OPINION| Why are cyclists always silent about politics unlike other sports?

In 2020, the murder of George Floyd took place, which triggered a wave of support in the world with the slogan Black Lives Matter. We've seen it in all kinds of sports, where whether it's football players before a game or even in Formula 1 before a race, athletes kneeled in solidarity, while the slogan BLM was everywhere. What happened afterward at the Tour de France or in cycling in general? Nothing.

This opinion article has been written by Lukáš Ronald Lukács.

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Fans' shirts, captain's armbands, jerseys, helmets, everything was a sign of support for Ukraine in yellow and blue colors. Even when you're watching La Liga - the Spanish football league, you always have the Ukrainian flag at the top of the frame. What happened that year at the Tour de France or in cycling in general? Nothing.

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And in general, whether it's LGBT month, a visit to a homophobic country, or some other event, athletes don't hesitate to put on the rainbow and express their support for the LGBT community. I've been watching cycling forever and I've never seen anything like it in my life. Maybe just once, when Jacopo Guarnieri had an rainbow band at the team presentation at the start of the Giro d’Italia in Budapest, Hungary which is known for their anti-LGBT politics.

And it must be said that these things do not only come from the athletes and teams themselves but also from organizations such as football leagues or F1 in general. But you ask yourself why it is that nothing like that happens in cycling. I will explain.

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Imagine that Peter Sagan would publicly support some of the above-mentioned activities, with which, for example, in Slovakia, let's say 50% of the population agrees. What would happen? For our 50%, nothing would change, they would still like Peter Sagan, as before. But with the second part, 50%, people would start to like him less or maybe even hated him. And at the moment, when 100% of people like him, why "waste" that 50%? It wouldn't change much in society anyway.

But the main reason is that cycling is generally financed differently than other sports. In football, the teams get money from TV rights, from ticket sales, but in cycling the teams only get money from sponsorships from nothing else. Sure, they get a few Euros for winning something in a race, but that's a small factor. A team like, for example, Bora-hansgrohe only makes money from advertising that you buy their kitchens or showers. And this is exactly where my example goes about those percentages of fans. It's just that if they want to continue to finance the cycling team, they have to attract 100% of the fans, and that's only possible if they don't get involved in politics.

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But I am glad for this current situation. Why? Because these social issues are dealt with practically non-stop in society. Whether it's Facebook, TV a newspaper, or even just between each other. Constant arguments and persuasion. It's quite tiring sometimes. And then comes cycling, where we all come together and discuss nothing but the sport during the debates. And we can completely switch off from it all.

Maybe for some, the behavior of cyclists is hypocritical, but I consider it healthy that it is maintained this way. Feel free to write in then to me what you think about it or your view on this matter, I would love to read your opinions.

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