http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/basketball/news;_ylt=Al7S8QYQzBPij6pPVGHczC68vLYF?slug=dw-darfur080708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
I think this is extremely interesting. Should athletes speak about issues such as Darfur? The olympics is about cross cultural cooperation and peace so isn't kind of antithetical to the idea of the games to ignore issues of international importance? In 1980 the US boycotted the games due to protest of a war, which I think shows that politics and human rights should be part of the olympics. For those of you that know me, you know that I also think that American athletes should also address issues of inequality because they are such public figures and carry weight in communities that are often oppressed. Do you think that there is a difference between the olympics and regular American sports in terms of having an obligation to discuss and bring fourth important societal issues? Or do you think they are the same? My friend had an essay question on the GRE which asked whether athletes have an obligation to give back to their communities- she said they were looking for you to say no, looks like I'm going to fail my GRE's.
I will respond to Coos's post soon.
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There are many events that occur that people try to de-politicize or say that politics are not proper. As a generalization, it tends to be those who will not gain anything from the outcry, that call for a "neutral setting" or lack of politicizing. Bush is attending the Olympics but has been, to his credit, pretty outspoken about human rights violations in China. Almost every time he is interviewed he mentions it. As well, he has come out full force against the now Russian occupation in Georgia, even pulling Putin aside in the stands to tell him personally.
To say politics has no place at the Olympics is...you guessed it...oppressive. Because again, those that benefit from it are the big nations like China, Russian ,and the U.S.
Also, since when did human rights violations and mass murder get put under the guise of "the political." That seems pretty dangerous by itself--the severity of those issues gets washed away.
So do athletes have an obligation to speak out? They have an obligation if they feel moved by a particular cause. IF Kobe doesn't care about Sudan, he's perhaps an immoral person (though not more so than me, because besides being disgusted at the genocide, i haven't done shit).
But Kobe has been outspoken about it in the U.S., and that should not stop once he reaches China.
Bush said we can have disagreements but still respect the Chinese people, and i believe that to be true. Kobe could say: "I appreciate all the Chinese have done to make these Olympic games phenomenal. China is a great country with a lot in its future. With that said, i implore the Chinese government to look at the situation in Sudan and their own human rights, because their stance on both is unacceptable."
So in short, athletes have the same obligation that anyone in power does. Presumably as Americans, as patriots, we should care about our fellow Americans. And as humans, we should care about out fellow humans, whatever the situation.
My beef with athletes who don’t speak out is primarily reserved for the ones who claim that they’re not special: “I don’t consider myself any different from anyone else, so my opinion shouldn’t hold any more weight than another [normal] person.” A lot of actors say the same thing when asked to disclose their political persuasions. Why is this bullshit? Because they are different from “normal” people- Athletes even more so than actors (many of whom can make millions in their professions without having a single thespian skill) because nobody can fake being an elite athlete. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the most public figures in the WORLD, all thanks to their exceptional athletic abilities. And when you go public, you go political. Every word you say is scaled, cut and bagged before you even say it. That’s the effect of a digital media world.
And that’s just one of the reasons I take offense to LeBron’s comment that “you can’t confuse sports and politics…I think the political guys are going to do what they need to do, that’s their job. We are here to concentrate on a gold medal. Sports and politics just don’t match.” But one of the things that I love about sports is that they pull in the political, the ethical, the moral, the provocative questions that hang in space in the external “political” world and apply them right there in front of you on the hardwood.
I wonder if LeBron saw the women’s Air Pistol final on Monday (ok, he probably didn’t) in which a Georgian and a Russian fired guns for an hour and then hugged and kissed afterwards and shared the podium as their flags were raised side by side. That’s political because it mirrors real life. Sports do that without even trying to, and often on a very personal level (such as the Iranian swimmer who recently pulled out of a race due to “sickness”; there was an Israeli swimmer in the same heat). And in real life, bad things like genocide and religious conflict happen.
Kobe and LeBron have an obligation to speak up if they feel impassioned about a particular cause (and clearly the both of them do, judging by their comments just a few weeks ago) because their voices carry more weight. They are more than politicians. They are public advocates and role models. Hell, Kobe even has a sex scandal to go along with John and Bill and everyone else on the Hill. Kobe’s words (“Nothing has changed. It’s just time to play basketball. I’m not a government official or politician. I’ll let them do that.”) ignore the incredible public power that comes with the territory of being an exceptionally skilled person and the influence his words could carry.
I really hope he’ll test the theory.
Any thoughts on Rebekkah (nee Becky) Hammon?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/sports/olympics/16araton.html
She makes the same claim as Kobe and LeBron - not only that you can separate athletics and politics, but that you should. I talked to this woman who's doing commentary for NBC Olympics (Teresa Edwards) who played on the US women's basketball team for 5 Olympics, during Russia's reign as the Evil Empire. Her experience tells her (definitively-she took my question really seriously and her emotional response actually took me aback) that you can't separate HISTORY from sports, and you in no way can separate history from politics. Teresa was literally disgusted with Becky's decision to play for Russia (probably a part of her reasoning was the apparent financial aspect of her move) and felt personally offended because it represented a disrespect for history.
So by not speaking out are Kobe and LeBron demonstrating a disregard for the history of past Olympians and the political statements so many of them made? Maybe that's the difference.
ok, i can't figure out how to post this link, i am a failure.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/sports/olympics/16araton.html?ex=1376625600&en=51376f92f6655976&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
I agree with Max and Emma. How can athletes say they aren't political when the Olympics is all about patriotism and flag waving?
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