ABSTRACT
The individual’s position before sport associations and society and the characteristics of the individual for sport are the main subjects of this chapter. The chapter argues that athletes, spectators and audiences are moral beings who have moral rights and moral status. They have the right to freedom of expression that emanates from their inherent rationality, reasonableness and the right to be treated as equal. Accordingly, the chapter criticises the (pre)conceptions as to the roles of these individuals within the context of sport. In doing so, the chapter targets the notions of ‘role model’ and ‘fan’. Essentially, it argues that since athletes, spectators and audiences should not shed their rights when becoming a part of sport’s production and consumption processes, their right to freedom of expression concerning political expression should remain intact.
