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       #Post#: 82--------------------------------------------------
       Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: July 3, 2020, 11:32 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       OLD CONTENT
       In the news recently, unhinged reactionaries are burning shoes
       in a protest against those who protest racism, and a certain CEO
       who is too cheap to pay for basic healthcare for his employees
       has been ousted from the company he founded after complaining
       uppity NFL players are costing him profits (although, his
       outburst probably cost the company more money, considering they
       are no longer an official sponsor of the NFL).
       Although rightists don't want to acknowledge it, it is painfully
       obvious why these athletes are using their time in the spotlight
       to protest (and why they have something to protest about in the
       first place):
       --- Quote ---
       > As the Guardian’s series on race and sports starts today – and
       we mark two years since Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the
       national anthem – I am reminded that whenever an NBA player
       comes close to shattering one of my dusty old records, eager
       journalists contact me to ask how I feel. Here’s how I feel: At
       the time I set those records – most points scored, most blocked
       shots, most MVP awards, blah, blah, blah – I celebrated them
       because they confirmed that all my hard work and discipline
       since childhood was effective in me achieving my goal of
       becoming the best possible athlete.
       >
       > But that wasn’t my only goal. The even greater significance
       those records had to me then, and has to me even more now, is in
       providing a platform to keep the discussion of social
       inequalities – whether racial, gender-related, or economic –
       alive and vibrant so that we may come together as a nation and
       fix them. Historically, that has been the greatness of the
       American spirit: we don’t flinch at identifying our own faults
       and using our moral fortitude and ingenuity to become a better
       nation. In honoring that spirit, I pay tribute to two of my most
       important mentors, UCLA coach John Wooden and Muhammad Ali. It
       is Ali’s voice I often hear in my head: “When you saw me in the
       boxing ring fighting, it wasn’t just so I could beat my
       opponent. My fighting had a purpose. I had to be successful in
       order to get people to listen to the things I had to say.” All
       sports records will inevitably be broken, but the day after they
       are, the world won’t have changed. But every day you speak up
       about injustice, the next day the world may be just a little
       better for someone.
       >
       > Sports is the most popular form of entertainment, with
       Americans spending about $56bn on sports events last year,
       compared to about $11bn on movies. Seventy-two percent of 18- to
       29-year-olds consider themselves sports fans, as do a majority
       of those older. This level of popularity has made sports more
       than just entertainment, it’s also part of our national
       identity, a source of inspiration for personal achievement, and
       a means to teach our children valuable lessons about teamwork
       and social ethics. For African Americans, sports has all those
       values – but it also has some extra implications.
       >
       > For people of color, professional sports has always been a
       mirror of America’s attitude toward race: as long as black
       players were restricted from taking the field, then the rest of
       black Americans would never truly be considered equal, meaning
       they would not be given equal educational or employment
       opportunities. Even after they were permitted to play, sports
       has been the public face of America, not what we sentimentally
       profess to believe when waving flags on the Fourth of July, but
       of our actual daily behavior. That is why whatever happens in
       sports regarding race, plays out on the national stage. Right
       now, sports may be the best hope for change regarding racial
       disparity because it has the best chance of informing white
       Americans of that disparity and motivating them to act.
       >
       > The problem is that this is not the message that those who
       profit from disparity want the public to hear.
       >
       > Over the years, I have participated in some of these protests.
       In 1967, when I was only 20, I was the youngest member of the
       Cleveland Summit, a gathering of black athletes tasked with
       determining the sincerity of Ali’s claim of being a
       conscientious objector. In 1968, a few months after the
       assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, I had been invited to
       play on the Olympic men’s basketball team. I was torn because I
       knew that joining the team would signal that I supported the way
       people of color were being treated in America – which I didn’t.
       But not joining the team could look like I didn’t love America –
       which I did. Instead, I chose to teach kids in New York City how
       to play basketball and why they should stay in school. My
       decision not to play resulted in hate mail calling me, among
       other things, “an ungrateful nigger”. That word, “ungrateful,”
       is the key to understanding what angers those who are so
       incensed at players’ protests. They want black athletes to be
       grateful that they’ve been given a seat at the table and to
       therefore ignore their brothers and sisters who have little hope
       of achieving that kind of success.
