10 days ago, during the General Assembly of the Departmental Olympic Sports Committee, its President Philippe Manassero sounded the alarm: “Covid 19, beyond its trail of misfortunes and constraints, puts the ‘economy’ of sports in great danger.”
For him, “The CDOS 06’s main concern for 2021 is to focus on the situation of associations and committees, loss of members, disengagement of partners, employment contraction, and difficulties in organizing meetings. The toughest part might be yet to come.”
Yesterday, the Municipal Council indirectly responded to the alarming concerns contained in the statements of the Riviera leader. A rain of subsidies will benefit 178 sports associations in Nice for an amount of 9.1 million euros, plus indirect aid (mainly the use of municipal facilities) valued at 31 million euros.
Moreover, as every year, high-level athletes who honor Nice with their fame also receive monetary aid.
For 2021, the resolution presented 28 names representing various disciplines. The individual amount of the subsidy ranges from 2,000 euros to 30,000. In principle, there is nothing to object to.
Except that the ecologist group made it a moral issue and proposed an amendment that, objectively, made sense: “Considering that the requested aid should be assessed in relation to the income of the athletes concerned. It cannot be granted to athletes whose income exceeds 100,000€ gross per year.”
The motivation? “Among the 28 athletes mentioned, there are great, very great champions, and they make our city proud. However, we believe that when some athletes earn hundreds of thousands of Euros per year, it is inappropriate to solicit financial aid from the City Hall!” Fabio Quartararo, the rising star in motorcycling, and tennis player Alizé Cornet are hinted at without being named.
In fact, both are professional athletes whose annual and cumulative incomes are in seven figures. It’s the law of the sports economy, and good for them. So how could we imagine that they rely on these aids to sustain themselves economically, unlike athletes in disciplines that weigh little economically?
Christian Estrosi, rather stirred by this alleged offense against the crown, engaged in explanations that certainly did not convince the complainants, nor neutral observers. The issue is obviously not the “Nissart identity” of the two champions, nor the fact that one displays the Nice city logo on the podium or mentally chants “Nissa la bella,” according to the Nice Mayor.
The “patriotism” claimed by Christian Estrosi does not apply to this specific case. And then, would it be too much to hope that this sense of identity and belonging could persist even without a subsidy?
Just as the grain must be separated from the chaff, so too does greed not sit well with nobility of spirit. And doesn’t the Gospel say to give to the poor and not to those who are already rich?
