Olympics: NHLers should not go to Beijing

[SotasicA]

If they really care about human rights, like they say they do.

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[GardinerTheForward]

10 cent party

 

[SotasicA]

Human rights take priority over sports

 

[Beau Knows]

It's up to them. While NHL players aren't as close to the racism/police violence issue as players in some of the other leagues like the NBA, it's still much closer to home for most of them than China's abuses. I don't know how many NHL players are particularity passionate about that issue.

NHL players also haven't boycotted the NHL playoffs, they just delayed some games really.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

If they really care about human rights, like they say they do.

So true
It seems that nobody cares about what happens in China

 

[Primary Assist]

The USA went to the Olympics in Germany prior to the outset of World War 2 and we kicked some Nazi ass. The NHLers have a chance to do something similar in Beijing, even if the Chinese won't be playing hockey, and they can hopefully showcase the freedoms we have in the Western World to the Chinese populace. Sure that's idealistic, but it fits in line with the original goals of the modern Olympic Games.

 

[Shockmaster]

Won't happen. Too much $$$. Had plenty of reason to boycott the Sochi Olympics and nobody wanted to do that.

 

[SotasicA]

We have decided to support human rights and freedom, to stand together against oppression, Uyghur genocide, atrocities in Tibet and Hong Kong, and not play in China '22.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

If they really care about human rights, like they say they do.

Lol. That's a good one. It's all about the almighty ¥.

 

[member 305909]

The 21-22 season could be the next "proper" season. They may not want to spoil that one too with having an Olympic break in the middle of the season.

 

[JackSlater]

It's easy to take a "stand" when it costs you nothing and earns you generic praise, not quite the same thing when it potentially costs you money. See the NBA players and coaches smiling, nodding, or just playing dumb when it comes to China. China doesn't have much of a stake in the NHL but I'm sure that the vast majority of the players don't want to take a stand anyway. As it would be a completely meaningless gesture anyway I'd prefer the tournament have national teams with the best players.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

I'd be afraid to go there in this crazy political and hellish climate we're in. With the Pandemic and possible political retribution.

Plus if you slip up and get caught with illicit substances you could get the death penatly.

So true
It seems that nobody cares about what happens in China

This is true. Sadly, it's politicized most of the time and used as a whataboutism to things going on in the United States (like BLM aand what not).

I doubt all the people screaming for the NBA to boycott China would themselves boycott china by not using products from their anymore such as electronics.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I completely agree, but we all know professional athletes are hypocrites when it comes to this kind of stuff.

 

[Tomas W]

I would actually think it would be awesome if the democratic world boycott the whole thing. Send a message.

Enjoy your gold Putin, noone in the free world care.

 

[themelkman]

They won’t. Just like the NBA being total hypocrites

 

[Hanji]

Boycotting solves nothing. In 1980 65 nations boycotted the Moscow games. What did that achieve?

If athletes really care about human rights, use the games as platform to draw attention to the issue. Some of the most iconic Olympic moments were steeped in politics/human rights and transcended the Olympics itself.

 

[ViD]

I would actually think it would be awesome if the democratic world boycott the whole thing. Send a message.

Enjoy your gold Putin, noone in the free world care.

Crimea river

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

If they really care about human rights, like they say they do.

Yeah that isn't likely, if they are allowed to go they are going

 

[holyprime]

I have no horse in this race, but maybe close down Gitmo first before accussing others of hypocrisy?

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

I think it's more likely this will be left to individual choices. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some players invited reject.

 

[Albatros]

The USA went to the Olympics in Germany prior to the outset of World War 2 and we kicked some Nazi ass. The NHLers have a chance to do something similar in Beijing, even if the Chinese won't be playing hockey, and they can hopefully showcase the freedoms we have in the Western World to the Chinese populace. Sure that's idealistic, but it fits in line with the original goals of the modern Olympic Games.

In reality the 1936 games were wildly successful for Hitler, and remain one of his most durable peacetime legacies to this day.

 

[Kshahdoo]

In reality the 1936 games were wildly successful for Hitler, and remain one of his most durable peacetime legacies to this day.

That Jesse Owens story has been remaining iconic since then for all, who hate nazism and racism, though. It's way more important, than Hitler's advantagies from the Olympics' success, because those advantagies didn't help Hitler a lot to survive the shit he brought to the world.

I ain't saying, this can somehow be connected to the Chinese Olympics, though. Because it looks like Chinese support their government en masse right now, and those talks about human rights mean nothing. As far as I remember, American didn't protest a lot against their rights' violation during counter-terrorist measures after 9/11, so why Chinese should, if it makes their lives better?

 

[Cacciaguida]

Hitlers Olympics went off pretty well. Made for solid propaganda for the time.

I'm not sure what value the Olympics has for politics tbh. They were called off during the world wars and during the cold war it was used for international squabbling.

It was always been an elitist showoff tournament, even during the Hellenistic period

 

[Bear12Good]

If they really care about human rights,.

 

[Albatros]

That Jesse Owens story has been remaining iconic since then for all, who hate nazism and racism, though. It's way more important, than Hitler's advantagies from the Olympics' success, because those advantagies didn't help Hitler a lot to survive the shit he brought to the world.

I ain't saying, this can somehow be connected to the Chinese Olympics, though. Because it looks like Chinese support their government en masse right now, and those talks about human rights mean nothing. As far as I remember, American didn't protest a lot against their rights' violation during counter-terrorist measures after 9/11, so why Chinese should, if it makes their lives better?

Owens was a great athlete and definitely wrote his own story worth telling, but how it has been most commonly utilized by others is little more than propaganda created in part to obfuscate the fact that the racial laws and practices Owens faced in America were not that different to what existed in Germany at the time. Or in his own words:

"When I came back to my native country, after all the stories about Hitler, I couldn't ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn't live where I wanted. I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, but I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President, either."

Indeed, the racial fixation regarding blacks was much more prominent in America than it was in Germany which was mostly possessed by antisemitism and didn't greatly care about people of African ancestry already due to their general lack of presence. Owens might have been seen as yet another example of American decadence the same way as jazz music was, but that's pretty much all there was to it.

In China the domestic narratives aren't going to change one bit either even if Team Canada demolishes the Chinese team in hockey by record numbers, what matters to the organizers is that China can display its greatness through the organization of the events and has its own athletes write many enough stories that it can then utilize. Boycotting the games is not the ideal solution, but at least it reduces them in size as well as exposure and therefore makes their utilization for propaganda somewhat more difficult.