       >
       > But I am even more energized and hopeful when I see those same
       athletes speak out against injustices because I know that in
       doing so, they are risking the careers that they spent their
       whole lives working towards. Their willingness to risk
       everything in order to give voice to the powerless – despite all
       efforts to silence them – makes me proud as an athlete and as an
       American. As Mark Twain once said, “[T]rue patriotism, the only
       rational patriotism, is loyalty to the Nation all the time,
       loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.” Athletes who
       speak out are proclaiming their loyalty to a constitution that
       demands equality and inclusiveness, not to the government
       officials who try to undermine those ideals by silencing its
       critics.
       --- End Quote ---
       www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/aug/28/notes-from-an-ungrateful-athlete-why-race-and-sports-matter-in-america
       It has been 50 years since another recognizable sports protest,
       but little has changed.
       --- Quote ---
       > Tommie Smith was once among the fastest men on Earth. During
       his sprinting career, he held 13 world records (11 of them
       simultaneously). He set the most famous of these on October 16,
       1968, when his 19.83-second 200-meter dash at the Mexico City
       Olympics earned him a gold medal. His countryman and college
       teammate John Carlos won the bronze. When the two Americans
       mounted the podium to receive their medals, “The Star-Spangled
       Banner” blaring over the stadium speakers, each bowed his head
       and raised a black-gloved fist—Smith’s right, Carlos’s left.
       Around the stadium, jaws dropped and cameras flashed. Their
       protest, which was interpreted by many viewers as a Black Power
       salute, remains one of the most iconic images in the history of
       sports.
       >
       > Smith was born in 1944, the seventh of 12 children. His father
       was a sharecropper, first in Texas and then in California; Smith
       grew up picking cotton and grapes when he wasn’t in the
       classroom. In high school, he played basketball and won a
       scholarship to San Jose State University, where he contemplated
       becoming a three-sport athlete before settling on track. San
       Jose’s team was at the time amassing top talent, earning it the
       nickname “Speed City.” Smith thrived, tying two world
       records—the 200-meter dash and the 220-yard straightaway—in his
       sophomore year.
       >
       > Immediately after running those races, Smith headed to a
       protest march he knew about through a student athlete turned
       activist named Harry Edwards, with whom Smith had bonded over a
       mutual respect for education (“You can’t eat speed,” Smith
       recalls Edwards telling him). It was 1965, and the civil-rights
       movement was in full swing; inspired by Malcolm X, Edwards had
       decided to organize student athletes to protest racial
       disparities at San Jose State. Smith was an early and staunch
       supporter of Edwards’s movement, which quickly grew beyond
       campus. In 1967, as the Mexico City Olympics approached, Edwards
       formed the Olympic Project for Human Rights with a handful of
       athletes. The group threatened an athlete boycott of the
       Games—though Edwards says its real goal “was to change the total
       perception and understanding of the role that sports played in
       black life in this country.”
       >
       > The athletes ultimately decided to attend the Olympics,
       clearing the way for Smith and Carlos to win their respective
       medals and stage their demonstration. The protest was
       meticulously thought out: The men wore scarves to symbolize
       lynching; black socks and no shoes to symbolize poverty; and
       gloves, Smith has said, to represent “freedom and power;
       equality.” They also had on Olympic Project for Human Rights
       pins, as did the silver medalist, a white Australian named Peter
       Norman, in solidarity.
       >
       > When Smith and Carlos raised their fists, the stadium and the
       world went quiet. “For a few seconds, you honestly could have
       heard a frog piss on cotton,” Carlos wrote in his autobiography.
       “There’s something awful about hearing fifty thousand people go
       silent, like being in the eye of a hurricane.”
       >
       > The shunning that followed the silence was even more difficult
       to bear. Both Smith and Carlos were barred from future
       international competition, effectively ending their sprinting
       careers. “I never would know how fast I could have become,”
       Smith later wrote in his memoir. “I would have just turned 28 by
       the time of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and everyone has seen
       what runners like Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson have done as
       they matured.” Back home, the men were ostracized not just by
       white Americans but by many black people who feared being
       associated with them. Hate mail and death threats piled up.
       Smith got one letter telling him to “go back to Africa,”
       complete with a fake plane ticket. “I was knocked verbally and
       financially,” Smith told me.
