Hardaker & the wider issue

Over the weekend, footage emerged from the match between Warrington and Leeds. Footage that beyond almost all reasonable interpretation shows Zak Hardaker in the calling referee James Child a faggot.

I'm not going to dance around the word or try to lessen it's impact to a sensible reader because the impact this word has on some of the people it is aimed at is utterly devastating.

I tweeted the footage on the SLP feed early Tuesday morning and was overwhelmed by the different responses and opinions this incident has provoked from people.

But first a little context, because I think Hardaker's actions actually reflect a wider societal problem. One that he is probably acutely unaware even exists.

The use of the word faggot in some quarters of society is meant to imply stupidity. Or a lack of machismo in certain circumstances. In the minds of the people who have grown up with this definition as part of their vernacular it is hard to see the damaging impact this word has because they don't use it with it's intended connotations. The result is that this deeply offensive term is tossed around with much less care than it ought to be. Sometimes.

When used in its intended fashion it is a word that drips with venom and hatred. It's almost impossible to say without sounding aggressive.

The word isn't invincible.

Many people abused for their sexuality are so comfortable in themselves that they can rightly laugh it off with the casual indifference that this writer would laugh off a crack about his lack of hair.

For many, however, it is stab at the very heart of a personal and lifelong internal monologue, which has seen that person, through sheer force of will find the courage and security to truly express who they are.

I believe Zak Hardaker is not a homophobe. I believe he is a young man uninitiated in the true meaning of a word he used as a means to express frustration at what he saw as poor refereeing by James Child.

This, to my mind however, in no way excuses him from any blame. It is beyond unacceptable to use the word faggot to insult or denigrate someone in any fashion.

What Zak Hardaker was in fact saying to Mr Child was "I feel you are performing badly. I do not like this. You are therefore a homosexual. I do not like this either. And nor should you."

As the debate progressed over our twitter feed it became clear that there were two distinct schools of thought. Firstly those who felt that as the word was not directed at a practicing homosexual it was not homophobic, and secondly those who felt any use of the word is at best inappropriate and at worst outright bigoted.

I fall into the latter group as you may have gathered from the tone of my piece.

At the time of writing the RFL has announced that it is to investigate the incident. There is little doubt in my mind that he will be found to have used this word and be subject to punishment under the RFL's own bylaws. I anticipate that he will avoid criminal prosecution.

The biggest question is where do we go from here? Should we accept that this type of behaviour is creeping back into a sport that prides itself on respect and dignity in the face of extreme physical competition? Or is there an opportunity for some good to come from this?

I believe there is. If Hardaker's club and the RFL act quickly.

Zak Hardaker is a young, popular and exciting talent in our sport. He is a role model to thousands of youngsters. At the moment the message he is sending to those youngsters is a negative one. A message that says it is acceptable to use a word like faggot, and by inference a number of other deeply offensive terms. But this could quickly be turned into a positive message.

Publicly demonstrating remorse for his actions would be a start. Awareness training of the type that NFL players who criticised the drafting of Michael Sam were made to undergo would also go a long way to reaffirming our sports commitment to being fully inclusive.

Zak Hardaker is a young man. Young men under pressure are prone to lapses. He needs to be helped to understand the impact of what he said. He needs to be shown that it cannot happen again. He needs to show the sporting world, and particularly his younger fans, that he regrets what he did to apologise unreservedly for this. And if it happens again, we throw the book at him and his club. I'm sure the threat of losing competition points would spur even the most backwardly run organisation into action, and Leeds Rhinos are a long way from backwardly run organisation.

The NRL has a rule that only captains may address the referee. I'd bring this in sharpish, because it is alarming to see the habit of disrespecting match officials starting to gain traction.

Rugby League battles hard to show that it is more than a parochial northern pastime. Handling the Zak Hardaker situation correctly will win it many admirers. Failing to do so will make the sport seem inaccessible and prejudiced.

Tom
Super League Pod

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