Tommy Lindgren: Musician promotes human rights in sports

“This is my oldest piece of clothing that I own,” Tommy Lindgren says and rather proudly shows off the NFL club Cincinnati Bengals jacket he is wearing. The jacket is from 1991 and the linings of the pockets are torn.

It’s no coincidence that Lindgren is wearing a Bengals jacket. He has supported the team since the 1989 Super Bowl because he fell in love with the team’s tiger helmets.

Now he is photographed wearing a jacket at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, because the place is suitable for the combination of music and sports.

Lindgren has come to prominence as lead singer in the Don Johnson Big Band, which has just released a new album to much positive reviews Midnight Movement. His other main job is strongly related to sports. Lindgren has worked for three years at the Human Rights Association as a sports human rights campaign expert.

The slogan “Don’t break sports” has been seen in many sports events and in the campaigns of the Human Rights Association.

“The campaign has made us a visible human rights activist in sports who can be contacted,” says Lindgren.

The campaign is also internationally exceptional. Lindgren discovered it last December at the Sporting Chance forum in Geneva.

“There were an awful lot of interested inquiries. A similar project was being established in Canada.”

The Human Rights Association started campaigning on human rights in sports in November 2021, but the organization’s human rights trainings for sports federations and sports organizations had already started earlier. According to Lindgren, there have been around 700 participants so far. There would have been more interest, but it is not possible to do more with the resources of the Human Rights Association.

“I would argue that thanks to our work, these issues have started to be talked about and understood better.”

In Lindgren’s opinion, the central issue of the campaign has been to turn our attention to the everyday life of Finnish sports, although human rights in international sports are also on the agenda.

“That we understand equality, various issues of discrimination, the rights of the child and the rights of the disabled. These are now questions that have real human rights problems here in Finland in the everyday life of sports and physical activity.”

And concretely, what has been accomplished? Lindgren brings up, for example, the Gymnastics Association, which has been criticized more in recent years for the activities of the coaches, among other things.

“The gymnastics association has done a lot of good work in the new alignment of children’s gymnastics, where it has clearly been aimed to take the child’s rights into account. Everyday activities are defined in it, so that rights would be better taken into account.”

”

“There is a lot of work to be done so that everyone’s rights are realized and that human rights truly belong to the core of sports.”

Lindgren states that the campaign has also been visible at the speech level.

“For the first time, I see many sports players, sports federations, sports clubs and athletes using the word human rights. It still doesn’t mean anything other than that they are doing a communicative act, but these phrases are quite powerful: Don’t violate sports and human rights are at the core of sports,” says Lindgren.

“If these things are said publicly and shared as messages, for example on social media channels, it is nevertheless a certain kind of commitment to those things.”

The human rights association’s influence work on behalf of human rights in sports still continues, and a petition is coming out in the spring, in which anyone can participate. An analysis has also been made of the campaign.

“Our analysis is still that there is a lot of work to be done so that everyone’s rights are realized and that human rights truly belong to the core of sports.”

When Lindgren started as a campaign designer, initially the intention was to make a year’s worth. He has since been regularized. Lindgren currently works a 3.5-day work week at the Human Rights Association.

“Pretty soon we realized that we are doing something that will hopefully continue for years.”

When it started, there was a corona pandemic, so the music patterns were on hiatus, but Lindgren was still doing the sports entertainment program Bench Warmers on TV and the sports talk show Lindgren & Sihvonen on the radio.

“The calendar has changed a bit. The TV and radio jobs have gone away, but a little more musings have taken their place. I try to arrange my weekly life in such a way that there is time for everything.”

How does it work?

“Variably, but I’ve at least succeeded to some extent, because we finished the record,” Lindgren says and laughs.

And how is a musician suitable for office work?

“Very well, I guess. As a young man, I have been at Amnesty’s office in Finland for six and a half years, but since then there have been no similar ones. Yes, I really like everyday routines.”

”

“Hey, we’ve made a cool thing, come, see and experience it.”

Sometimes at Lindgren there are scheduling problems, because office work involves a certain regularity with meetings.

“Then you can’t come and go as you please or sleep longer. Of course, I don’t sleep terribly late in the morning these days,” says the father of a 3-year-old child.

Lindgren reflects that it is difficult at times, but then there is also the flip side of the coin.

“Both dunes reward you tremendously from time to time, so that you can do it. After all, Musa is a job that is full of many kinds of contradictions. At the same time, it is the cleanest in the world. And on the other hand, exhausting and heavy and nerve-wracking. And vague.”

Lindgren also finds benefits from office work for making music.

“When, for example, you make campaign plans or learn how to fill out some excels, i.e. a certain systematization, which has not necessarily been my strongest qualities throughout my life, they might be useful in music work at least on some level. Not directly in the making of the music, but in the way we strive to maximize this amazing album of ours [naurua] attention.”

There is also another way to find common ground.

“These are the same type of work in that they aim for people’s attention: hey, we’ve made a cool thing, come, see and experience it.”

On the other hand, for example, the content of the lyrics has not been affected much by the Human Rights League’s campaign.

“In a way, they have scattered observations about social themes and maybe from some point of view also about human rights, but on the other hand, only some of them are like this. The new album also has a lot of rap lyrics, which is based on having fun with the language.”

When two work takes a lot of time, how do you keep yourself fit?

“Too bad. I enjoy daily exercise, for example I cycle to the dunes whenever possible. In the winter, I like to ski – there are pistes from Arabia almost at my doorstep. It’s the most horrible and the most wonderful thing: If there are decent uphills, that’s when you know you’re alive.”

Fart or freestyle skiing?

“Shit. It’s not an attitude issue, but I’m a bad freeskier for some reason. I’m not terribly good at skating either. That technology should be mastered somehow.”

”

“Music is published in many ways these days, and one way is to make a piece of music over an hour long, which is called a music album.”

To this point lame donkey bridge: from the traditional way of skiing to the traditional way of publishing music. The newest album of the Don Johnson Big Band is a traditional album and a vinyl double disc.

“The whole album is somehow a relic [pyhäinjäännös], which is perhaps more important to the music makers of our generation than it is to the younger ones. Nowadays, music is released in many ways, and one way is to make a piece of music over an hour long, which is called a music album.”

The album has plenty of duration, but there are also plenty of guest artists and there are other languages ​​besides English, including Finnish.

“Still, this is to some extent the most complete and cohesive album ensemble we’ve ever made. Sounds, rhythms and atmospheres have a common thread.”

”

“I’m always a little afraid of these situations, that the thought will start to wander.”

In order to get DJBB combined with sports, the question of course is: if DJBB were a team sport, what would it be?

“I think about this a lot from many points of view,” Lindgren begins a meandering reflection that lasts 13 minutes and three seconds.

They squeal in speech Atik Ismail and Hurriganes, Gösta Sundqvist in the Finnish football business, training to be a top athlete Antti tuisku and types of JVG in different sports. And much more.

Lindgren highlights the newest member of DJBB Felix Zengerinwho, in addition to his career as a musician, has won several prestigious medals in the footbag sport, including two World Championship golds.

“He has certainly changed the dynamic somehow, because he is ten years younger and has brought new enthusiasm to work. The records also have a bit more jerky beats.”

Lindgren continues tasting and is already coming to a solution:

“Could we be a sports club that 20 years ago had tremendous success and trophies and then it’s been a little quieter?”

Then comes “from the other side”.

“On the other hand, maybe we are a veteran lineup that still really enjoys what we do and that still brings joy to people.”

Finally, Lindgren states that hopefully this has made something clear.

“I’m always a little afraid of these situations, that my thoughts will start to wander. In a way, I was tired.”