       >
       > After graduating from San Jose State, Smith was able to find
       only sporadic employment, including a brief stint on the
       Cincinnati Bengals’ backup squad. Smith says he could barely
       afford to supply his infant son with formula during this period,
       and the resulting stress contributed to the dissolution of his
       first marriage. He eventually was hired as the track coach and
       an instructor at Santa Monica College—positions he would hold
       for more than two decades—but he continued to struggle. As his
       second marriage was falling apart, in the mid-’90s, he was
       robbed of tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry and
       memorabilia.
       >
       > By then, his notoriety seemed to be fading to anonymity.
       Delois, his wife, told me that when she met Smith, in the late
       ’90s, she had no idea who he was. (Her daughters had to look him
       up online.)
       >
       > Kaino helped arrange for Smith to meet Kaepernick last fall,
       an encounter that was filmed for a documentary portion of their
       collaboration. “He knew about the stand in Mexico City,” Smith
       told me proudly. “He was on his knee and I was on my feet, but
       we represent the same thing. The brutality, inequality.”
       >
       > After the 1968 Olympics, Smith was called a militant and his
       act was labeled an expression of black power—descriptions he’s
       been trying to shake for decades. He bristles at the mention of
       the Black Panthers (though Edwards, the San Jose State activist,
       was a member), and he insists that his protest was about human
       rights broadly. “I never focused solely on blacks to the extent
       that everything else was secondary,” he has written. “I did not
       want my participation to be about only one kind of people.”
       > Like Smith, Kaepernick has been vilified and unable to find a
       job (he’s suing the NFL for colluding against him). Nonetheless,
       Smith believes that Kaepernick’s actions could prove more
       impactful than shorter-lived protests by other African American
       athletes over the past 50 years—among them the basketball
       players Craig Hodges and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in the 1990s. “You
       just keep working, it will happen,” Smith told me. “I’m not
       broken to a point that I can’t move forward. Colin Kaepernick is
       going to be the same way.”
       >
       > Perhaps needless to say, Smith was not invited to the White
       House in 1968, as many Olympians are. But in 2016 (shortly
       before Kaepernick first took a knee), President Obama saw fit to
       belatedly honor Smith by having him visit; Kaino and Delois came
       along. As a gift, they brought Obama a drawing of Smith passing
       a baton during a world-record-setting 4x400-meter relay race. On
       the back, Smith wrote, in part: “Most importantly, the ‘Baton’
       was not dropped.”
       >
       > Smith returned to the White House again later that year with
       the U.S. Olympic team, but says that he won’t be visiting the
       current president. The baton has, in his view, been dropped.
       “But it didn’t roll out of the lane,” he added. “You can pick it
       up.”
       --- End Quote ---
       www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/tommie-smith-1968-50-years-later/568294/
       In True Left spirit, protestors like these bravely risk their
       entire careers in order for their efforts to have as wide of an
       impact on society as possible. To protest against injustice and
       ensure the baton of the American Dream is not dropped, an
       individual cannot just remain silent, be "grateful", and take
       the money.
       Malcolm X used the metaphor of the house slave vs. the field
       slave to illustrate the divide between oppressed individuals who
       were "grateful" for the luxury they received (and hence did not
       desire to 'rock the boat') vs. those who hated oppression to
       such a degree that they would risk their lives for it to end. As
       we can see from the current wave of sports protests, both
       attitudes are alive and well in the US.
       --- Quote ---
       > "Colin has to make up his mind whether he's truly an activist
       or he's a football player," Brown said. "Football is commercial.
       You have owners. You have fans. And you want to honor that if
       you're making that kind of money. ...
       >
       > "You have to understand there's intelligence that's involved,
       OK? I can't be two things at once that contradict each other. If
       I sign for money, then the people I sign with, they have rules
       and regulations."
       --- End Quote ---
       www.thepostgame.com/jim-brown-colin-kaepernick-activist-flag-anthem
       (Spoiler alert, Kaepernick has decided that he is the only owner
       of his soul, and that standing up for Americans who do not have
       a voice is more important than remaining silent to collect a
       paycheck).
