Football, Politics and Religion

In Brazil, there's a common saying that says, “não se discute futebol, politica, e religião”. For those non-Portuguese speakers, that roughly translates to “You don’t discuss soccer, politics, and religion”. Lucky for you, I feel that we know each other well enough to discuss all three of these topics; more specifically on how this trio of subjects should or shouldn’t mix together on an individual or national level. So follow me, as we discuss what roles and responsibilities athletes and organizing committees like the NOC’s (national Olympic committees) should have in the public eye.

So who could I possibly be thinking of when I speak of ‘religious athletes’? Probably the most talked about athlete in recent times, Tim “God’s QB” Tebow™; the man behind the cultural phenomenon known as “tebowing”. Should Tebow take advantage of his position and prominence to promote his beliefs/religion? Most people wouldn’t care in this case but what if the man was Muslim or a believer of some other religion? What would you think if he pulled out a mat and prayed before every game and then went on to discuss his beliefs during his press conferences? Some people probably would not take that very well but then again not all of the world population is ruled by bigotry so maybe you wouldn’t be affected.

So let’s choose another example. Recently (Aug. 10^th-18^th), the Track World Championships were held in Moscow, Russia. Not all is well in Russia with civil unrest and protests against President Putin, but luckily this is a sports blog and not a political column so we’ll steer clear of who’s wrong and who’s right. A prominent point to make is that Russia is strictly against same-sex marriage and has proven it by taking action against protesters. Yet, this did not deter American athlete Nick Symmonds who, after winning silver in the 800m, dedicated his medal to his homosexual friends and spoke out against Russia’s repression. This begs the question: Is this proper behavior for an “ambassador” of the US or should athletes restrain themselves and their right to free speech to avoid all conflict? For athletes in their own sports leagues, such as the NBA or the NFL, their opinions should be thought through carefully because they still represent an organization but they stay in the same country (except when on international duty). However, athletes like runners have it more complicated because often they travel across the globe to compete. Should they not have the same right to speak out against what they feel is wrong just because they are guests? In a perfect world no! However, our athletes represent a country, and so when they have the American flag, they should be more cautious and careful in what they say. Perhaps even wait until after the event is over to state what they experienced and how they feel. This leads me to my next subject: the Olympic Games.

Ever since Pierre de Coubertin brought back the Olympics in 1896, they have always been a source of controversy. After all, countries around the world are vying not only for the gold medals but also to host the Olympics. Most often times, a European or American city is chosen. In fact, they've only been held outside of these two areas only 7 times (including the 2016 and 2020 Olympics). However, many times the choice of a certain city has led to boycotts. The most known and biggest boycotts: 1980 and 1984. In 1980, a total of 62 countries, including the US, boycotted the Games which were held in Soviet Russia. As a response, Russia and her allies (16) boycotted the games held in Los Angeles, four years later. Subsequently, large country boycotts have been avoided but it raises a question: Should athletes be penalized because a country disagrees with the host city’s politics? Personally, I feel that unless the country is blatantly breaking international laws or treaties (in which case they shouldn't even be chosen in the first place), countries shouldn't mix politics and sports. Athletes train for years for one moment, and to see it go to waste simply because the two nations cannot agree is a shame.

So to recap, individual athletes should be able to express their opinion without the fear of being penalized and punished for them. Yet, I believe too much discussion can take away from the sport at times. There is a time for playing and a time to talk, world affairs aren’t a subject that should be linked to sports. Maybe it’s the innocent side of me, but I find that sports are a beautiful art form that is tainted by cheating and scandals to overcome a country because your country doesn’t like them and can’t stand to lose against them. For my sake, keep your politics to yourself and just enjoy the game. Fair-play and sportsmanship are things that tend to disappear when national tensions arise; yet, in the end all that matters, no matter what you believe, who you are, or what sport you play, the only thing that counts, the one thing that unites us all is that desire for the perfect play.

Bryan Corbaz (@CorbazXC): Bringing an old wooden ship from the civil war to this crew, Bryan is currently a student in Switzerland. An obsessed runner, Bryan was a part of a state champion XC team, an all-american at USATF nationals in steeplechase, placed 5th last year at Swiss Nationals, and is the current state XC champ. He hopes to attend a DI college to continue to achieve in and outside of the classroom, all while being the funniest of the Corbaz brothers.