cup (2022):

Few sporting events in history are as controversial as the Qatar World Cup. It’s even crazier because it hasn’t even happened yet. This is a twisted tale of corruption and human rights abuse. When the news broke the tiny Middle Eastern nation would host soccer’s most prestigious tournament, fans were in disbelief. Qatar had no history of success in the sport and it was so hot that they rescheduled the tournament for winter.

Meanwhile, the country lacked the infrastructure to host the games and had to build stadia from scratch. They hired a host of immigrant workers and endured severe criticism from human rights support groups for exploiting them. Furthermore, the majority of the FIFA committee, who handed the tournament to Qatar, received bans from the sport on charges of corruption. In sum, it stinks.

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1. Tokyo Olympics (2021):

This event was meant to be Japan’s moment in the spotlight. But instead, it became a major burden and the cause of intense division across the island nation. In short, the global health crisis forced Japan to defer the Olympics for one year. However, many citizens wanted their government to cancel the event because of a slow vaccine roll-out. They feared that it would become a superspreader event.

An incredible 30% of Japan’s population is over the age of 60 and vulnerable to the crisis. However, the Japanese government refused to cancel the Games because of the financial burden. Instead, they announced that they would take place in empty stadiums. The Games became even more controversial when athletes began to test positive. These included U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff, amongst others.

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Controversial Sports Events That Divided Fans