       ---
       www.huffpost.com/entry/megan-rapinoe-trump-disgusting-attack-four-congresswomen_n_5d3393b4e4b004b6adb0c63a
       --- Quote ---
       > Outspoken World Cup soccer star Megan Rapinoe blasted
       President Donald Trump’s comments calling on four progressive
       congresswomen of color to get out of the U.S. But Rapinoe also
       said she was energized by the backlash against Trump.
       >
       > “It’s disgusting, to be honest,” Rapinoe said Saturday on The
       Van Jones Show on CNN, referring to Trump’s tweets against
       Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna
       Pressley (Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.). “To say it’s
       disappointing ... doesn’t even come close.”
       >
       > She also called Trump’s “send her back” chant — referring to
       Omar, the only one of the lawmakers not born in the U.S. — “sad
       and disgusting and despicable” in an interview published
       Saturday in The Charlotte Observer.
       >
       > She added: “I think we’re one step away from just saying a
       racial slur on national television from the president of the
       United States. At every step it’s shocking. I hope people don’t
       stop being shocked by it all, because it’s truly the worst of
       the worst.”
       >
       > But the co-captain and star midfielder of the world champion
       U.S. women’s national soccer team also told Jones that she was
       heartened by the negative reaction to Trump’s racism. The House
       voted to condemn his message — and Omar returned to cheers at
       the airport back home in Minnesota earlier this week.
       >
       > “The more that we ... are upset about it and don’t accept that
       kind of behavior from all sides, then the better place we’re
       going to be,” Rapinoe said on CNN.
       > ...
       > Asked by The Charlotte Observer if Trump crossed a line
       telling the congresswomen to get out of the country, Rapinoe
       responded: “All the lines were crossed forever ago for Donald
       Trump, dating back to birtherism.”
       >
       > Rapinoe rocketed into the political arena when she was
       recorded in an interview before the World Cup saying there was
       no way she’d visit the “fucking White House” if invited. She has
       called Trump a racist and misogynist, and said he “doesn’t fight
       for the same things we fight for,” referring to her teammates.
       --- End Quote ---
       ---
       www.foxnews.com/sports/us-fencer-takes-knee-in-protest-at-pan-am-games
       --- Quote ---
       > “We must call for change,” Imboden said afterward on Twitter.
       “This week I am honored to represent Team USA at the Pan Am
       Games, taking home Gold and Bronze.”
       >
       > “My pride however has been cut short by the multiple
       shortcomings of the country I hold so dear to my heart,” he
       said. “Racism, Gun Control, mistreatment of immigrants.”
       --- End Quote ---
       Firstly, thank you.
       Secondly, if racism is a problem (and I agree it is), then
       victims of racism need to own guns and be willing to use them
       against racists. If mistreatment of immigrants is a problem (and
       I agree it is), then immigrants need to own guns and be willing
       to use them against ICE/CBP.
       #Post#: 83--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: July 3, 2020, 11:37 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       OLD CONTENT contd.
       Good advice:
       sports.yahoo.com/mario-balotelli-racist-abuse-verona-brescia-italy-soccer-171939632.html
       --- Quote ---
       > The latest incident, just like so many before it, occurred in
       Italy. Early in the second half of a Serie A match between
       Hellas Verona and Brescia, Verona fans hurled abuse at Brescia
       striker Mario Balotelli. Balotelli, who has been subjected to
       racism dozens (and likely hundreds) of times throughout his
       career, snapped as he dribbled toward the corner – and into
       earshot of the crowd. With the ball still in play, he picked it
       up and punted it into the stands.
       >
       > What happened next is complicated, and unknowable from afar.
       The referee pulled out his yellow card, but never actually
       issued it. Players from both teams confronted Balotelli in
       varying fashions.
       >
       > Balotelli himself looked like he had had enough. Looked like
       he wanted to walk off. Teammates and opponents appeared to try
       to convince him to stay. A few appeared to console him. Those
       heated pleas turned into tense, serious discussions over a
       four-minute-plus delay, during which a statement was reportedly
       read over the stadium’s public address system.
       >
       > While the PA announcer reportedly condemned the racist chants,
       neither Balotelli nor any other player left the field during the
       stoppage.
       >
       > And therein lies the problem.
       >
       > Players – the majority of whom were white – wanted the game to
       go on. The referee wanted the game to go on. Italian soccer
       authorities presumably wanted the game to go on. Fans surely
       did.
