After the police murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, people from across the sports world decided they could not just shut up and play. Athletes spoke out, protested, and, after police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot James Blake that August, even refused to take the field, court, and pitch.
In the face of this political surge, almost the whole of the sports media—cable stations, newspapers, and magazines—decided that sticking to sports was no longer an option. There were articles, podcasts, radio shows, and television specials about this collision of sports and politics. ESPN yap fests turned their attention to issues that mattered—even if their analyses sometimes left something to be desired.
That is why it is illuminating that the sports media in the United States is so quiet in the face of the biggest story in the world: Israel’s war on the civilians of Gaza. It is not like there is a shortage of sports angles. We have an organization, Athletes for a Ceasefire, whose members will give interviews and talk about what’s happening. We have Israel killing top-level Palestinian players and Olympic coaches. We have the campaign to ban Israel from the Olympics and World Cup. We have the Palestinian National Women’s Soccer Team traveling to Ireland, where they were feted as heroes. We have Palestinian teams playing amid unimaginable hardship and carnage. The stories are there for those who want to tell them…..more
