I would like to start this post with a quote by Squidward Tentacles (SpongeBob Squarepants): "...Neptotism is alive and well" (Season 1, episode 10: Culture Shock). This is true as every industry on earth can be highly influenced by it - even sport. In fact, sport could be highly influenced by it. It is a dangerous move to make.
It was the case of the announcement of the Springbok alignment training camp that first grabbed my attention on the matter. Rassie Erasmus selecting Andre-Hugo Venter. He is currently dating Erasmus' daughter. After this was identified, social media users accused Erasmus of nepotism. However, rugby fans have come out to defend him. Erasmus, himself, has come out to state that this alignment camp doesn't automatically equal a Springbok call up.
Another classic example is the case of Imam ul-Haq. He is the nephew of former Pakistan captain, Inzamam ul-Haq. The latter was the chief selector at the time of his nephew's first national call-up. Inzamam's reasoning were Imam's performances in the domestic circuit that prompted the call. He is making a name for himself, especially in ODI's (One Day Internationals). However, no matter how well he does, he will always be criticised for the manner of selection i.e. through family connections.
The NBA is a popular case of nepotism taking place. In the summer of 2022, Shareef O'Neal, son of the great Shaquille, got a six figure deal with the developmental G League. This is despite not making the NBA draft. Knick's fans are still upset over the signing of Chris Smith, who is the younger brother of J.R. Smith. Chris Smith cost them $ 2 000 000 and played only 2 games. Basketball great Lebron James' son, Bronny is slated to join the NBA draft this year. There is a strong possibility that a father-son duo can take place on the court (Quah, 2022).
It is apparent that it itsn't just former players that can play the nepotism card. Last year, a Somalian official was suspended. This was after an obvious novice runner skipped across the finishing line in last place in an international competition. The public responses included: ridicule, disbelief and anger. An X (formerly Twitter) user stated, "It’s truly shocking and reflects poorly on our country internationally.” What made all this even more shocking was that the runner, Nasro Abukar Ali, was neither a sports person nor a runner (Close & Yeung, 2023).
Let's face it. Nepotism in all facets is set to stay, no matter what happens. It will pop up in the news from time to time but nothing will come of it. There might be some form of punishment but life will go on and act as if it didn't happen. It seems to me that nepotism isn't something that requires worldwide attention.
If I were to suggest a solution, it would be to register all family members that are related to people with high sporting positions to avoid such issues from coming up. If an act of nepotism were to take place, the responsible person should be barred from ever participating or officiating in that sport/activity ever again to set a clear message:
NEPOTISM IS NOT OKAY. IT CAN DETRIMENTAL TO THE SPORT.
Reference List
Close, D. & Yeung, J. (CNN) (2023). Sports official suspended for nepotism after painfully slow athlete finishes last in 100-meter race. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/02/africa/somalia-race-official-suspended-nepotism-intl-hnk/index.html (accessed: 29 February 2024)
Quah, N. (2022). Can There Be Nepotism in Sports? Just Look at the NBA. Available at: https://www.vulture.com/article/sports-nepotism-babies-examples.html (accessed: 29 February 2024).