Megan Turner
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The U.S. Olympics and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has taken a progressive stance and will allow athletes to advocate in support of racial and social justice at upcoming Olympic trials.
Tuesday, the USOPC outlined new demonstration rules in a detailed nine-page document sent to athletes and the Olympic community.
The rules outline what USOPC classifies as “permissible demonstrations” aimed at “advancing racial and social justice or promoting the human dignity of individuals or groups that have been historically underrepresented, minoritized or marginalized,” a news release reads.
Among the given examples of permissible demonstrations include:
- “Wearing a hat or face mask with phrases such as ‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘Trans Lives Matter’ or words such ‘equality’ or ‘justice.'”
- “Holding up one’s fist at the start line or on the podium.”
- “Kneeling on the podium or at the start line during the national anthem.”
Monday, OutKick’s Bobby Burack discussed the negative impact that “woke” social messaging has had on sports:
Because of aggressive woke messaging, three times as many Americans watched sports less often than those who watched them more often, 34.5 percent to 11 percent. 56.3 percent say they watched about the same amount. Though not quite 50-50, the number of those who changed habits was undoubtedly represented in total viewership declines.
Ratings across all major sports were down in 2020. The NBA, the most political among them, lost over half of its audience in the NBA Finals, a Finals that featured its top individual and team draw, LeBron James and the Lakers. That’s not viewers watching less often, that’s viewers not watching at all.
In an Open Letter to Team USA athletes, the rules document provides a list of demonstrations and activities that will not be punished by the USOPC.
These activities will also not affect an athlete’s participation rights at a U.S. Olympic or Paralympic Trials event, the document reads.
The guidelines also outline criteria related to impermissible acts that advocate against people, their dignity or their rights, including – but not limited to – hate speech, racist propaganda or threatening, abusive or discriminatory remarks, or physical harm to others or to property.
The new rules outline possible sanctions for violations to ensure athlete participation rights are upheld.
“Athletes who engage in a demonstration may continue competing until a full review and hearing is conducted,” the document states.
The USOPC states it reserves the right to immediately remove athletes if a demonstration puts them or others in danger, threatens to
damage property or is in violation of local laws.
The rules will apply to all future U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Trials events but are not applicable to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the website states.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, said in an Open Letter that USOPC supports Team USA athletes’ right to demonstrate peacefully in support of racial and social justice, but said they can’t control the actions others may take in response.
“The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) values the expression of Team USA athletes and believes that their right to advocate for racial and social justice, and be a positive force for change, absolutely aligns with the fundamental values of equality that define Team USA and the Olympic and Paralympic movements,” the document details.
Well, that’s the end of my viewership. In time all sports are going to be unwatchable.
I’m guessing an NRA hat is out. Maybe at the shooting events it’s ok
Not watching
And the viewership will plummet. Screw them. Congrats for laboring for years of your life for no one to watch. Pathetic.
If you want to destroy your sport or business, go woke.
I. Am. Done. With. Sports. Except for my Trojans who are really crapping the bed against Gonzaga right now.
Won’t be watching anymore olympics. Will they ever learn that Sports and politics do NOT go together?
Have a great time team. Let us all know how you did when you get back, because we won’t be watching.
Another one bites the dust.
Remember when the Olympics was about athletic competition…now it’s about which rainbow flag group or criminals you support.
I am a fan of whoever beats the US Women’s Soccer team. Sounds like Olympics I won’t turn on. Fuck those people
So you like 15 year old boys?
Oops, let me rephrase. You are a fan of the U15 teams that regularly beat the USWNT in practice?
Sorry for the poorly worded first reply.
I wouldn’t be dissapointed if the pink haired man hater also takes a cleat to the shin.
You would think the pink haired dude would be grateful as the first trans to represent the USA women’s soccer. You get to shower with the women……come on dude!!!
Yawn ….
I will root for Russia first.
Shew….whichever TV Station purchased the right to air the Olympics should be PISSED. Viewership is going to plummet.
I can’t help but feel – and assume many more of the 75 million deplorable Neanderthals do too – that I’ve been abandoned by the institutions I once loved. I’m no longer allowed to benefit from that which drove me to cheer on this jingoistic flag waver event every four years. So I’m done supporting crap that hates me and wants my kids to hate themselves. That USWNST can whine in obscurity about the horrible lives they have running around kicking balls while the rest of us work for a living.
I fully agree with this sentiment^^
Kneeling during the anthem is a middle Finger gesture that does nothing to prevent gang life / ppl shooting each other in driveby’s so it’s a an empty calorie protest. It changes nothing. Except pissing people off and furthering the divide.
They think 77 million people are no different than Hitler or Mussolini’s brownshirts
100%
In Chicago On 4th of July weekend 2020, 61 black people died. 0 at the hands of white people.
And yet this thing in Minneapolis w/ a thug named George Floyd is all idiots will talk about. Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend shooting at police and somehow it’s inappropriate that they returned fire??
We are stuck with stupid thanks to the wokes
Thank you. Totally agree. 500 Black/Brown people killed and shot in Chicago in 2020.
So I guess kneeling in prayer to end abortion is acceptable.
Don’t think I will be watching. Or if I do I will tune in to root for the other countries.
Advocating for religions to accept LGBTQ is openly hostile to many religious, so I guess those won’t be allowed.
What a funfest this will be. Athletes trying to out”woke” each other. Kneeling, fists raised, BLM masks, “say her name”, “I can’t breathe”, and climate change concerns on full display. I’m sure the USA team will have some true patriotic, flag waving members, but they will be pressured to follow the woke. Hope some will rise above the fray. I rarely miss the Olympics, but this one already sounds like it will be unwatchable.
to be fair, i stopped watching the olympics a while ago. now i’ll ignore the highlights. our entire country is becoming a teenage girl.
Like other sports, they will be actively ignored.
Meh, I haven’t watched the Olympics for at least 20 years. Who cares, just more echo chamber nonsense.
no thank you.
Would love to see some athletes “push the envelope” by advocating for issues that are counter to the woke left narrative (for example, Blue Lives Matter).
Haven’t watched ever since the great competitions against the old Communist Soviet Union and East Germany. Patriotism was beautiful back then. Such national pride. All gone for me now. Would never watch the woke shit show that’s going to take place.
What a bunch of equestrian feces! One would think with a team that large that there would be one rebel that would put on a a MAGA hat or something along those lines. I can’t believe that there isn’t a Jim McMahon, Sex Pistols, or Ramones to give a big fat FU to the establishment.
I love how the example of what is not permissible is a “hat with a hate symbol or hate speech” (i.e. a red MAGA hat).
Then the the panelists in the “what is acceptable” kangaroo court are DIE experts.
Obviously very specific types of speech are allowed.
MLB about to shoot themselves in the foot as well.
Anybody think they’ve got the balls to play the All-Star game in Georgia?
The Olympics lost their relevance a long time ago.
Anyone remember John Carlos and Tommy Smith? Their protest in 1968 led to them being thrown off the team. They were also justified, because there was racism in the US then. Their actions helped end racism in large part. These athletes, who have benefited from the struggles of their predecessors,, and who are among the most privileged groups in the country, obviously have no idea or any concern for anything other than making themselves look anti-American (not to mention stupid) by promoting the false narratives of the Marxist left and BLM. Good luck to NBC because nobody will be watching.