Your smartphone can destroy your career. Just ask Nanako Fujita, Japan’s best-known female jockey.
The recent news of Fujita quitting after her suspension for breaking horse racing's strict phone rules teaches us that bad habits related to smartphone use don't discriminate.
The misuse of digital devices among young jockeys has become a significant problem within the industry. Within a span of 18 months, 10 Japan Racing Association riders were penalized for using phones in the so-called “jockey jail” — a system unique to Japan where riders (willingly) get locked up for two nights and go offline throughout the weekend’s racing.
As a preventative measure against race fixing, jockeys are put into isolation from 9 p.m. on Friday and are required to lock away their smartphones and other communication devices until the Sunday races are over. During that time they are denied all contact with the outside world, and that includes family members.
Some young jockeys — who have no memory of a world without smartphones and social media — have tried to outsmart the rules.
In May last year, six aspiring jockeys between the ages of 18 and 22 at the time, five of them women, were suspended for 30 days each for using their phones in a restricted area, which is a serious offense.
In May this year, 22-year-old Genki Mizunuma was given an immediate suspension when it was discovered that he had used his smartphone — to view TikTok and make restaurant reservations — during jockey lockdown. He is not permitted to ride through February 2025.
This month, two other jockeys in their early 20s, Takezo Nagano and Shota Kobayashi, each received an indefinite suspension for a similar breach just days before news surfaced that Fujita relinquished her license. The 27-year-old Fujita was found to have brought a smartphone into the jockeys' quarters on multiple occasions to send messages up until around April 2023. So far, she is not suspected of other wrongdoing.
During the weekend, a JRA official is present in the on-course jockey facility to oversee the security of the room but there are no cameras or microphones, according to a JRA spokesperson. Riders have to give up their phones, but they can use tablet devices authorized by the JRA that come with pre-installed apps and restricted internet access.
The spokesperson explained that lockers for smartphones became mandatory in May 2023 as a direct result of the scandal involving the six jockeys. Before that, those locked up in jockey jail still couldn’t communicate with anyone outside those involved with the race, but were allowed to use their personal phones to watch pre-downloaded videos like movies and race replays as long as they cleared with officials beforehand.
In May this year, the rules were changed so that devices are checked in and checked out under the supervision of the JRA official and a surveillance camera.
“Banning smartphones in the controlled area is effective from a fairness perspective so we won’t be rethinking those rules,” the JRA spokesperson said. “However, multiple smartphone cases came to light in a short period of time, so we are taking immediate steps to address this situation and implement measures to prevent recurrence.”
Japan permits betting on only four “public sports,” including horse racing.
And it’s a big-money game, which also means there are going to be cheaters who try to influence the outcome of races.
Japan’s governing body said seven of the 10 smartphone-smuggling jockeys have been cleared of any wrongdoing with regards to race-fixing, but Fujita, Nagano and Kobayashi are still being investigated. Fujita, the first woman in 16 years to join the prestigious JRA circuit, submitted her retirement notice a day after she was suspended pending arbitration.
Users on the X social media platform had mixed reactions following Fujita’s decision to hang up her saddle. While some fans criticized her behavior as “unprofessional,” “inexcusable” and “immature,” others said the rules are “outdated” and “unrealistic in the smartphone era.” One person wrote, “It’s not like she got caught for race-fixing or drug use, but the gossip magazines are treating her like a criminal.”
The spokesperson said the JRA would tighten regulations and “re-educate” young jockeys by requiring them to participate in workshops reviewing compliance basics, social media literacy, proper use of communication devices and fair competition in horse racing.
But clinical psychologist Saya Moriyama, who provides professional help for individuals and families struggling with internet and gaming addiction, says we can’t expect young jockeys in their late teens and 20s to have full self-control over smartphone use.
“I can’t say for certain these are cases of smartphone addiction based on partial information,” Moriyama said. “Generally, teenagers and young adults are said to have poorer self-control and they tend to be more vulnerable to risky and reckless behavior. It’s important to understand that these athletes belong to this group, and to have a policy that doesn’t rely on willpower.”
It’s no big secret that young people have a complex relationship with technology. For this reason, Moriyama thinks now is a good time for the JRA to try and find a middle ground on smartphone use — and also understand the psychology behind the young riders’ obsession with smartphones.
“I see that this ‘no smartphone’ rule is hard to swallow for young people who are digital natives, for whom the phone is a tool for communication, entertainment and work, but I can also understand that the rules exist to protect the integrity of the sport. I think it’s worth reconsidering a ban on smartphones and exploring other possible solutions,” she said.
“Young jockeys should be given the opportunity to learn about self-discipline and self-management. Because we’ve seen so many examples of athletes facing intense levels of pressure falling prey to problematic phone use, it’s also important that they are taught ways to manage stress and anxiety and cope with urges.”
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