What cost is freedom

One of my favourite quotes comes from a German theologian called Martin Niemoller, he said “ First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionist’s, and I didn’t speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me”

Niemoller was, off course, speaking out against the Nazi’s, but even in this day and age we have organisation’s that adopt the same dictatorial position.  

Hypothetically lets imagine you run, oh lets say, a sports organisation, for arguments sake say golf.

Imagine, if you like, you run such an organisation, we will call you, oh I don’t know, say Sandy, yes sandy fits.

Now for several years you have moved the organisation like a chess board, moving every piece exactly where it is most effective, not to win the game, but to protect the Queen at all costs and maintain a stale mate, oops my mistake I meant the King, schoolboy error on my part.

So you are sitting there as Queen of the Castle, sorry King, really do need to concentrate more.

Will leave the chess there I think.

So you are running this organisation and your called Sandy.

Firstly you make sure you are OK, by that I mean financially comfortable and more importantly safe.

By safe I mean have around you allies, the kind of you scratch my back & I will sweetly massage yours kind of allies.

Now if you are Sandy what is more important to you developing your organisation or protecting yourself?

Again, hypothetically, lets say you decide to just look after you and your buddies forsaking those in your organisation.

What would you do if the media start to ignore your organisation because you fail to promote it in a commercial or professional manner ?

When a senior member of your tour, sorry organisation, speaks out because of the poor pay do you simply tell them “well you don’t have to play” or do you sit down and work out how to improve the payments ??

If a data supply company decides they no longer want to work with you do you try to see how you can have a better working relationship with them or replace them or simply muddle along like rank amateur’s ??

If 1 voice from outside your organisation constructively criticises it do you:
A,) Ignore them
B.) See if what they say has any credence and if so how can it be improved ?
C.) Warn your players off said person, say for example tell them not to follow said person on social media sites?

As I said all this is simply hypothetical, isn’t it??

After all what I have written is more akin to communist Romania under Nicolae Ceausescu and the Siguranta Statului than any professional sports organisation, is it not ?

Neimoller’s words just echo in my ears.