State of Play: Under the Skin of the Modern Game tells the human stories that represent some of the biggest issues in modern football. Its author, Michael Calvin, joined OTB AM this morning to talk about emotionally intelligent managers and the scale of brain injuries in the sport.
Calvin has spoken to Dawn Astle, daughter of Jeff Astle who died as a result of CTE from heading the ball repeatedly in his football career. His descent was rapid, dying at the age of 59 after choking on his own vomit at a family event.
He is one of countless footballers who have died due to concussion, with research into such injuries still in their early stages.
“Those footballers died without knowing they were footballers,” says Calvin. “It’s a very, very, important social issue and, I think, it’s one which will ambush football going forward, but I think we might well have some sort of class action soon going forward, in the way the NFL did.”
According to Calvin, Dawn Astle has battled against apathy from the authorities for years, with echoes of injustice from football’s past:
“There were elements of Hillsborough in the campaign that Dawn had to wage for the authorities to take her seriously. It took 14 years for meaningful research to be launched.”
Calvin also speaks about the "arrogance and ignorance" of the authorities when initially confronted by the problem:
“They essentially dismissed her. They promised things, they prevaricated, they didn’t deliver and, also, they just looked down at her.
“In the wake of her father’s death, she had two letters from the Football Association. The first was from their lawyers warning about the complications which would arise if legal action would be taken. The second was an offer – an insulting offer – of two tickets for an England friendly. One designated for her mother and the other one to be shared between the three sisters.”
The impact of the Astle story in State of Play has already been felt. Three footballers who have been concussed in their career contacted Calvin to tell him that they are going to get checked after reading the book. The problem is not merely to do with the injuries themselves, though.
“It’s not just about the physical sensation of heading the ball,” explains Calvin. “It’s the culture around the admittance of perceived weakness... The dressing room culture is very harsh, it’s very macho and vulnerability is perceived to be weakness, sensitivity is perceived to be weakness.”
When it comes to this ‘misplaced machismo,’ Calvin suggests that a Gareth Southgate-led dressing room is the example to follow. He describes the England manager as “empathetic” and “emotionally intelligent.”
“In the build-up to the World Cup, he had the courage to say to his players ‘be yourselves’... If we look at the other side of the ledger, I’ll give you one name: Jose Mourinho.
“(Mourinho) is someone who exemplifies the old school. Command and control, "do as I say", and the imposition of authority from above without sensitivity. So, we had the example very recently of Anthony Martial. He was fined because he made the entirely human, rational decision to stay with his partner during child birth.
“When you’ve got that lack of sensitivity, it has to have an effect in terms of the respect that you have for the person who is your boss, essentially.”
Michael Calvin's State of Play: Under the Skin of the Modern Game, published by Century, is out now.
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