The Olympics is one of the most watched sport competitions in the world, making it a perfect
place for athletes to have their voices heard. They are able to use their freedom and platform to declare their beliefs/ideals, but not without consequences.
place for athletes to have their voices heard. They are able to use their freedom and platform to declare their beliefs/ideals, but not without consequences.
black pride
The 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, two medal receiving athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlis, created an extensive controversy over the fact that they raised their fist in salute to black power and the human rights movement of the time. This act changed their careers forever, as well as the use of athletic stage power to express their freedom and protests. They used their position as olympic medalists and being in the public eye to demand better treatment for black athletes instead of their initial idea to boycott the Olympics completely. After this expression, they were banned from the US team by the IOC. Although they were able to express their freedom and changes they wanted to see; consequences were still suffered as they received backlash from the public as well as death threats [1].
Olympics and discrimination
South Africa was not permitted to compete starting with the 1964 Tokyo Games due to their racial segregation policy known as Apartheid. This policy discriminated non-white South Africans as they were not allowed to represent their country. Due to their unwillingness to condemn Apartheid as requested from the IOC, they were uninvited to any further Olympic games until 1988 when they abolished Apartheid [2].
Olympic Outrage |
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For the London Olympics, both the Australian men's and women's basketball teams made the long journey to compete, but with one subtle difference. The men's team flew Business Class where the women's team flew business economy; an upgrade from their original economy seats. The women's team has preformed better than the men's, but still has not received the same treatment. This is common throughout many sports such as the women's and men's national soccer teams. For winning The World Cup, the women's team would receive approximately $250,000 whereas the men's team would earn 1.1 million dollars. Some of this is said to be due to viewership, but there was a 22 percent higher following for the woman's team in 2019. Each of these players have the freedom to play the sport of their choosing and make money from it. They have a platform that can be influenced by much of the world, however there are still ways which they have set backs and discrimination to work through none the less [3].
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Amount of revenue that was brought in by the Men's and Woman's US Soccer team compared from 2010 to 2018
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Citations
Written Text:
[2] Berlatsky, Noah, ed. The Olympics. New York, NY: Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2016. Accessed December 9, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
[3] Now To Love. “Olympics Outrage: Female Athletes Fly Economy, Men Fly Business.” Now To Love. Australian Women's Weekly, May 10, 2019. https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/olympics-outrage-female-athletes-fly-economy-men-fly-business-5938.
[1] Wiggins, David Kenneth, and Patrick B Miller. 2003. The Unlevel Playing Field : A Documentary History of the African American Experience in Sport. Sport and Society. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
YouTube. Shatner Method , November 13, 2018. https://youtu.be/1ZttN9hPvx4.
Images:
Image shows comparison of revenue brought in from 2010-2018 Source: US Soccer/Associated Press
[2] Berlatsky, Noah, ed. The Olympics. New York, NY: Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2016. Accessed December 9, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
[3] Now To Love. “Olympics Outrage: Female Athletes Fly Economy, Men Fly Business.” Now To Love. Australian Women's Weekly, May 10, 2019. https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/local-news/olympics-outrage-female-athletes-fly-economy-men-fly-business-5938.
[1] Wiggins, David Kenneth, and Patrick B Miller. 2003. The Unlevel Playing Field : A Documentary History of the African American Experience in Sport. Sport and Society. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
YouTube. Shatner Method , November 13, 2018. https://youtu.be/1ZttN9hPvx4.
Images:
Image shows comparison of revenue brought in from 2010-2018 Source: US Soccer/Associated Press