And our Orange Toddler of a president, doesn't like that.
Some days the only bit of day to day media coverage I can stomach are the offerings from the sports writers. The San Francisco Chronicle's Ann Killion brings smarts and empathy to reporting on the antics of our Winter Olympians. She argues "why none of us should 'stick to sports.'"
*That was a rough couple of weeks for the “Stick to Sports” folks, who — at best — always sound a bit naive about how the sports world works, as though athletic endeavors happen in a remote silo off in the distance and are not a reflection of society at large.
The wildly popular Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — the highest rated in 12 years — were a perfect illustration of how sports always has and always will intersect with society and the issues of the times.
...As the [U.S.A. hockey team] men celebrated their stunning overtime win over Canada and FBI Director Kash Patel — already under fire for using an FBI plane for personal travels at taxpayer expense — chugged beer and acted like he had scored the winning goal, a congratulatory call came in from the president of the United States. Not unusual.
What was unusual was that Donald Trump, after inviting the men to the State of the Union address and the White House, took the moment to be divisive and belittling to other American gold medalists: “And we have to — I must tell you — we’re going to have to bring the women’s team. If I don’t do that I probably would be impeached.”
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The women’s team also won gold, also beating Canada, on Thursday. For some reason, they did not receive a congratulatory phone call from the president of the United States. Citing scheduling — the players finished the Olympics last week and are back to the PWHL and college this week — they politely declined Trump’s half-baked invitation.... The disdain for women’s sports, the lack of care over the hard work put in and the ongoing discrimination that females athletes face is real, and it was on full display in that phone call.
Killion reminds that these are very young people, obviously committed to and engulfed by the demands of being the very best at their sports.
The U.S. men took a rash of grief for laughing at the president’s remark. I give them some grace because they were jacked up on adrenaline and beer and most Americans have been trained to smile at powerful men’s awkward, cringey attempts at humor. In truth you can hear one player clearly say “Absolutely” that the women should be invited and a few others call out “Two for two.” The two programs are close and generally supportive of one another.
... During the Games, American athletes were asked questions about things happening in their country and answered honestly and were attacked for those answers. Trump called one young American athlete, freestyle skier Hunter Hess, “a real loser.” Athletes from Minnesota and elsewhere felt strongly about what they were seeing on the streets of American cities and spoke their minds, and they were condemned for doing so.
... [Richmond, California's Alysa] Liu, whose father fled China in 1989 after participating in the student protests in Tiananmen Square, found herself being embraced by the conservative right in recent days, and the phrase “Be an Alysa Liu” caught fire on social media.
That’s a bit of a funny spot for the “alt” kid from the East Bay who defies convention and other people’s opinions. At the same time that “Be an Alysa Liu” was trending, also going viral was an interview with Liu, who said: “I think it is really important to notice the faults in our own government. Things are a little rough. There’s so many protests that are going on and I’ve attended. Coming from a family of immigrants, I think immigrants deserve rights.” ...
After all, these young folks are Americans. Since we are by and large untutored in their sports, the focus they attract redounds on us as well as on them. Our cheers for them are not only for their individual wizardry, but also because they demonstrate the country can produce skill and flair in arenas where most of us could never win entry. And that's good thing for them and for the country.
... The athletes who wear the flag have grandparents or great-grandparents who fought fascism.They have parents who fled repressive regimes that allowed no freedom of speech or a right to protest. They know they have the right to speak their mind, to make their own choices, to stand up for what they believe is just, to demand respectful treatment, to insist on equality.
If all this honesty and self-reflection makes the U.S. Olympic team “Team Woke,” a lot of us are here for it. And it’s just more proof that there’s no “sticking to sports.” Sports and social issues can’t be separated.
