Athletes participating in next year’s Olympics will not be sanctioned
for “peacefully and respectfully” demonstrating in support of social justice causes, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced
Thursday.
The Hill reported that previous guidelines from the committee
prohibited athletes from participating in any “kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic
sites, venues or other areas.” Those guidelines have now been relaxed,
at least for one particular type of political demonstration.
“First and foremost, it is critical to state unequivocally that human rights are not political, and peaceful calls for equity and equality
must not be confused with divisive demonstrations,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.
Hirshland pointed to several Team USA athletes who were reprimanded for protesting, saying the Olympic organization “should have supported
instead of condemned, and advocated for understanding instead of
relying on previous precedent.” Hirshland then apologized.
The athletes mentioned were John Carlos and Tommie Smith, who famously
raised their fists in a “Black Power” salute after winning medals in 1968. Decades later, Smith claimed he was not making a “Black Power” salute, but a “human rights” salute.
Hirshland also mentioned Gwen Berry, a shot put and hammer throw
Olympian who also raised her fist at the 2019 Pan American Games at the
end of the national anthem and made disparaging remarks about President Donald Trump. During those same games, Race Imboden — who was also mentioned by Hirshland — knelt during the national anthem.
Such protests have been widely considered to be anti-American and particularly, anti-law enforcement under the guise of anti-racism.
Anthem kneeling began with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick,
whose activism quickly spun into supporting Marxist and Socialist
ideologies.
“The USOPC’s decision recognizes that Team USA athletes serve as a
beacon of inspiration and unity globally, and their voices have and
will be a force for good and progress in our society,” Hirshland said
in her statement. “In the United States, we need to continue to use the platforms we have available to us to foster discussion, education and
action for racial and social justice.”
Sports leagues that have allowed the kind of social justice protests
the Olympic committee will now support have lost millions of views in
2020. The NBA’s ratings dropped significantly after the association
began allowing athletes to wear approved social justice messages on
their jerseys, The Daily Wire’s Amanda Prestigiacomo previously
reported:
In addition to obstacles presented by the coronavirus, a report
from City Journal outlined the staggering ratings hit of the NBA
because of its left-wing activism, most recently wearing social justice-themed warmups and jerseys and even postponing playoff games
over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
“Americans have been falling progressively out of love with the
NBA, for instance, and the pandemic has only exacerbated an already
difficult situation,” the report says. “TV ratings, mediocre after the season restarted, are down collectively by 40 percent on the TNT
network, and 20 percent on ESPN, since their peak nearly a decade ago.”
The report noted that the NBA’s “network TV premium broadcasts ratings on ABC are off by 45 percent,” which “a former public relations executive for the NBA describes as a ‘cratering’ of viewership,” per The Athletic.
Such protests have been widely considered to be anti-American and particularly, anti-law enforcement under the guise of anti-racism.
Anthem kneeling began with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick,
whose activism quickly spun into supporting Marxist and Socialist
ideologies.
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