Politics in Sports

[jmdirt]

The mods have asked that since DT made the NFL a political pawn we discuss that aspect here:

Now MB has said that the players can't make headway with the owners until the CK issue is resolved. I have been fully supportive of the players, but if this becomes the new rally point, they will lose me at least to some extent.

EDIT: I moved this part down because its not the point I'm trying to make.
CK (and his girlfriend) killed at least two potential jobs with their actions. He could be on a roster if he really wanted to be. You can go flip through the NFL thread to see that I have supported CK's stance, and his struggle, but his lack of helping himself lost me. Maybe he doesn't want to be on a team because that make his cause more compelling and it draws more attention.

 

[djpbaltimore]

Having experienced the Ravens story firsthand, I don't believe for a second that Kap's girlfriend was the main impediment to his signing with Baltimore. Since the team's kneeling in the London game, I have seen many people going to the stadium with Ray Lewis' name blacked out or with the Ravens logo taped over in protest. (Yes, they were still attending the games though ) Then there was the whole petition to remove the Ray Lewis statue from the stadium because of his part in the London kneel down. I 100% believe Kap was not signed because of the perceived political backlash that it would've caused among the reactionary fanbase. As a reminder, in the home game right after London, the PA made an announcement for the crowd to pray “for kindness, for unity, for equality and justice for all Americans.” When the players kneeled BEFORE the anthem to pray, the fans boo'd loudly. Biscotti knows his fans. The girlfriend is a convenient pretext IMO.

 

[King Boonen]

Could you provide more information on the two potential jobs and what they did that killed them? The conversation has started with an assumed knowledge base beyond what I have!

 

[djpbaltimore]

I don't know what the second one is, but the episode I was alluding to above about the girlfriend is detailed at the link below.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/09/06/ray-lewis-blames-colin-kaepernicks-girlfriend-for-qbs-lack-of-nfl-employment/?utm_term=.4e8c051fd465

 

[King Boonen]

Thanks, I now understand the discussion. Yeah, I doubt that was the reason he didn't get signed.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

Having experienced the Ravens story firsthand, I don't believe for a second that Kap's girlfriend was the main impediment to his signing with Baltimore. Since the team's kneeling in the London game, I have seen many people going to the stadium with Ray Lewis' name blacked out or with the Ravens logo taped over in protest. (Yes, they were still attending the games though ) Then there was the whole petition to remove the Ray Lewis statue from the stadium because of his part in the London kneel down. I 100% believe Kap was not signed because of the perceived political backlash that it would've caused among the reactionary fanbase. As a reminder, in the home game right after London, the PA made an announcement for the crowd to pray “for kindness, for unity, for equality and justice for all Americans.” When the players kneeled BEFORE the anthem to pray, the fans boo'd loudly. Biscotti knows his fans. The girlfriend is a convenient pretext IMO.

OK, so if kneeling was the issue why did they even bother to fly him in?

That aside, making CK their poster boy is not going to further the cause. IMO there are a lot of people who support them being the voice for those who don't have a voice, but many less will support them being a voice for someone who already has a voice. Plus, the people who they are trying to reach have shut them off already.

Its (past) time to move the conversation forward.

 

[djpbaltimore]

Contemporary reporting indicated that Harbaugh and their GM Ozzie Newsome wanted to sign Kap. This makes sense from a football perspective as Flacco was injured and their #1 was the incredibly incompetent Ryan Mallett. Reports at the time indicated that the owner Biscotti was vetoing the decision. In the immediate aftermath of these stories, the girlfriend posts the viral image. A month later, Ray Lewis goes on TV and spins the yarn about how they were going to sign Kap when they saw the image, despite it not really fitting the timeline of the story. IMO, it reeks of revisionism from a known mouthpiece of the owner to portray Kap negatively and portray Biscotti positively.

Kap is clearly being 'blackballed' due to perceived fan backlash. The Packers currently have a backup that went undrafted after playing at Wesley college. He was cut by three teams last year, including once by the Cleveland Browns. The Cleveland Browns! Kap had a game last year where he threw for 296 yards with 3 TDs and ran for another 113 against an AFC playoff team. He threw for nearly 400 yards against the Saints. His TD to INT ratio was 16:4. Coaches always blather on about meritocracy and how you have to play your best players. Yet no-one can find room on a roster? Now fans of teams like GB use the excuse that he won't have time to learn the playbook.

The owners want this thing to disappear. Maybe throw some cash as some charities to make it happen. But, If I was a player, this situation would concern me, especially as the owners seem to be blowing so much smoke about it.

 

[Merckx index]

I wonder if the 49ers, Kaep's original team, couldn't solve this. Why don't they re-sign him? The objection most owners have is that many in their fanbase hate Kaepernick for his anthem protests, but that isn't the case in the Bay Area. He, and the kneeling, have widespread support here. It's maybe the only city in the country where it isn't an issue. And of course the fans haven't forgotten he led them to their only SB in the past 20+ years.

