Sports and Politics
The integration of sports and politics is a conversation that is prevalent today as we are witnessing more political and social justice issues being talked about in regard to sports. In my opinion, politics is unavoidable, even in sports. As someone who played sports for about 10 years, I know that the lessons we learn from the sports we play ultimately carry over into our lives. For example, we learn commitment, owning up to our mistakes, holding those around us accountable and speaking up. Just because we learn to do these things while we are competing doesn’t mean that all of these lessons go out the window when it comes down to politics or life in general. Just like Will Leitch said, the National Anthem being sung before every sports game is politics. “When there’s a Jackie Robinson Day, that politics. It’s all politics” (Foreword, ix). It’s unavoidable.
Sports journalists are the best people to explain the intersection of sports and politics because they must keep a neutral ground. For a journalist to be the most efficient in their work, they are not supposed to take sides or include certain, personal opinions within their writings. The certain personal opinions that are forbidden when it comes to the work of a journalist are the opinions of which team you like better, which team you wish would have won, etc. In other words, a sports journalist cannot be a fan and a reporter at the same time. “The core principles of journalism are the same now as they have ever been. You can apply them to any situation, any medium, any new challenge” (Foreword, viii). These core principles that Leitch talks about are to be truthful, to be honest, to be clear and to be accessible. Because journalists are not writing as a fan of one side and not the other, they are able to help us make sense of sports and their importance by giving the readers straight facts so that the reader can form their own opinions rather than being pulled one way or another by the opinion of the person writing the article in the first place.
Athletes are also helpful when it comes to explaining the importance of sports and making people aware that politics are very much so a part of sports. For example, Steve Kerr continuously uses his family’s history as a platform to speak about issues in America today. One of the things he talks about is gun control, which is personal to him because his father was shot and killed when he was younger. Stories like that of Steve Kerr’s family can help transform sports into something that is more than a diversion. These stories help sports fans to understand and respect why athletes actually shouldn’t “keep their non-sports opinions to themselves” (p. 141). Stories like Steve Kerr’s lead to fans looking beyond themselves and realize why people like Colin Kaepernick are kneeling during the national anthem and why athletes like Serena Williams are putting up fights to raise awareness for the equality of women. Steve Kerr’s story is very relevant today.
Unfortunately, journalists are not able to be so candid when they speak out about the issues that they care about. In a perfect world, journalists would be able to come home from work and be themselves. It would be great if people like Jamele Hill could tweet about their dislike of Donald Trump and not be fired for it. I think journalists should continue to write about topics that they care about and use their positions as a platform to speak out about important issues in the world today. Writing the truth does not necessarily mean picking a side, but it could help expose certain issues with social issues that we are facing today.