       >
       > None of them empathized with Balotelli. If they did, none had
       the courage to act upon their empathy. It appeared that the
       purpose of their conversations with him after the incident was
       to console him and calm him, rather than to stand with him. In
       doing so, they left him to fight racism alone. They sided with a
       sport that turns a blind eye to racism instead of siding with a
       peer who was suffering from it.
       >
       > That’s what has to change.
       >
       > Neither Italy nor Europe instantaneously developed a racism
       problem in recent years. Rather, players have begun exposing it.
       Talking openly about it. Walking off fields in response to it.
       Their actions are courageous and meaningful. They should, at
       some point, affect change.
       >
       > But they need help. Help from those whose lives aren’t
       impacted by racism on a daily basis. Help beyond brief
       suspensions of games. They need allies. They need white players
       to put their arms around them and walk off fields with them, en
       masse, rather than convince them to play on.
       >
       > The Balotellis and Kalidou Koulibalys and Raheem Sterlings of
       the soccer world deserve to be lauded. Their willingness to
       fight rather than fall in line, as the white majority wants them
       to do, is remarkable. It represents progress. But without more
       support from the majority, it will soon become an illusion of
       progress.
       >
       > Because while incidents like Sunday’s continue to make
       headlines, they don’t provoke meaningful responses. Hellas
       Verona won the match and picked up three points. They won’t be
       docked any. Their players will be happy. The club will be happy.
       >
       > The game will go on, and therefore racism will go on, until
       Balotelli’s teammates and opponents – and their equivalents
       around the world – decide it won’t.
       --- End Quote ---
       ---
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPZirZgOAqc
       ---
       www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1205066?cid=eml_nbn_20200512
       --- Quote ---
       > NFL star Malcolm Jenkins, who co-founded the coalition with
       retired wide receiver Anquan Boldin, told NBC News that the
       request for federal intervention also carries a greater purpose.
       >
       > "The sad truth is that Ahmaud's case isn't unique at all,"
       Jenkins said. "He is a representation of the ongoing level of
       distrust that a large part of our communities have in law
       enforcement and elected officials and the importance of placing
       reform like-minded people in office who will uphold the highest
       standards of the law for everyone, regardless of color."
       > ...
       > Arbrey's death has resonated with Jenkins and others who say
       they see themselves in his shoes. He said that as a black man —
       regardless of his status as a pro athlete — he understands the
       burden of being scrutinized and the implicit bias of others when
       he's out in public.
       >
       > "Everyday. Walking the dog, taking out the trash, just walking
       through my own neighborhood, you always must be conscious of
       what you look like," he said. "People should not have to worry
       about the color of their skin or gender to go out for a run in
       their own neighborhood."
       > ...
       > enkins said the video apparently showing Arbery locked in a
       physical struggle with Travis McMichael was hard to watch.
       >
       > "Any human being who has seen the video should connect to
       Ahmaud," he said. "That said, it is an extremely hard pill to
       swallow as a black person to watch yet another black body be
       shot down in the middle of the street. But the most infuriating
       thing is, as you mourn the loss of a life, is to have their
       murder justified by white fear and self-defense."
       > ...
       > "The anger and frustration being expressed by professional
       athletes and people of color all over the country stems from a
       centuries-long thread of violence against the black body that
       goes without consequence or justice," he said. "This has been
       going on since emancipation."
       --- End Quote ---
       ---
  HTML https://sports.yahoo.com/why-nfl-players-kneel-reason-1-million-athletes-add-voices-death-of-black-man-in-police-custody-195251764.html
  HTML https://www.instagram.com/p/CAq3fpCgyve/?utm_source=ig_embed
       ---
       www.yahoo.com/news/lewis-hamilton-completely-overcome-rage-054200670.html
       --- Quote ---
       > Lewis Hamilton has explained the feeling behind his passionate
       outburst over Formula One’s silence against racism, with the
       reigning world champion saying that he has been “completely
       overcome with rage” at the sight of George Floyd’s death in the
       United States and saying that people of Black, Asian and mixed
       ethnicity backgrounds should “not feel as though we were born
       guilty”.
       >
       > The six-time F1 world champion has taken a vocal stance
       against racism, having previously spoken of the sport’s
       white-male dominated industry given he is the only black driver
       to have competed, and this week he has broadened his outrage
       over racial inequality following the disturbing death of
       African-American Floyd.
