This week, standard sports commentary and common lexicon has seemed extra jarring and ill advised. The idea of teams “battling” each other feels suddenly insensitive. The Hawthorn Football Club women’s football department welcomed two new players to their “army” this week and the Richmond Football Club continued its usual calls to engage the “Tiger Army”. I cringed at the social media posts of actual armies marching into actual battle that ran alongside footy tweets in my timeline.
It’s a strange time to be a sports fan. Around the world sporting organisations scramble to manage the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Matches have been cancelled or boycotted, tournaments are being moved and club owners are stepping down. Sport has always been a mirror reflecting the complex nature of our world – and our politics.