And it's not as though the team has no need for him. Hoyer has just been replaced with Beathard, a rookie. Clearly the QB situation is a mess. There's no reason to have any confidence in any of the team's current options. The upside of signing Kaepernick is that he might give the team several quality years, during which they can try to find a longer-term solution. There's very little downside that I can see. Given that the team is 0-6, and would have to pay Kaepernick very little, they have very little to lose other than a roster spot.

 

[jmdirt]

Re:

Contemporary reporting indicated that Harbaugh and their GM Ozzie Newsome wanted to sign Kap. This makes sense from a football perspective as Flacco was injured and their #1 was the incredibly incompetent Ryan Mallett. Reports at the time indicated that the owner Biscotti was vetoing the decision. In the immediate aftermath of these stories, the girlfriend posts the viral image. A month later, Ray Lewis goes on TV and spins the yarn about how they were going to sign Kap when they saw the image, despite it not really fitting the timeline of the story. IMO, it reeks of revisionism from a known mouthpiece of the owner to portray Kap negatively and portray Biscotti positively.

Kap is clearly being 'blackballed' due to perceived fan backlash. The Packers currently have a backup that went undrafted after playing at Wesley college. He was cut by three teams last year, including once by the Cleveland Browns. The Cleveland Browns! Kap had a game last year where he threw for 296 yards with 3 TDs and ran for another 113 against an AFC playoff team. He threw for nearly 400 yards against the Saints. His TD to INT ratio was 16:4. Coaches always blather on about meritocracy and how you have to play your best players. Yet no-one can find room on a roster? Now fans of teams like GB use the excuse that he won't have time to learn the playbook.

The owners want this thing to disappear. Maybe throw some cash as some charities to make it happen. But, If I was a player, this situation would concern me, especially as the owners seem to be blowing so much smoke about it.

Wasn't CK in Balt. for the meeting? Of course he is a top 64 QB. Yes he got blackballed.

Anyway that wasn't my main point.

 

[movingtarget]

Two Teams One Anthem

http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=pMJKdIFVI6pghfX2HXfSzxRpdoyDWYNWjFhUL7LaccaW9lUEfbPXwdlRgJVqNR7zh/U98XEciwXJWP58PJ78xQJSKYFhpY6nixbj3UiNqlEagIQourNwnyFBDxgAx196O6g3qv+CIBXHzNoxvXALr37+0SfAf2OF&campaign_id=129&instance_id=105248&segment_id=115062&user_id=12d98412e3bcc0522f6cfbf4c21c54e6&regi_id=42685115

 

[djpbaltimore]

Interesting fly on the wall reporting from the meetings between NFL owners and the players about the anthem protests.

At first, some in the room admired Jones’ pure bravado, the mix of folksy politician and visionary salesman he has perfected. But he was angry. He said the owners had to take the business impact seriously, as the league was threatened by a polarizing issue it couldn’t contain or control. To some in the room, it was clear Jones was trying to build momentum for an anthem mandate resolution, and in the words of one owner, “he brought up a lot of fair points.” Jones believed he was one of the few showing any urgency on the matter and seemed to be more frustrated that not everybody was listening than he was passionate about the mandate.

As Jones spoke, Snyder mumbled out loud, “See, Jones gets it — 96 percent of Americans are for guys standing,” a claim some dismissed as a grand overstatement. [Texans owner Bob] McNair, a multimillion-dollar Trump campaign contributor, spoke next, echoing many of the same business concerns. “We can’t have the inmates running the prison,” McNair said.

Great choice of words. Thank you for proving the players' point, Bob.

http://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/21170410/gaffes-tv-ratings-concerns-dominated-nfl-players-forged-anthem-peace-league-meetings

 

[jmdirt]

I was just thinking that the comments made by the HOU owner shouldn't really surprise anyone because that is how the relationship has always been. Really, he should be commended for his honesty...and then maybe slapped for his stupidity.

 

[jmdirt]

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21277983/mark-cuban-says-warriors-draymond-green-owes-apology-remark-team-owners

 

[Robert5091]

Oops!
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5049862,00.html

Organizers of 2018 Giro d'Italia cycling competition cause backlash after publishing that first leg of the race will take place in 'West Jerusalem,' angering right-wing government officials—among them Culture and Sports Min. Regev, Tourism Min. Levin, who are in charge of hosting competition.

Minister of Culture and Sports Miri Regev and Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin, who are in charge of hosting the competition, commented that "In the event that the publication on the site defining the starting point of the competition as 'West Jerusalem' is not changed, the government of Israel will not be involved in the event."

"In Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, there is no East and West. There is only one united Jerusalem," Ministers Regev and Levin added, noting that the publication "violates the agreement made with the Israeli government" by the organizers of the race organizers.

