May 10, 2022

"Remember when sports were political?... It seemed we were entering a new age of sports activism...."

"But I think it’s fair to say the activism surge has at least slowed a little bit. Just look at the sports world’s reaction to the leak that the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade.... Leagues are like any other corporation: They will support a cause if they think it will benefit them, and they won’t if they think it won’t.... They’re run, and played, mostly by men.... And it’s fair to say the unity, such as it was, that we saw in sports after the murder of Floyd will be difficult to replicate when it comes to abortion. People are exhausted. All over sports, there is an undeniable sense of gratitude that the pandemic is over (at least in the eyes of the people who run and play sports) and that 'normal' seasons are back. Increasingly, 2020 is seen as an anomaly in all senses. For all the activism of that year, decades of powerful inertia is still pushing sports to focus solely on the games themselves.... It might be a shame — for all of us — that they’re returning to those comfort zones. But it’s not difficult to understand why."

From "Why Athletes Are Ignoring Roe v. Wade" by Will Leitch (Intelligencer). 

It's not really that complicated, is it? People are truly divided on abortion. Some have very deep beliefs and many are permanently torn and don't know what position to take. Compare the George Floyd protests: Virtually everyone opposes racist police and police brutality. The differences are about how pervasive the problem is and what form activism should take.

27 comments:

gahrie said...

Sports should have absolutely nothing to do with abortion.

Anthony said...

No real need to read it past the "murder of Floyd" bit because it indicates the author is either profoundly ignorant or a liar.

Floyd died of a self-induced drug overdose. Period.

JAORE said...

Republicans buy sneakers too.
- Michael Jordan

Jim at said...

Pro sports - specifically the NFL, NBA and MLB - revealed to me just who they were, who they are and who they'll always be.

In other words, that horse left the barn long ago.

They can all just FOAD.

What's emanating from your penumbra said...

"It's not really that complicated, is it? People are truly divided on abortion."

As with any other human activity, I do think it's complicated. But, I agree with you that even though "America is a racist country" was a very divisive mantra from the kneelers, they could always retreat back to the common ground that racism is bad, and no one would disagree.

Which, incidentally, disproved their case. You have to love that irony.

In this case, they can't do that, because there's not common ground at the deepest level, much less the details. And so maybe the athletes that would want to protest abortion issues are not confident their teammates will have their back.

Lucien said...

Has there ever been Any evidence that the murder of George Floyd was racially motivated?

Or is the story so congruent with leftist narratives that they hope it was?

rhhardin said...

I'd expect many people thought the police did nothing wrong, and that a knee over the neck is just a low impedance way of applying unyielding force without applying high force. It's show trials and mob action that's the cause of outrage.

StephenFearby said...

A name has been named and Townhall is repeating it...

Is This the Supreme Court Leaker?

"...Will Chamberlain of the Internet Accountability Project and Human Events had a lengthy Twitter thread about who this leaker could be and zeroed in on Elizabeth Deutsch. It's pure speculation based on information from the public domain, but after he makes his case—it sort of sounds like she could fit the bill. She's a current law clerk for Justice Breyer. Chamberlain leaves it open that he could be wrong about her, but let's go through what he found:

Here's where things start to get interesting. Every law student has to write a note - a long legal research paper, usually making a novel argument about the law.

Elizabeth Deutsch wrote hers about reproductive rights and abortion.

Specifically, she argued that Obamacare's non-discrimination provision should be interpreted to force Catholic hospitals to perform "emergency abortions."

Aggressive argument - and hey, law students make aggressive arguments.

While in law school she wrote a NYT op-ed about reproductive rights. Sensing a theme here.

[…]

… thanks to her NYT wedding announcement (of course), we know that she clerked for judge Nina Pillard.

Pillard was one of the DC Circuit judges appointed by Obama and forced through by Harry Reid blowing up the filibuster.

She's stridently pro-choice. Perhaps not shocking.

After her clerkships, she got a Gruber fellowship at the ACLU for a full year.

What was she working on?

You guessed it. Abortion and reproductive rights.

But none of this proves anything. Yes, Deutsch's career seems pretty focused on abortion. But without some connection to Josh Gerstein (the journalist who received the leak opinion) there would be no reason to suspect her.

Let's go back to that NYT wedding announcement.

"The bride and groom met at Yale. She is a lawyer. He is a journalist.

Isaac Arnsdorf just got hired by the Washington Post as a national political reporter. (Of course he's on the Trump beat).

But where has he written in the past?

Oh, look. He wrote for POLITICO.

SHARING A BYLINE WITH JOSH GERSTEIN."


"...Will Chamberlain
Replying to @willchamberlain

I don't know that Elizabeth Deutsch leaked the draft opinion.

But I certainly think someone who has spent much of their academic and professional life fighting to expand the right to get an abortion could be desperate enough to do so.

FIN"

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2022/05/10/is-this-the-supreme-court-leaker-n2606760

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"From "Why Athletes Are Ignoring Roe v. Wade" by Will Leitch (Intelligencer)."

Genuinely hilarious. Other groups who are also noticeably failing to weigh in on Roe v. Wade include cribbage players, dog groomers, and corrugated box manufacturers.

More seriously, the apathy is palpable these days. Too much hysteria, too many falling skies.

Static Ping said...

Sports are supposed to be entertainment and an escape. Politicized sports are definitely not an escape, and are far less entertaining. I stopped watching because if I want to get aggravated I can just watch the news, and if I want to get lectured I can get lectured about something more interesting by someone more interesting than a jock with an opinion.

Michael K said...

Why does abortion have anything to do with sports? Maybe some of them, with IQs above 85, are pondering the effect on the NFL of all the protesting about Floyd.

n.n said...

There is no evidence that diversity was a motive for the stop. However, Diversity [dogma], Inequity, and Exclusion (DIE); Fentanyl-induced progressive condition; and an assembled mob that denied authorized medical treatment were the forcings and likely belligerents in multi-trimester nationwide insurrections. It''s Mandela's Xhosa vs Zula tribal conflict progressing to nationwide dysfunction all over again.

Nominally "secular" ethical religion. In Stork They Trust

Lucien said...

Don’t you think just about all pro male athletes want the women they impregnate to be able to get abortions?

gilbar said...

It's not really that complicated, is it? People are truly divided on abortion.

as opposed to Voter ID? That Most people approve of? and Major Leagues HATE?
as opposed to dissing the American Flag? That MOST people Hate? and the Major Leagues think is Great?
as opposed to Chinese Communism? That Most people are scared of? and Major Leagues think is their bread and butter?

Two-eyed Jack said...

I often ask myself whether cornerbacks, in particular, are more or less supportive of abortion rights than defensive backfielders taken as a whole, but then I have a lot of time to fill.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

ESPN subscription hemorrhage has never fully recovered.

They went woke and almost went broke.

Mary Martha said...

Michael Jordan responded "Republicans buy sneakers too." when he was asked why he didn't get involved in politics (or at least that's the story I have heard)

Perhaps more people in the sports world have decided to follow that thinking. It seems particularly stupid to piss off half your potential audience *again*.

hombre said...

"Compare the George Floyd protests: Virtually everyone opposes racist police and police brutality."

And some people believe career criminals have the right to resist a legitimate arrest, if they are black.

Jupiter said...

What sort of implements could we provide, that athletes could take with them when they go fuck themselves? Tent stakes? Javelin missles? Those things they had on the beaches in Saving Private Ryan?

Leland said...

Boohoo, sports is becoming boring for those more interested in politics. F'off Will; your just another product of Gawker media.

Duke Dan said...

As a wise man once said - Republicans buy shoes too

Tom said...

Watching the current illegal protests occurring at the homes of Justices (and all the support their getting from Schumer and Pelosi) makes it clear to me that the calling Jan 6th an insurrection is a complete hyperbolic hypocritical joke.

Bilwick said...

Yes, sports people--please tell me what to think about abortion and other issues.

PM said...

Could it mess with my money?
Don't mess with my money.

Gospace said...

Why are athletes ignoring the decision? Because their support for Roe v. Wade would dramatically reduce public support for it when it was pointed out how much athletes save in child support each year because one (or more) of their sperm receptors aborted the child.

We're talking literally millions per year for the NBA.

boatbuilder said...

On January 6th I decided to watch a basketball game, as a means of focusing on something else besides the shrieking propaganda.

The NBA solemnly pronounced that January 6th was all about racism and that they were solemnly opposed to all the racists. Meaning Trump supporters.

People like me who had invested countless hours watching and supporting mostly black players play a game I loved for most of my life.

I have not watched any NBA games since. Fuck them in particular.

mikee said...

It wasn't that the dog in the sideshow was a good dancer, it was that the dog was made to perform a dance routine at all; that was the attraction of the sideshow dancing dog.

Actors, athletes, celebrities, all famous for something other than their political acumen, are sideshow dogs dancing for the public. They also do fashion, conspicuous consumption of expensive consumer goods, sexual relations, and other activities outside their areas of expertise, and likewise amuse the public with their odd clothes, expensive toys, failed relationships. But politics makes the front page and talk shows, no matter how poorly done.