First, let's not pretend that Trump initiated unsportsmanlike nationalism in the world of sports. Via Google AI:
In particular, I was personally against Carter's decision to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the USSR invasion of Afghanistan. This is not to argue that I supported the USSR's invasion; I just feel that athletes can maintain peak performance for only a limited time, and I don't think they should serve as political pawns.
I would be lying if I didn't admit to some pride in our amateur (college) basketball players winning 7 straight Olympic games until the controversial loss to the USSR at Munich in 1972. And I was among those Americans who wildly cheered the 1980 US hockey finale against a dominant USSR team.
Still, even though I was thrilled with the 1992 "Dream" basketball team, I mourned the basic loss of amateur athletic competition.`
And let us note that some athletes, like prominent actors and other celebrities, often use their platform to register a political protest. In my youth, there was the obvious case at the 1968 Olympics:
I recall having mixed feelings at the time; I had broad sympathy for the fight for racial justice, and I agree with athletes' rights to express themselves; it was more the time and place (this was roughly around the time my Dad was serving an isolated tour in SE Asia during the Vietnam War). This is before the relevant rule 50, but the principle that athletes not confound sports with politics at sporting venues had been discussed at least as early as 1955.
I have maintained similar nuanced views on the Kaepernick/NFL national anthem protests and the kerfuffle earlier this year over SF Giants players who, rather than wearing special-occasion uniforms promoting pride, wore caps featuring alternate Biblical verses. In these situations, the players had contractual obligations to comply with rules prohibiting relevant conduct. For example, the ballplayers could opt out of pride uniforms for regular uniforms, but they had no right to create Biblical protest apparel.
Don't get me wrong; I was born and raised an Air Force brat, in a culture of patriotic pride, reverence for the flag (I recall being the flagbearer when my Boy Scout troop marched in the locally televised Laredo annual George Washington parade). I myself served as a Navy ensign after earning my master's in math at UT.
But I was never really comfortable with the pregame ritual of playing the national anthem. (
It started in a 1918 MLB game during WWI and was widely adopted across sports by WWII.) I thought the spirit of sport transcended partisan politics. I've never liked sports moguls trying to have the public fund things like local sports stadiums or the POTUS attending sports events (like Nixon going to the UT/Arkansas shootout or champion teams being invited to the White House).
Trump has been an unprecedentedly divisive. polarizing POTUS, and his aggressive attack on Kaepernick and other NFL racial justice protesters during the national anthem kerfuffle. Now, to an extent, I could understand some USG pushback on the anthem protests because the military spends a lot on recruitment ads on sports programming, and the protests don't help the objective. But I resented Trump's political attacks on the protests for 2 basic reasons: they were destabilizing and contributed to unsafe conditions for protesting athletes, with a more limited platform to counter Trump's bullying behavior. Second, a POTUS takes an oath to uphold the constitutional right to protest.
Trump's anti-athlete stance against Kaepernick and others, unsurprisingly, has drawn pushback, as Presidents often seek to exploit the popularity of national team championships through White House events. Many teams (especially NBA teams and/or prominent team stars) have rejected Trump's invitations, with Trump playing the victim card. Athletes (including those of color) don't want to send mixed messages by associating with Trump's divisive, toxic policies.
I think the straw that broke my back in writing this rant was Trump's misconduct during the recently hosted World Cup. Personally,, I never played on a soccer team and probably last played a game during gym class in lower school. (I remember scoring a couple of goals in one of my last pickup games.) But I have never been a fan of low-scoring games, which, to me, were about as exciting as watching paint dry. Trump is constantly hyping his promotions of popular sports events, including the upcoming Summer Games.
The recent UFC spectacle on the White House lawn is notable, especially since Trump owns some sponsor TKO stock. But what was an egregious breach of sportsmanship was Trump's lobbying FIFA officials to reverse an American player's (Folarin Balogun) suspension against Belgium in the late rounds. This undermined the integrity of FIFA. I don't think I've ever been so ashamed of an American President. But Trump, as if he wasn't embarrassing enough, actually tried to sneak a posed photo with the winning Spanish team, even after trashing Spain for not supporting his Iran war effort!
I am tired of Trump's manipulative, cheesy nationalism, with Trumpkins in their jingoist fervor chanting "USA! USA!" while Trump molests an American flag. It's time to return to celebrating athletic excellence and the spirit of sport.
