Social Media Treatment of Professional Athlete Speaks Volumes about Nationalism and Its Place in Sports

Japanese and Chinese social media are respectively inundated with reactions to the misfortunes of two different athletes competing in the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics. On the Japanese side, the ski jumper Sara Takanashi was disqualified for using a jumpsuit that violated competition rules. She apologized profusely on social media after the disqualification for contributing to Team Japan failing to secure a medal in the team event. On the Chinese side, figure skater Zhu Yi fell during her routine, contributing to China not medalling in the team competition. Videos made rounds of her crying after the fall.

Social media reactions to the two misfortunes could not be any more different. Chinese netizens lambasted Zhu Yi, criticizing her for her failure so blatantly that the criticism became international news. Combined with her American upbringing and resulting suspicions of her nationality, Zhu Yi became another lightning rod in the ongoing politicization of sports in general and the Olympics in particular. In contrast, Japanese (and some foreign) netizens provided mostly words of encouragement to Takanashi and asked her to come back to Japan with pride rather than disappointment.

Of course, the two misfortunes are not equal in substance. Takanashi was disqualified on a technicality, not subpar performance. Given the growing international distaste for China in general, some have even postulated the possibility that China may have manipulated the rulebooks or pressured Olympic officials to ensure those competing against Chinese athletes face hurdles in their quests for medals. While there is no indication so far, in media coverage, that foreign players have faced bias during the ongoing Olympics, misfortune before competing certainly beats competing and failing, as Zhu Yi has done on global TV.

Still, the contrasting reactions to the two misfortunes show a growing sense of virulent nationalism in China that has led to collateral damage in places that are supposed to be far from politics. As Chinese citizens grow increasingly militant in voicing their displeasure that China has been slighted on the international stage, there is a concurrent demand that individuals representing the country do their personal best in spreading the greatness of China. Sports stars, in this narrative, have a responsibility, even more than the average citizen, to demonstrate greatness for the country, using their international platform.

In such a narrative, Zhu Yi has clearly done the opposite, not only not contributing to cementing China's image as a global power in sports, but also giving other countries even more ammunition to hate and ridicule China, when such ammunition is already plenty. In an era when sports stars have had publicly documented cases of mental breakdowns and the resulting sustained suboptimal performances, for a youngster like Zhu Yi to be so intensely harangued by so many people at once will not only damage her as a professional athlete but also further damage the image of Chinese people as rational beings.

The travails Zhu Yi has faced since her subpar performance, especially when compared with the warm reception Takanashi received, will give pause to anyone considering a professional sporting career in China. Sportsmanship is much more than just training. One's mental state, rivals, competing venues, and even luck can affect performance enough for a defending medalist to crush out of the qualifying round. With enough pressure already as a competitor, Chinese athletes may abandon the field completely if they knew people back home will not take kindly to anything beyond the expected perfection.

With more people reluctant to take up sports in China, the future is not bright for a populace seeking glory through professional athletes representing the country. As the country's population ages, fewer people than ever are available to start training in sports from a young age. And as the country grows wealthier and the economy more competitive, fewer poor children see sports as the sure way out of poverty, especially considering that backlash for failure is so thorough and extensive. A government-led system of training professional athletes will find ever more hurdles to find recruits with athletic potential.

That harsh reality makes it all the more important for Chinese netizens to look to their Japanese counterparts for inspiration on how to treat athletes. Takanashi was forthcoming with her public apology because she knew she would be forgiven despite her failures. She did not need to hide from a general public that would have encouraged her to continue training and participating in future international competitions. She would have even inspired the next generation of youngsters to follow in her footsteps, not just because she is a skilled athlete, but because she is admired for her behavior, whether or not she succeeds in getting an Olympic medal.