[September 1, 2016] My introduction to sports was as a very young child and as a participant in large family gatherings to watch baseball’s Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and the New York Yankees play and win the World Series. We never missed a game watching the 1958 series. Their leadership on the field was legendary and apparent to all in their winning streak.
Baseball and other sports are the one thing that can bring people together to enjoy a few hours of prideful entertainment and a little relief from every day’s difficulties. This was the late 1950s but that has changed. Some players today – unlike the great players of half a century ago – are quick to let their personal political views known and the power of their celebrity status spreads their message far.
But it is not my intent to debate their rights as citizens of the U.S. to have deep and personal political opinions – or its public expression – it’s to ask whether sports anywhere, in any country, can be seen and enjoyed without the divisiveness of politics. Expressing your political opinion in America may come with some penalties (like being ostracized or fired from your job) but never will one be imprisoned or killed for it.
My question is, “Are sports too political?” The recent controversy over the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the National Anthem in protest is just the latest example.1 Or, where some U.S. High Schools have banned students from bringing the U.S. flag to sporting events because, as they claim, it can be used to “taunt Hispanic students.” (Update: decision was reversed at some schools)2
Politics can be an emotionally challenging event for many, if not most, people. Looking at the U.S. race for president illustrates this point; advertisements from both political candidates are meant to put emotion ahead of logic in an appeal for votes. To use an old fashioned term, mudslinging3 is as old as politics and is meant to be negative and the truth is sacrificed for the impact of the political ads.
Politics adds an unpredictable factor and distracting element to sports. It is unlikely that these will be a positive addition to those who enjoy sports for its clean entertainment, sportsmanship, and confirmation of social values. Coaches and sports managers are the leaders who can affect the outcome of politics in their sports. It only takes the moral courage to do so.
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- http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/49ers-qb-colin-kaepernick-refuses-to-stand-for-national-anthem-w436512
- http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/08/29/high-school-bans-american-flag-at-football-stadium.html
- http://www.phillymag.com/news/2012/10/24/presidential-campaign-dirty-politics-mudslinging/