Growing up with a father who is a top basketball player in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico has its benefits—always letting me do any sport throughout my childhood. So much so, that I was able to compete in a state tournament during middle school. But, by also growing up in the borderland with El Paso, Texas one could see this merge of cultures, my main basketball idol was Scotty Pippen or Michael Jordan thanks to my father who is a big follower of the Chicago Bulls. And one could also see the differences between the kind of support that the US government gave to their athletes.
Mexico has a lack of support for young athletes who are looking to break through a designated tournament in a foreign land. This can be traced back to the latest Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who throughout his term in office has reduced exponentially the resources of sports organizations throughout the country. A recent example of this can be found in the current status of CONADE, the governmental agency from Mexico dedicated to physical culture and sports. During this last term, the budget for this agency has been cut in half. Other data coming out confirming that throughout this term, the government has somewhat abandoned support for sports and athletes.
The Whys
As previously mentioned, the CONADE's budget has drastically decreased these last few years. But, this is not the only reason athlete support is poor in the country. ''A beyond recovery system'' is described by ex-Olympic medallist, Ana Guevara, who retired in 2008 after conflicts with her athlete federation. Ever since the term of Lopez Obrador started, she has been the head of CONADE, and her description can be applied for the agency, the current struggles of athletes are the same as she lived back in 2008. ''She realized that it is much easier to go over to the dark side than to try to rebuild this rotten Mexican sports system'', sports journalist, Diego Mancera said for El Pais.
Getting a little political here. The current Mexican administration has this idea of social spending, which means more money to the people instead of governmental agencies. There are many viewpoints regarding this, currently, the Mexican economy is doing well because of this. But, the expense of this is that organizations that are meant to support the Mexican population will not have the proper financial support, much like CONADE currently has. For these agencies to do a proper job, the Mexican government must diminish these practices of social spending and find a balance to get that money to these agencies. And, by looking this at from a politician's standpoint, it could benefit the population as many would be encouraged to do more sports activities and represent Mexico throughout the world. Having a healthy population should be one of the main priorities for Mexico right now.
Consequences
Because of this lack of governmental support for Mexican athletes, it is no wonder to often see athletes asking for financial help in the streets. Personally at least every month I get to see kids asking for money at a red light when I am visiting Ciudad Juarez, after making a small performance of their skills, for example throwing punches and having a box stance.
Recently in Mexico City, a feature story about a karate athlete in the same situation I previously mentioned. Alondra Mendez is an 18-year-old teen who is looking forward to going to a tournament in Chile. Without the proper financial support, she needs to rely on the good faith of citizens to stop at the red light. Like many, her family has suffered an economic struggle thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but like many, she has found ways to support their dreams financially.
Going back to the El Pais article by Diego Mancera, he describes how Olympic boxer, Esmeralda Falcon, had to auction off the uniform she used for the Olympics just to get enough money for a competition in India. No athlete should auction a part of their career, for her, auctioning her uniform felt like giving somebody else a part of her dream. Athletes in Mexico have done the unthinkable to reach their dreams and I find that incredible.
For Mexico to succeed in sports and have more athletes to represent the country is important to acknowledge their needs.
What is being done?
As for now, crowdfunding has found its way to be normalized among Mexican athletes. What used to be their last resort, is now a self-managed solution. Despite the current handling of the CONADE agency (regarded as one of the worst terms in history), more athletes have come to terms that they may not rely on this organization, instead going into other programs or straight searching for support in foreign countries.
Better institutions and better use of resources are the key priorities for Mexican governmental agencies and programs. That's the only way for these athletes to overcome their financial struggles. Crowdfunding will not only help to support these athletes to go into more tournaments and straighten up their careers but also raise awareness of the poor handling of sports in the country.
Interesting article, I didn't realize how bad this situation was. They need to figure it out and help support those athletes. Not right what they are doing at all.
There has to be a better way to fund these amazing athletes in a way that is fair. In America we treat our Athletes with so much care and respect and, even if it could be a little too much, other countries athletes deserve it too.
This is really informative, Jorge, and I love that you have a personal connection to this issue through your father. It feels like such a stark contrast to a lot of areas in the US where athletics/athletes receive consistent (and often increasing) funding. I have mixed feelings about crowdsourcing and crowdfunding. On one hand, it's great when support can come from within the community. On the other, it reminds of all the times people are relying on crowdfunding for literal survival—and how messed up so many of our systems are.