I’ve come to think of sport—at its best—as the republic of play, offering a vision of society in which fairness prevails—an ethical, transparent arena where performance matters the most and people validate their worth by the strength and acumen of their opponents. It prizes fair play, celebrates the body and the mind, and tests our ability to overcome challenges. At its best, sport creates social capital because being a part of a team in which you have each other’s back and compete with a common purpose is one of life’s treasures.
But just as the early American republic embraced slavery and exclusion alongside national liberation and notions of freedom, the republic of play can be a mean and vicious place—where youth become vulnerable commodities on a global supply chain; the athletes we applaud are traumatized, and sport used to promote anger and misogyny, bringing out the worst—not the best—in us.
“Rob Ruck has connected beautifully how I as a Samoan and a Polynesian football player in college and the NFL represented my culture. God and family are first, respect and humility are how you represent your people and your culture. The new millennials through today’s culture of social media have lost that foundation of our identity. This is a great read for them.”
—Jesse Sapolu, San Francisco 49ers, winner of four Super Bowl rings, and co-founder of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame