Tommy Tainant
Diamond Member
- Thread starter
- #81
My understanding is that they would like the police to stop killing black people. And as a secondary position for the courts to hold the killers to account. That doesnt seem to be an extreme stance. Nor is it "unamerican".When I came on this board Obama was President and people like Trump and yourself were whining that America was a shit hole. You guys really confuse me.Sport and politics have always been interlinked. Sport does not exist in a vacuum and it is an ideal platform for getting your message across.
Here is Jesse Owens defeating the master race. Owens disproved and humiliated Hitlers sick beliefs. Apparently he became friends with the seig heiler on his left.
In 1976 the Olympics were blighted by an African ban over the participation of sanction busting New Zealand.
In 1980 the US led a boycott of the Moscow Olympics in retaliation to Russias invasion of Afghanistan.
In 2000 Zimbabwe were banned from international cricket for human rights abuses.
And then we have principled men willing to stand up for their beliefs.the white guy is an Aussie,Peter Norman. He became a great friend of Smith and Carlos and actually advised them on their protest. They were bearers at his funeral years later.
Here is Robbie Fowler of Liverpool.He has just scored for them and used the moment to show support for the striking Liverpool dockers. His goal is long forgotten but his action will not be.
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Of course Liverpool are possibly the most politicised club in the UK having endured decades of struggle to get justice for their 96 dead supporters .
The question is can you have normal sport in an unjust society. In the 70s the South African team was ostracised from world cricket because of the evil apartheid regime.
Football teams refused to play in the national stadium of Chile. A stadium where Pinochets goons killed people who believed in democracy.
In 2013 Kevin Prince Boateng walked off the field of play after being abused by racist supporters. The rest of his team followed him.
Was Kevin-Prince Boateng Right to Leave the Field After Racist Abuse?
It didnt make a difference. In 2017 Sully Muntari did a similar thing. His team mates did not leave the field and he was criticised by his manager for his actions.
Pescara’s Sulley Muntari walks off after being booked for reporting racist abuse
Why do individuals feel the need to make a stand ? Generally because the governing body is not dealing with the issues.
Contrast the £10k fine meted out to Athletico Madrid for their fans racist chanting:
Atletico Madrid fined 10,000 euros after fans racially abused Manchester City players
And the £110k fine Malmo received for having a sub standard pitch.
UEFA fines Malmo $110,000 for “poor pitch” in Champions League, but racism still only worth $11,000
Of course governing bodies have a proud history of getting it wrong. Here is a pic of the English national team saluting Hitler in a game against the Germans in 1936. The players didnt want to do it but were ordered to by the FA ,and by extension, the government. England are on the left.
Of course its not just the players that make waves. Here are Celtic fans showing their support for Palestine.
Hong Kong fans get a chance to give the Chinese some truth.
And here are Dortmund fans sending out a message.
And fans of Werder Bremen doing likewise.
Mr Kapernicks protest , when seen in this light, is not unique. Becoming an athlete does not mean that you stop being a human being. He obviously feels strongly about this issue and deserves some respect for highlighting it.
Of course he could have taken an easier route.Kept his head down,picked up the cheque and said nothing.
Which is the American way ? Standing up for what you believe in or looking the other way like a coward ?
So what do the current protesters want? They seem to just be complaining about America. Do they want the national anthem changed?
That's nice. Are you going to answer the question?
It seems to be a good thing to get behind.
