Read on Twitter
1/ Remember, if a US athlete does anything other than hand-over-heart on the podium in Tokyo, they will be criticized. America loves symbolism, which is what concerns me most about protesting at the Olympics. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rio-2016-gabby-douglas-national-anthem-twitter-gymnastics-hand-on-heart-criticism-a7182451.html%3famp
2/ Now, let’s say that everyone in this photo takes a knee except Gabby. She is still being respectful, but her actions could be interpreted as not supporting BLM, supporting Trump, refusing to accept the issues that are occurring in her own country, etc etc.
3/ Let’s say Gabby is the only one who decides to take a knee. She then puts her teammates in a difficult position, because their actions of not kneeling may be interpreted to mean the same as the previous example.
4/ Let’s take Gabby and put her on a podium with athletes from different countries. A white athlete from another country takes a knee but Gabby doesn’t. Does Gabby not understand the struggles in the US as well as this athlete from another country does?
5/ Take this same multi-national podium and say an athlete from outside the US protests US involvement in their country (whatever symbolism that may entail). The US athlete on that podium is now the target of a symbolic protest.
6/ Take this same multi-national podium and have all the athletes be white and raising a fist in the air. Does such an action appropriate the powerful symbolism of a movement, or would that be interpreted as being genuine in support of the movement?
7/ As we saw in 2016 with Gabby, even when an athlete isn’t protesting, they can still be the subject of criticism. So, if athletes are openly and without punishment protesting, then everyone needs to be prepared for how that will look and how it will be interpreted.
8/ The last thing any of us want to see is an athlete’s hard work, or possibly their life as they know it, dragged through the dirt because of how their choice to protest is interpreted.
9/ In saying that, there are real and pressing issues that need to be brought to light. Especially from countries that may not get the coverage around the world that the US receives. We need to know the struggles of our brothers and sisters around the world.
10/ Protesting has a place in sport and we need to figure out the best way to incorporate it. This should be done in a way that respects all athletes on the podium and doesn’t take away from anyone’s achievements.
11/ On one final note about symbolism, remember that video we love of Dave Wottle coming from behind to win the 1972 Olympic 800m in his golf cap. Well, this is what he had to say about standing respectfully on the podium:
12/ “I suppose what most people will remember about me as an Olympic athlete is that I was the one who wore a golf cap while running and also that I forgot to take it off on the victory stand. That episode just dampened my whole Olympic experience...
13/ I was never so embarrassed in my life! It should have been the happiest day but it wasn’t; I was simply too embarrassed to be totally happy.”
- from Tales of Gold book
- from Tales of Gold book
President or not in 2021, tweets like this will still go out to 80million people during the Olympics.
