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I kind of wish I'd had these thoughts while I was writing last week's blog post about the PL's support of Black Lives Matter but seeing the conversation that my friend @KerrySomewhere got into today is what sparked it so bare with me.
I wrote about how politics and sport are intertwined last week. She shared it today after getting into a bit of a debate with some people that believe politics shouldn't be in sport.
The thing is, that thinking is incredibly unfair to the real people who participate in sports.
The thing is, that thinking is incredibly unfair to the real people who participate in sports.
Athletes and entertainers are human. Managers and staff are human. They are allowed to have thoughts and feelings and disagreements and values and beliefs of their own.
Saying that "politics shouldn't be in sport" or "shut up and play" essentially devalues those human beings.
Saying that "politics shouldn't be in sport" or "shut up and play" essentially devalues those human beings.
It is to say that they are undeserving of their beliefs and feelings because of their chosen careers. That no one cares about their opinions or feelings just because they chose to entertain through sport or whatever for their careers.
That is incredibly Not Great, Bob.
That is incredibly Not Great, Bob.
You can disagree with their politics, sure, and you are allowed to do that. I disagree with a LOT of things Dejan Lovren believes, but he's part of my team and he's allowed to have his (also not great) beliefs, and he's allowed to express them and open himself up to argument.
But to say that any players beliefs shouldn't be in their careers, that they shouldn't be able to use their platforms for good change, is... to see them as not humans. They are just there for your entertainment. These human beings do not exist only in the vacuum of sports.
Sports do not exist in a vacuum outside of politics, because of the very real human beings that play these sports for our entertainment. Denying that, denying that politics are involved in sport whether you like it or not, is also really Not Great.
Anyway, I don't know how many of the people that were tweeting angrily at my friend Kerry are still on my page, and I don't really want to know, but I hope they read this and sit with themselves for a minute.
When it comes to Liverpool FC in particular, to deny politics their place in sport, is to basically deny the very foundation that Bill Shankly built this team upon.
“The socialism I believe in isn't really politics. It is a way of living. It is humanity. I believe the only way to live and to be truly successful is by collective effort, with everyone working for each other, everyone helping each other, and everyone having --
a share of the rewards at the end of the day. That might be asking a lot, but it's the way I see football and the way I see life.”
Liverpool FC exists to help everyone around them. Regardless of who they are, their race, their religion, their sexuality, etc. That IS politics.
Liverpool FC exists to help everyone around them. Regardless of who they are, their race, their religion, their sexuality, etc. That IS politics.
Politicians work to protect and serve those they govern. That means basically protecting their inalienable rights - life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.
Saying that these things are not intertwined, is to willfully ignore the foundation that LFC is built on.
Saying that these things are not intertwined, is to willfully ignore the foundation that LFC is built on.
I'm gonna wrap this up but if you truly believe politics don't belong in sport, I'm going to ask that you sit with yourself and ask yourself why you believe that and why you think that the people who work in sports so you can enjoy them, are exempt from "politics."