 

[Tonton]

Re: Giro 2018 Route Rumours

The route may change: the Israeli, beggars to get the Giro now think they own it (article on CN's main page). I'm starting to think that it was a bad idea. I was open-minded, but politics, religion, all that has nothing to do with Il Giro di Italia.

Have them make a Giro di Israel...these three stages sucked anyways. Sorry Israel...you make it hard for people to love you.

 

[Attilaz]

Re:

According to https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5049862,00.html

Froome himself will receive an additional € 2 million from the state

Excatly the point. Israel pays 2 million froome to participate, now they are bulling the organizers.
Personally, I think Giro does not need the money of a criminal country and should widraw the start.

 

[Attilaz]

the 2 million come from Israel as Giro could not afford that. they would if they had the money as they did in the past with Armstrong.
Because English speaker riders attract all the usa and uk advertisers.
regardless I hope they will check bike swap in the middle of the race (sky signature) for rear wheels.

 

[Echoes]

Re: Giro 2018 Route Rumours

The route may change: the Israeli, beggars to get the Giro now think they own it (article on CN's main page). I'm starting to think that it was a bad idea. I was open-minded, but politics, religion, all that has nothing to do with Il Giro di Italia.

Only you are bringing religion into all this. Israel is a secular racist country that has been built up by Marxist communists in opposition with religious Jews.

I think the problem with this is that people are now moaning but next May they'll all be in front of their tellies or watching the Tour of Italy on streams and thereby approving of the new start.

Personally I've already made a good resolution for 2018. Never watching a single RCS race. No Milan-Sanremo (first time I'd skip it since 2000), no White roads (Montepaschi can crumbled under its debt), no Tirreno, no Lombardy. Sometimes you got to convert words into acts.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

There's something bleakly funny about RCS having to apologise for accidentally telling the truth, i.e. for mentioning that the course involves only West Jerusalem.

 

[jfazendeiro]

The WSJ reports that the US government intend to move the location of the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Thought first as a symbolic act, the justification of the decision made clear the on going political campaign from Israel to get recognised internationaly the sovereignety of Israel over Jerusalem.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-considering-plan-for-relocating-embassy-in-israel-1512070058

Also today the Giro d'Italia organization decided to change the name given to the place of the 1st stage from "West Jerusalem'" to "Jerusalem" after the use of the first having caused two ministers to express their unapprovement.

 

[UncleChainwhip]

Athletes as political pawns.......nothing new here.

Participated in Vuelta de Guatemala 1980's------race map and national awareness emphasized that British Honduras was actually part of THAT country, stages skirted the border and teenagers with automatic weapons occupied/patrolled that country's interior.

Flash forward to 1990's, did Tour de Morocco------entire race entourage was flown in several military cargo planes to the nation of Western Sahara to participate in the prologue ITT. Really just an oasis setting, super squalor with little pavement, but served to show the international community that Morocco was in control of that huge area adjacent to the actual national border. Sidebar: the UCI commissaire and timers/officials were from Italy, an Italian rider 'won' the prologue by a ridiculous margin and the entire Italian team did not start the the 2nd stage after we returned to Casablanca the next day.

 

[StyrbjornSterki]

Re:

Athletes as political pawns.......nothing new here....

Every Olympics from 1936 onward was a political propaganda showcase. And they flew Nazi flags over two pre-WWII German Grand Prixs. But the difference between those who stage the event politicizing it and the athletes who are participating it using it as their own platform is chalk and cheese. I think it's obvious that the American footballers who have ginned this up have lost sight of the source of the money that affords them their luxury lifestyles. They confuse the right to speak with the right to be heard (the two are not synonymous). I think it's also obvious that if the TV ratings are a valid indicator of the American football fans' mood, the outcome of this tiff already is determined and the only question is how much damage will be done to the sport before the players give in.

 

[jmdirt]

No Russia in the Olympics...

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

No Russia in the Olympics...

That's more sport in politics.

In the realm of global politics I am generally pro West anti Russia and believe I can justify this well.

But in this particular case, they are screwing Russia over imo.

 

[BullsFan22]

Re: Re:

No Russia in the Olympics...

That's more sport in politics.

In the realm of global politics I am generally pro West anti Russia and believe I can justify this well.

But in this particular case, they are screwing Russia over imo.

I am neither pro West, pro East, pro South, pro North, pro Russia or somewhere in between. I don't really have a strong (negative or positive) opinion on Russia, I've never even been to the country or any other former Soviet republic, but the current political climate was ripe for the ban. It was waiting to happen. I had stop following news from the US or indeed some of the Western European countries as it was constant criticism of Russia, anything Russia. My honest opinion on this is that the ban is more to do with Russia's involvement in Ukraine and Syria, rather actual doping.