       > ...
       > Having seen the fallout from Floyd’s death increase the
       spotlight on racial inequality, Hamilton spoke out again on
       Tuesday night to explain why he feels so strongly on the
       subject, having suffered from racial abuse during his F1 career
       - most notably in 2008 when fans in Spain dressed up in black
       face and taunted him with monkey chants.
       >
       > "This past week has been so dark, I have failed to keep hold
       of my emotions," Hamilton wrote to his millions of Twitter
       followers. "I have felt so much anger, sadness and disbelief in
       what my eyes have seen.
       >
       > "I am completely overcome with rage at the sight of such
       blatant disregard for the lives of our people. The injustice
       that we are seeing our brothers and sisters face all over the
       world time and time again is disgusting, and MUST stop.
       >
       > “So many people seem surprised, but to us unfortunately, it is
       not surprising. Those of us who are black, brown or in between,
       see it everyday and should not have to feel as though we were
       born guilty, don’t belong, or fear for our lives based on the
       colour of our skin. Will Smith said it best, racism is not
       getting worse, it’s being filmed. Only now that the world is so
       well equipped with cameras has the issue been able to come to
       light in such a big way.
       >
       > “It is only when there are riots and screams for justice that
       the powers that be cave in and do something, but by then it is
       far too late and not enough has been done. It took hundreds of
       thousands of peoples complaints and buildings to burn before
       officials reacted and decided to arrest Derek Chauvin for
       murder, and that is sad.
       >
       > “Unfortunately, America is not the only place where racism
       lives and we continue to fail as humans when we cannot stand up
       for what is right. Please do not sit in silence, no matter the
       colour of your skin. Black Lives Matter #blackouttuesday.”
       >
       > On Sunday night, Hamilton called out the rest of the F1 grid
       and the sport itself for remaining silent on Floyd’s death,
       which prompted a number of drivers to show their support for the
       Black Lives Matter movement.
       >
       > F1 finally broke its silence on the issue on Tuesday night,
       with the official Twitter account posting a message that read:
       "We stand with you, and all people in the fight against racism.
       It is an evil that no sport or society is truly immune from.
       >
       > "And it is only together we can oppose it and eradicate it.
       Together we are stronger."
       --- End Quote ---
       ---
  HTML https://sports.yahoo.com/le-bron-james-turns-laura-ingraham-shut-up-and-dribble-into-a-statement-on-police-brutality-002829456.html
       ---
       Meanwhile in Turandom:
       www.kxan36news.com/ukrainian-football-fans-unfurl-free-derek-chauvin-banner-in-support-of-ex-cop-charged-with-killing-george-floyd
       ---
       www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2020/06/17/texas-a-m-qb-kellen-mond-advocates-removal-sully-statue/3204526001/
       --- Quote ---
       > Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond tweeted Tuesday night in
       support of removing a statue of former president Lawrence
       Sullivan Ross. The statue is known as "Sully" and has been on
       campus since 1919.
       >
       > "LET'S NOT FORGET SULLY," Mond captioned his statement.
       >
       > Ross, president at Texas A&M from 1891-1898, was a brigadier
       general in the Confederate Army and has faced claims of
       mistreatment of Black and indigenous people in Texas.
       >
       > Mond's statement reminded its readers of these specific
       instances and noted that his role in building the university
       does not excuse that.
       >
       > "That is like saying someone who murders half of a family, but
       gives the other half of the family millions of dollars and
       resources to be successful for the rest of their lives, should
       be forgiven by the family," Mond wrote of people who forgive
       Ross based on his university role. "Based on your ideology, not
       only should you forgive the murderer, but you should also
       glorify the murderer."
       > ...
       > Mond concluded his statement by saying, "The values of Texas
       A&M University do not align with RACISM, VIOLENCE, SLAVERY &
       SEGREGATION, but (head coach) Jimbo Fisher's most prominent
       statement will always stick with me: 'Your actions speak so loud
       I can't hear what you're saying.' The Lawrence Sullivan Ross
       Statue NEEDS to be removed. Texas A&M University, I NEED to see
       action."
