a Promoting Inclusivity in Sports by Alejandro Escarrá Gil | Feb 8, 2021 | Alejandro Escarrá Gil, Sports Management
Diversity is a wonderful perk to a growing neighborhood. It’s in the sporting community’s best interest to open their arms as far-reaching as possible to explore their community’s untapped resources by creating an inclusive environment for all athletes and their families. However, one of the potential issues with team sports is that they can feel very exclusionary to outsiders. There is a lot of bonding and camaraderie within a team because the members’ success and safety depend on that trust and closeness. For non-members, that existing connection can seem intimidating. Here are several ways to encourage recruitment and promote inclusivity in sports. Embracing social traditions and customs is a great way to welcome diversity and engage outsiders. Host ice breakers that showcase various nations, including serving a rotating schedule of regional cuisine. Food is a great way to educate a community and encourage closeness and hospitality among strangers, so invite members of the community to give talks about what they love about their region. Many people enjoy the art of spectating sports, so another option is to offer free tickets to exhibition matches, encouraging people to come out and cheer for their local teams.
Another essential element to promoting inclusivity is a zero-tolerance policy towards offensive behavior. One of the potential challenges to having a multicultural environment is that some members might mistakenly make an off-hand comment or gesture. It is important to respond swiftly and firmly. In addition to enforcing the rules, take the time to use the incident as a teachable moment. Many offensive incidents are caused by ignorance. Sometimes there are parts of a community that need a more vigorous outreach program to cast a wider net. Community centers are perfect locations to list sign-up information about upcoming sporting events and ice breakers. Make the posters friendly and inviting and include as much information as possible, in multiple languages. In addition, volunteer your teams for community service as a way to introduce your sports teams to the area. By showing the more personal side of a team, it will make them more approachable to outsiders. Regions that are infamous for being the hometown of a famous athlete can use this to their advantage as well. By inviting the local celebrity home, they can educate people about team sports’ value and demonstrate the lifelong bonds that hold people together.
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