Olympian1010

Because of course we only support players when they are quiet about issues in their lives. How dare they be humans with needs, or people with emotions, or family members who want to protect their kids, spouses, and parents. It’s refreshing to know the “shut up and dribble” mentality is still alive and well. Maybe not bourgeois, but it’s mostly a sport for upper and middle class white people. It’s an expensive sport.

Always with the complicated positions Obviously, you can hold any position you want.

No, I still fight for equal rights for all people. I don’t feel like I ever made the claim that equal rights was a solved issue. I fight for what’s right, and you fight/stand up for, well...nothing. I will admit towards using Amazon’s services. It’s a hypocritical choice. I’m in the morally wrong here. I have to pick and chose battles.

NHL got hammered by commentators, black players, and fans for not joining the strike. My guess is that they are desperately trying to save face. In fairness, it wasn’t unknown that ice hockey is a predominantly white, bourgeois sport.

Hmm, a tweet I saw last night was correct. Critics will attack LeBron James no matter what.

A shocking and disgusting amount of wealth.

If you’re more upset about the protest/boycott/strike (whatever the hell we’re labeling it), than you are about the reasons behind it, then you don’t get it yet. Just saying.

I certainly can’t speak for African Americans, but I was merely trying to illustrate a possible difference in logic. NBA players definitely take pride in what they do. I was just saying that professional sports are a form of entertainment.

All games on August 27 will be boycotted. The organizers have suspended play for the day in recognition of current events in the United States. Play will resume on Friday.

LA teams really living up to the California standard.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see LA2028 reveal their logo(s) soon be the way. They have removed all the bid logos from their social media pages, and have posted a weird promotional video seeming to hint at a announcement coming sometime soon. Plus, their presentation the IOC at the General Session (which I read last week), talked about some branding milestones coming up too.

There was different context there of course. Hungary needed to prove it’s strength internationally. The players wanted to make a statement against the Iron Curtain and against the Soviet Union. The one way to do that was to win at the Olympic Games. “Blood in the Water” was their victory because it humiliated the Russians, and that was the best they could do. Many Americans see the NBA as a form of entertainment. In fact, much of the criticism for players trying to speak out has landed along the lines of “shut up and dribble.” They’ve chooses to do the opposite to make a statement. They’ve chosen to stop dribbling and speak up. They are done entertaining a country that has neglected their communities.

The entire remainder of the season may by on the line.

Sounds like there may be a complete boycott of the semifinals tomorrow. Osaka apparently meeting with other players to discuss it.

Multiple MLS teams have also chose to boycott their games tonight. It seems like 5 of 6 games will not be played.

Literally every league tried “have a cool ceremony/moment of silence before the game,” since they started playing again. Some put on practice clothing with slogans like “Black Lives Matter”, “Say Their Names”, “End Racism,” etc. That clearly did nothing, and while I doubt boycotting games will do much either, it’s a hell of a statement. It says “this system is broken, and we no longer endorse it.” It’s strange how some people talk about athlete empowerment, and then get upset when athletes get empowered about political and social issues. To quote many of the players who chose to boycott today, “Some things are bigger than sports.” Also, I find it sadly hilarious that the same people who argue “we’d respect the issue more if they protested peacefully,” or “they should protest peacefully if they want to be heard;” throw an absolute tantrum when players come together to protest peacefully. This reminds me of a statement “This Is America” tried to make. The child dancers are distracted by pop culture, so they can’t see all the chaos happening in the background. I feel like this is players realizing that many Americans see them as an escape from reality, and they are saying “No, this is reality...look at it.” I respect your opinion about them playing. I get it. A lot of people don’t like when sports and politics mix. A lot of people use sports as an escape from darker things in their life, and some of us live and breathe sports because that’s our love in life. However, I think it’s important to respect the player’s decision. Many of these players haven’t seen their families in a month our more. Many of the players have had to remain silent on issues in their communities for years, so as not to jeopardize their chance at playing professional sports. Some of these players have even been victims of the very violence we see in America right now. It seems wrong, to me, to ignore the needs of these players. It seems wrong, to me, to not give these players a voice. It seems wrong, to me, to ask these players to act as a distraction from social unrest in this country. It seems wrong, to me, to ask these players to play, when so many of their brothers and sisters no longer can. That’s just my take on this. I don’t mean anything as a personal attack on any users. I think it’s important to have this conversation. To be honest, I don’t know how to feel right now, so voicing this helps in a way.

Osaka will boycott her semifinal match tomorrow.

It looks like we have our third boycott of the evening.

Second MLB game boycotted tonight.

Some historical context.

WNBA have also chosen to boycott their games tonight. Here’s how the Mystics arrived to the stadium, before making a decision to boycott tonight’s game. (Front of shirt spells out “Jacob Blake”, back has seven bullet holes in it.)

MLB teams are boycotting their games tonight. I’m so proud of all these athletes. They will face major push back for all of these boycotts, but they are doing the right thing.

That is where I think legitimate criticism of the players is deserved. Obviously, police brutality is much closer to home for them, but that did miss a good opportunity to use their voices before.