       --- End Quote ---
       #Post#: 84--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: July 3, 2020, 11:41 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-to-play-black-national-anthem-lift-evry-voice-and-sing-before-star-spangled-banner-at-week-1/
  HTML https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/26/us/matt-rhule-panthers-nfl-anthem-spt-trnd/index.html
       --- Quote ---
       > Carolina Panthers coach becomes 2nd to say he may kneel
       alongside his players
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nba-black-lives-matter-courts/
       --- Quote ---
       > NBA reportedly plans to paint "Black Lives Matter" on courts
       when season resumes
       > ...
       > "Black Lives Matter" would be painted on the court inside both
       sidelines in all three arenas, ESPN reported.  The WNBA is also
       in discussions to do the same when they begin their shortened
       season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
       >
       >
       > NBA reportedly plans to paint "Black Lives Matter" on courts
       when season resumes
       >
       > By Christopher Brito
       >
       > June 30, 2020 / 1:20 PM / CBS News
       >
       > The NBA is planning on painting "Black Lives Matter" on courts
       when the season restarts in late July, ESPN reported Monday. The
       league and the players' union, the National Basketball Players
       Association (NBPA), reportedly agreed on highlighting the
       movement at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
       >
       > The death of George Floyd has pushed Black Lives Matter to the
       forefront, inspiring protests that included some current
       players. As NBA leadership and its players were in discussions
       to return playing, some stars brought up the possibility of not
       playing to retain the focus on social justice issues. Now,
       according to the report, the NBA will use the hardwood to keep
       the spotlight on the movement.
       >
       > "Black Lives Matter" would be painted on the court inside both
       sidelines in all three arenas, ESPN reported.  The WNBA is also
       in discussions to do the same when they begin their shortened
       season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
       > Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox
       >
       > The report also said some WNBA players are considering wearing
       warm-up shirts with "Say Her Name" to draw attention to female
       victims of police brutality, including Breonna Taylor. She was
       killed in her home in Louisville, Kentucky by officers
       conducting a drug investigation in March while she was sleeping.
       >
       > In addition, the NBA and the players' union are working
       together on uniforms with personalized social justice messages
       on the back of the players' jerseys, rather than their last
       names, according to ESPN.
       --- End Quote ---
       Every initiative helps!
       #Post#: 292--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: July 13, 2020, 1:04 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.sportingnews.com/us/motorsports/news/lewis-hamilton-anti-racism-messages/1lrovznkmhgqa1mgiyaj14l84d
       --- Quote ---
       > Hamilton, the circuit's only Black driver, first took a knee
       prior to the competition's return last week amid the coronavirus
       pandemic. While Hamilton kneeled, six drivers decided to stand.
       Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Kimi Räikkönen, Carlos Sainz
       Jr. Daniil Kvyat and Antonio Giovinazzi were those who remained
       standing.
       >
       > Sunday showed a repeat of those actions, with drivers
       continuing to stand alongside a kneeling Hamilton.
       >
       > "The drivers spoke after the drivers' briefing this weekend
       about what we intended to do and some were asking, 'Why do we
       have to continue to do this?'," Hamilton said via AFP News.
       "Some felt like once was enough last week.
       >
       > "I just had to encourage them that racism is here, going to be
       here and probably be here longer than our time here — and people
       of color, who are subject to racism, don't have time to take a
       moment to protest and that be it. We've really got to think, as
       a sport, what we can do because those are nice signs, but
       passion is needed."
       >
       > While some drivers — such as LeClerc and Verstappen — who
       didn't take a knee prior to the Syrian GP explained their
       actions (or lack thereof), there is more than a bit of a
       disconnect among Hamilton and some of F1.
       >
       > While Hamilton is calling for a better anti-racism focus,
       Sunday's broadcast of the Syrian GP — a race which Hamilton won
       comfortably — drew heavy criticism from viewers, when cameras
       cut away from the pre-match gesture and messages of anti-racism.
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML https://twitter.com/theamzi/status/1282299210260459521
       #Post#: 560--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: July 27, 2020, 11:09 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29549338/nfl-stencil-end-racism-takes-all-us-end-zone-borders-kickoff-week
       --- Quote ---
       > As part of the NFL's ongoing commitment to social justice
       programs, the messages "It Takes All of Us" and "End Racism"
       will be stenciled on all end zone borders for home openers, the
       league office informed clubs on Monday in a memo obtained by
       ESPN.
