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The turbulent political times that have engulfed the world after Russia's Ukraine invasion show that, once again, politics and sport cannot be divorced and that the game can be a force for good. The wish is that this was the same for other socio-political scourges, such as discrimination.
The obvious declaration to begin an opinion piece of this sort is to say outright that one does not endorse conflict of any sort, least of all the kind involving Russia and Ukraine.
But it must be said that sport is once more caught in the crosshairs of major global political activity. It will be interesting how sports administrators handle the on-field protests and political messaging already streaming in.
Also intriguing will be the general public or spectator reaction to it all.
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Some have always said - conveniently when race debates invariably flare up as they did at the start of the Black Lives Matter movement - that politics has no place in sport.
But politics permeates everything it touches, doesn't it? And we're all affected by what happens, whether it's Minneapolis or Kyiv.
I have a friend in Ukraine, who went there to take up a rugby coaching job, seeing it as a gateway to coaching in Europe, who is now stranded and desperate to find a safe house for cover and a way out of the country expeditiously.
To the point, a growing number of sports entities and people have reacted to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Barcelona and Napoli joined forces to unfurl a banner on the pitch before they took to their Europa League match in Italy on Thursday night, saying: "Stop War."
The message is a clear, simple and important one to make at such a time - and players are using their gargantuan platform to send it across.
On the same night, Atalanta's Ukrainian midfielder, Ruslan Malinovskyi, revealed a "No war in Ukraine" handwritten inscription on his vest after scoring.
As all of that was happening on the pitch, off it, powerful people took swift and decisive action against Russian-affiliated entities.
English Premier League side Chelsea's Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, was barred from UK residency due to his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, an allegation he denies.
A Labour MP Chris Bryant suggested in the House of Commons that Abramovich's assets be seized, including his Chelsea shares. According to Forbes, the club is worth $3.2 billion, making it the seventh richest in the world.
On it went. Formula One pulled this year's Russian Grand Prix, while UEFA stripped St Petersburg of its rights to host this year's Champions League final, moving it to Paris instead.
Manchester United cancelled their £40 million sponsorship deal with Russian airline, Aeroflot. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also urged federations "to relocate or cancel their sports events currently planned in Russia".
The sports industry is showing, and has shown in the past, that it's capable of taking decisive action and a stand against societal and political matters deemed unjust.
What boggles the mind is: why can't this sort of action be taken where cancerous racism and other forms of discrimination are concerned?
Football countries, where racist abuse in the stands is the norm, maintain their places in FIFA, UEFA and other federations.
Heck, there are times when these governing bodies have come down hard on players taking a stand against socio-political injustices, such as when the NFL ended quarterback Colin Rand Kaepernick's career for peacefully protesting against police brutality in the US by taking a knee.
The same UEFA, that's acting as the doyens of moral righteousness, clamped down on Germany's plans to illuminate its Allianz Arena in rainbow colours in support of LGBTQ+ rights ahead of that country's Euro 2020 clash with Hungary last year.
Munich city council was protesting Hungary's legislation, which banned gay people from featuring in school educational materials or TV shows for under-18s.
This is the same Hungary where England players were racially abused during a FIFA World Cup qualifier with monkey chants and all sorts.
A £150 000 fine and one-game stadium ban for spectators was the best UEFA could muster. How fabulous; now they know never to do it again.
I know everyone watches sport to escape society's hardships, but the game does not exist in a vacuum, insulated from those ills, and it never has.
Proponents of "keep politics out of sport" are reminded, during these turbulent times, of the folly of their stance.
Sport, indeed, has the power to change the world, to quote a great man, and it can do so by more than just goals getting into the net or balls touching down the other side of a white line.
Sibusiso Mjikeliso is the reigning Vodacom Sports Journalist of the Year and author of Being a Black Springbok - The Thando Manana Story. He is Sport24's deputy editor.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
