Amaechi Challenges Industry To Take Lead From Trailblazers
Organisational psychologist and former NBA player John Amaechi has challenged the industry to confront the status quo when the darker side of sport rears its head.
Amaechi was addressing the industry while introducing the recipient of The Integrity and Impact Award founded by Dow Jones Sports Intelligence at the BT Sport Industry Awards 2018.
The award was presented to former gymnast Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to publically accuse former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. With legal mediations related to the case continuing in the US throughout Thursday, the award was introduced with a poignant moment on stage from Amaechi, before Denhollander accepted the award via a video message.
On 24th January, Nassar was sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison. Denhollander’s bravery showed the path for the many others who also showed immense bravery in coming forward and speaking out against the abuse they had suffered.
“A category like this, that forces us to look at some of the uglier aspects of sport, can make us feel impotent,” explained Amaechi. “Some of the issues we’re facing are so huge and sometimes so horrifying that we can feel like we don’t have the power to do anything about them from a distance.
“But we must take our lead from the athletes who’ve found their voice, like the one this award celebrates tonight, and we too must hold the sports that we love, govern and partner with, accountable.
“We must challenge them to be congruent with their stated values and the promises they make to their participants and to society.
“We don’t do this by scanning the horizon, looking only for the largest violations – those are the easy ones – the ones we all feel like heroes for opposing.
“We can best hold sport to account by raising our objections to the tiniest infractions, the ones that so many overlook, and exactly the ones we need to address if we are to prevent the truly egregious from ever happening again.”
The recipient was selected following a stringent four-stage process, including a public nomination; a special Steering Committee comprised of international industry experts, and industry-standard integrity checks from Dow Jones Sports Intelligence, before a final decision from the BT Sport Industry Awards Judging Panel, overseen by the independent adjudicator, EY.
The BT Sport Industry Awards are the largest commercial sports awards in the world, and took place at Battersea Evolution in London, on Thursday 26th April 2018. Bringing together sports stars, celebrities, senior decision makers, influencers and global media, the industry’s most anticipated night of the year celebrated the very best work from across the sector.
The famous trophies were awarded on-stage in front of a sell-out crowd of 1,700 guests at the star-studded event, held annually in London. Find out more about the BT Sport Industry Awards, and the winners, here.
Find out more about Amaechi Performance Systems at www.amaechiperformance.com