       > ...
       > The memo also confirms that players will have the option to
       wear helmet decals honoring victims of systemic racism.
       >
       > "Each player will have the option to honor an individual by
       displaying that person's name via a decal on the back of their
       helmet," the memo said. "Players will be offered a list of names
       and short biographical information to help guide their
       decision-making, however, they can also select a victim of
       systemic racism who is not represented on this list."
       >
       > If coaches desire, they can honor victims of systemic racism
       by wearing patches on their hats.
       --- End Quote ---
       Nice!
       #Post#: 666--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: August 5, 2020, 12:34 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       A different angle:
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INxGbTHybvc
       #Post#: 744--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: guest5
       Date: August 11, 2020, 11:19 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Trump: NBA Players Are "Nasty and Dumb"
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw-u0xiVqII
       #Post#: 1222--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: September 19, 2020, 11:23 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/ufc-star-works-black-lives-matter-every-answer-las-vegas-press-conference-b475134.html
       --- Quote ---
       > UFC fighter Tyron Woodley had just one point to make at a
       Thursday press conference: "Black Lives Matter."
       >
       > The former welterweight champion showed up to his UFC Vegas 11
       presser wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and a red hat
       emblazoned with the words "Make Racists Catch the Fade Again" in
       the same style as President Donald Trump's famous "Make America
       Great" caps.
       >
       > Woodley kept his answers brief and pointed, answering every
       reporter’s question with a variation of his chosen message.
       >
       > "I'm just excited that Black Lives Matter," the 38-year-old
       said when asked about meeting his longtime rival, and noted
       Trump supporter, Colby Covington at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.
       >
       > "I feel like, you know, a victory here just really shows how
       much Black Lives Matter," he said in response to another
       reporter's question.
       >
       > When asked if there was anything specific that he wanted to
       say about the Black Lives Matter movement, Woodley
       straightforwardly replied, "Just the fact that Black Lives
       Matter. I think it's pretty simple."
       --- End Quote ---
       Every little bit helps.
       #Post#: 1798--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Sports as a platform for protest
   DIR By: 90sRetroFan
       Date: October 26, 2020, 11:00 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLj2-a6FLI
       #Post#: 2787--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Diplomatic decolonization
   DIR By: guest5
       Date: December 9, 2020, 9:00 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Racism allegations rock CL game
       --- Quote ---
       > PSG and Istanbul Basaksehir teams walk out mid-game during
       UEFA Champions League match after Turkish side assistant manager
       Webo accused fourth official of using racist language
       --- End Quote ---
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugxo3P7bIa_mfKl_lIx4AaABCQ
       [img]
  HTML https://yt3.ggpht.com/6qsVOK21SpZUatv0ZB7N2gV0wNk0rHlmDTmerVmiItOC3zZh-aXc4Y4jogXDMCDCCPIvRpD4JzSs=s640-nd[/img]
       --- Quote ---
       > Muhammad Bilal
       > 14 hours ago
       > Now a days this is normal hypocrisy of EU countries.
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       > Astana Vista
       > 17 hours ago
       > Freedom of speech, i think it is what it is.
       > Just P A T H E T I C
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       > Astana Vista
       > 17 hours ago
       > @Visum Europe's attitude along with France towards others who
       doesn't share the same color and religion, yet I am not judgin
       them cuz they are doing what their ancestors did.
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       >
       > Alexander Jacobian
       > 13 hours ago
       > @Astana Vista exactly, all sadness and misery on this planet
       is because of their ugly disgusting greedy behavior, they are
       simply demons with good looking appearance
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       > Antonio Bruno
       > 6 hours ago
       > @Alexander Jacobian You act like Africans, Arabs and other
       groups can’t be greedy and racist. Anything you consider
       “greedy” that we’ve done. You would’ve done the same, we just
       beat you to it.
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       > Numinous Sun
       > 1 second ago
       > @Antonio Bruno You ignorant fool no other civilization
       attempted to colonize the non-western world and never would.
       Colonialism is a purely western phenomenon.
       --- End Quote ---
       --- Quote ---
       > Numinous Sun
       > 1 second ago
       > @Alexander Jacobian They only look good to non-western people
       because western colonialism has left non-westerners with low
       self-esteem.
       --- End Quote ---
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