In only his third race in Formula 1, David Purley achieved something completely extraordinary in the history of the sport.
On the eighth lap of the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix, Roger Williamson’s car suffered a puncture, which led to a fiery accident in which the driver was unable to free himself from the car. Purley, the British rider and competitor, suddenly stopped and ran over to help Williamson. Purley tried everything he could, from flipping the car itself to putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher. Nothing worked. Williamson, 25, did not survive.
Curiously, none of the other drivers took a break and there was little help from the race officials (they reportedly thought it was an accident involving Purley) as the race continued without interruption.
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Purley was later hailed as a hero for his sportsmanship, leaving that moment to his human instinct. But can we say that the other drivers accidentally or unintentionally got it wrong when they maintained their competitive instincts and did what they set out to do that day – win a race?
This particular incident, which took the life of a young driver, a young life, was alarming and unprecedented.
Somewhat amusing, although equally unprecedented in international cricket, was the dismissal of Angelo Mathews in Sri Lanka’s World Cup match against Bangladesh. With his helmet strap torn, Mathews crossed the two-minute barrier to claim his first ball. Opposition captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed. The umpires smiled, accepted the request and asked Shakib if he wanted to withdraw the appeal. Shakib stood his ground. Mathews had to go.
Shakib has since faced intense criticism on social media, while Mathews has come out in full volume with words and videos. Putting the details aside, did Shakib make a mistake by finding a way to “gain every available advantage to win a game,” to quote Sanjay Manjrekar’s post on X, within the rules of the game? Maybe not, and Manjrekar wouldn’t mind. Was Mathews right to expect common sense from all involved since it was actually an equipment malfunction and not a delay? Probably yes, although you’ve seen batters padded in helmets waiting their turn in dugouts.
Both protagonists put forward a reasonable argument for themselves. Ultimately, you could say that there is no right or wrong when it comes to the spirit of play in sport. It depends on how an individual – or a team – perceives it, wants to adhere to it and under what circumstances (Shakib felt “at war” and his team was ready to move forward at a critical moment in the game).
More importantly, it’s about how they want to exercise.
Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim have decided to do sports their own way. After they each jumped 2.37m and failed to clear 2.39m in the high jump final at the Tokyo Olympics, Barshim casually asked an official whether they could share the gold medal. When the answer was affirmative, the two simply gave each other a look, a smile, and a clap. In the most demanding test in top sport, the Qatari and the Italian shared an Olympic gold medal.
Amazingly, they also followed the rules. One that World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, as he admitted to the Guardian, did not remember existed. However, despite this oft-revered sporting achievement, Coe wasn’t sure how it would be received by the masses. “I thought I was going to wake up in the morning to all sorts of negative headlines,” Coe told The Guardian. “But while I was trying to sleep I was listening to Radio 4 and they kept saying it was the most uplifting story of the Games.”
Tennis player Amarissa Toth has decided to play sports her way. During a game against Zhang Shuai in Hungary, she rubbed a ball imprint on the field after a controversial line call. Tennis professionals generally do not touch the target, especially in close calls where the chair umpire takes a closer look. There is no written law on this; It’s more of an unspoken rule. Toth, with her clear goal of winning the game, decided not to pursue it at that moment. A tearful Zhang soon conceded the game. Toth was heavily criticized on social media by former and current players and later apologized. “I focused on tennis, I didn’t want to win like that,” she said.
By the way, Mathews himself has a few regrets. In 2014, Sri Lanka, under their captaincy, had sacked Jos Buttler for stepping back too far in the non-striker’s side. The arbitrators asked Mathews whether they should withdraw the appeal. He did not. Years later, looking back, Mathews said in an interview with Divaina Online that “we shouldn’t have done it.”
Marcelo Bielsa wanted Leeds United to play sport his way. In 2019, during a second division championship game in England, the Argentine football coach instructed his Leeds United team to allow the opponent an uncontested goal. They had scored against Aston Villa while one of their players was on the ground injured. The rule allowed the goal, but Bielsa’s conscience did not. 1-0 became 1-1 and Leeds missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
“Some residents of Planet Football are thinking about winning the final. The sole purpose of playing this sport,” Bielsa told FIFA. “For others, however, there are values that must be held even higher than those that bring victory.”
That perhaps sums it up.
The conundrum between winning and values is subjective and based largely on an internal perception of the sport. You can play to win by any means that comply with the rules of the game. You can play right and make the result secondary. Neither is right nor wrong.
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