Sports and politics are intertwined. There’s nothing new in asserting that connection. Yesterday, as today, there is a symbiotic relationship between sports and politics. Let me count the ways….
The impetus for my writing this essay occurred several days ago while watching the New York Mets hanging on to their slim playoff hopes.
They were playing the Chicago Cubs when Mets announcer Gary Cohen rightfully questioned if it was appropriate for the Cubs’ third baseman Matt Shaw to miss a game to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial service. On the day he took off the Cubs were defeated 1-0 by the Cincinnati Reds in a game that could affect whether the Reds or Mets advance to the National League playoffs.
But here’s the thing: it wasn’t until after the game that it was revealed that the third baseman was permitted to attend the memorial service for Kirk.
Gary Cohen: Shaw had Cubs world in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds, a game they lost one-nothing, and in which his lack of presence was felt. I don’t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency really strikes me as weird.
Added former Mets third baseman Todd Zeile, the analyst for the broadcast, “I think it’s unprecedented, at least from my experience as a player.”
Shaw and Kirk (photo courtesy PEOPLE)
Shaw’s reason, according to media reports, was that Kirk was “one of the biggest Cubs fans” he’s ever met, and he added that he talked to Kirk regularly. He also said, “When asked if he worried about any blowback for attending the event over politics, he reiterated he was not. “Yeah, absolutely, I’m not concerned at all, no,” Shaw said. “My connection was through our faith. That’s something that drives me every day; that’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day. … Whatever backlash comes is OK, I feel strong about my faith that was meant to be.”
In my opinion that was flawed reasoning, showing a lack of concern for people of his and other faiths who can’t afford to miss a baseball game. His close relationship with Mr. Kirk, a political activist, ignored the reality that the outcome of the game could adversely affect not only the New York Mets and Reds players, but also the hundreds of employees who support their families by performing non-baseball jobs for the Mets and Reds organizations, who need the extra money they earn when their teams make the playoffs.
However, Mikey McCoy, Mr. Kirk’s former adviser, disagreed with Cohen. “A little over a month ago Charlie’s dream came true…he got the opportunity to walk on Wrigley Field and see his friend Matt Shaw hit a home run,” McCoy posted on X. “A month later, Charlie is gone and Matt Shaw is receiving backlash for attending his friend’s memorial. Shame on Gary Cohen!”
What’s the bottom line? It’s an example of how sports and politics are intertwined.” And it’s not a one-off.
Consider how the IOC grants its games to totalitarian countries, with China and Russia at the top of the list. Indeed, “sports washing”- using sports to promote a positive national image – is nothing new. In 1936, the IOC awarded the Summer and Winter Olympics to Germany despite its treatment of Jews and others who didn’t measure up to what a German should be. It became known as the “Nazi Olympics” and provided Hitler with his first worldwide platform. Recently, the autocratic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been using “sports washing” to gain a better image.
Decades later, the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union and its allies boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Courtesy: The Georgetown Voice
Of course, many other examples demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between sports and politics. Consider when President Trump criticized football players for kneeling during the National Anthem and team owners for not punishing the players.
Then there was this situation (in 2019) when the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey caused a basketball uproar by posting an image on Twitter that read, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” In response, the NBA issued a statement, saying, “We have great respect for the history and culture of China and hope that sports and the NBA can be used as a unifying force to bridge cultural divides and bring people together.” The response was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, who accused the NBA of prioritizing profits over human rights.
Two years later (2021), MLB removed the All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to that state’s restrictive voter registration policy. “I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft,” Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. said in a statement. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”
Sports and politics are intertwined.
__________
A final note to everyone who watches sports on television: I have a sure-fire method of predicting who will win every game. Contact me if you’re interested.
