Years ago, sports had little to do with politics and it should’ve remained that way. Today, it seems like sports and politics go hand in hand.
Why are people so prejudiced about where sporting events, like the Olympics and World cup, are hosted? For example, just because a country doesn’t support gay rights or doesn’t allow alcoholic beverages doesn’t mean they should automatically lose their right to host world sporting events. This way of thinking is ridiculous, and it completely undermines everything these sporting events stand for.
As an example, if we were to go by this approach, this would automatically disqualify at least 81 countries, which have anti-gay laws and another handful of countries where alcohol is illegal; roughly half the countries in the planet would be disqualified from ever hosting any world sporting events. Isn’t that a form of discrimination? After all, it is judging these countries for the beliefs they hold. Banning these countries from hosting sports events will not change their reality. It would do more harm than good by further segregating them from the rest of the world. Each country has the right to take part simply because they’re on this planet. It’s not up to us to say what their laws should be. Why try to strip these countries from their values and beliefs that they’ve held for so long by trying to make them conform? In fact, the U.S. wasn’t always as developed and “open-minded” as it is now. This country had its own bumps in history, and that’s how changes are made — gradually. After all, if the specialized International Olympic Committee and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association choose a country to host a specific event, I think they know what they’re doing.
Some people would suggest boycotting these events, but since athletes are participating, they’re putting their interest of competing at the global level above possibly breaking some rules. This makes sense because they do train a good portion of their lives to compete at the global level. So why should we boycott the events when the athletes themselves aren’t boycotting?
As for the audience, they’re not obligated to attend in any way. They can watch the event from the comfort of their own couches.
Each country has its own rules and ways of living and they should be respected. If you choose not to follow their rules, you’ll suffer consequences. We must keep in mind that the government’s policies don’t necessarily represent those of all the people in the country.
The whole purpose of these events is to bring the world together, regardless of anyone’s beliefs, actions or state of being. When we play or watch these events, we’re not doing it for political reasons; we watch them for fun. Once every few years the world lays down its weapons and enjoys unanimity, and we should be able to accept each other for however long the events last. Why ruin the few events on earth that bring people together?
