The media hurricane, at a quantitative level, can be evaluated in the 31.3 million results that Google returned yesterday after the exact search for two names: “Luis Rubiales” and “Jenni Hermoso”. If we delve into the qualitative aspect, two covers from last Monday are enough. “After the kiss, the game is finally over for the head of Spanish football,” headlined the British newspaper The Times.. On the other side of the Atlantic, The New York Times published on its front page: “The highest official of soccer in Spain resigns due to his unwanted kiss”. After three weeks, the images still dotted the broadcasts of Sky News, CNN or the French BFMTV. Therefore, it is worth asking the reasons for the disproportionate impact of this scandal. The one that has placed Spanish football at the epicenter of the global scene.
As a first step, it is worth listening to Eric Maigret, professor at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris.. “Human beings are neither fully rational nor fully emotional, but rather a mixture of emotions and ideas that mutually need each other to constitute a solid narrative.”. The narrative today is the emancipation of women and no emancipation occurs without overflow,” says the prestigious French sociologist, in conversation with this newspaper.
Therefore, should we interpret this scandal as part of the #MeToo movement? Theodore Glasser, professor emeritus of Communication at Stanford University, believes that there are “good reasons”. According to the American researcher, what could have been “inconsequential a few decades ago” is today “a flagrant violation of the moral order.”
“Aggressive and derogatory response”
Glasser, likewise, is forceful when it comes to defining the protagonist of the controversy.. “Rubiales played the role of a villain: oblivious to the changes in the rules and unconscious of the limits of his own public persona,” says this specialist in the responsibilities of the press in a conversation with EL MUNDO..
Having arrived here and narrowing down the analysis a little more, we must ask a question, perhaps disturbing.. How is it possible that Rubiales has triggered an earthquake of greater magnitude than the Dalai Lama, who did not hesitate to kiss a child on the lips last April? Simidele Dosekun, professor at the London School of Economics, addresses some answers. “Unlike the Dalai Lama, Jenni's kiss occurred on the cusp of a global event with extensive news coverage.”. It must also be taken into account that the level of attention and indignation varied greatly due to Rubiales' aggressive and derogatory response to criticism,” analyzes the researcher from the LSE Department of Media.. “And let's not forget that the team had already made public its discontent with its superiors. In short, there were more factors that made it newsworthy from the beginning, including some that we can classify as pure entertainment,” he concludes.
Dalai Lama kissing a child on the mouth WORLD
The magma of the scandal moves between sociology, political science and communication, although it also reaches philosophy. Just where the figure of Martha Nussbaum emerges. “It is no longer necessary to emphasize that, in terms of the protection of women, any sport is behind the rest of society,” begins the 2012 Prince of Asturias Prize for Social Sciences, in conversation with this newspaper.. “For almost 40 years, in the United States there have been clear rules, articulated by the Supreme Court, on sexual harassment in the workplace. Here it would be totally unthinkable that a lawyer in a firm or a doctor in a hospital would behave as Rubiales did. I guess what's new is that football hasn't followed the aforementioned workplace policies. Without a doubt, it is time to address them,” says the professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago.
In his recent book Citadels of Pride. Sexual assault, accountability and reconciliation (Paidós, 2022), Nussbaum reviews the achievements of American sports. “Major League Baseball and the NBA have established clear policies on both sexual harassment and domestic violence and have implemented them well.. The NFL has moved more slowly, although it is making progress, while the NHL is the slowest,” he details about these measures.. “Of course there are areas that continue to resist change, so I hope that football now joins the rest of the world, giving men and women the protections in which I trust,” he concludes.
#MeToo in sports
Following the unavoidable path of cultural studies, Maigret focuses on the emergence of #MeToo in football and the disparities between the former Levante defender and the Tibetan spiritual leader. “It does not surprise me at all that the Rubiales case has exploded now, because #MeToo had not yet had a specific weight in sport. What amazes me is the fact that the Dalai Lama was not actually accused of misconduct, but simply criticized. “Perhaps his image of holiness and his exoticism protected him.”
The author of Sociology of communication and media (Economic Culture Fund, 2005) also establishes parallels with Noël Le Graët, former president of the French Federation (FFF), who resigned last February after being accused of sexual abuse. “They both share the same lack of understanding of women's rights.”. They belong to an antiquated world in which men maintain unquestionable privileges and that is why they are totally surprised by events,” illustrates. “Now, these are just the visible heads, so it would be important to clarify what is happening at more prosaic levels.”
Luis Rubiales' kiss to Jenni Hermoso in the World Cup final. WORLD
Dosekun adds to this thesis, for whom the problem “is not simply reduced to Rubiales or his cronies.”. “#MeToo made heads roll: some people lost their jobs and others were imprisoned. But we must be clear that the culture or the general context did not change.. Punishing a few, although necessary, is only the first step to eradicating sexual harassment, violence and sexism,” says the British professor.
The future after the 'Rubiales case'
Now, beyond Rubiales' resignation and the colossal media exposure of his case, it would be advisable to delve into what the future holds.. To do this, this newspaper has contacted Brand Finance, one of the leading consultancies in sports valuation and strategy.. “The perception that the ethics and governance of the RFEF are poor could damage the brand value of Spanish football. Although the brands of the men's and women's teams remain strong, it is likely that, in light of these issues, sponsors will be more reluctant to sign new agreements,” says Hugo Hensley, director of Sports Services at the firm.
“Spain's victory in the World Cup should be a golden opportunity to grow women's football in your country, but these concerns could derail its progress,” adds the executive from the company's headquarters in London.. In his opinion, the real “impact” of the scandal “will be better judged in the long term.”
Meanwhile, what path should Pedro Rocha, interim president of the Las Rozas Football City, take? Hensley is clear. “In the face of any reputation problem it is important for an organization to react quickly, openly and honestly. Brands that recognize their failures and act quickly can regain the public's trust.” Now it remains to be seen if the Higher Sports Council and the General Assembly of the RFEF take good note of this.