Politics in sports Fans leaving and viewership declining, politics and sports just do not mix

COMMENTARY BY ADRIEL CORTES, STAFF WRITER

FOR YEARS, SPORTS have been a source of unity between families and friends. However, after seeing different instances like the LGBTQ+ discrimination because of Qatar’s political views or anti-American sentiments before NBA games, it is hard to ignore the political tensions that take away from the fun of the sport. Sports and politics should remain completely separate to maintain the community aspect of sports that fans love so much.

There has been a series of security forces in Qatar that have been violating the rights of LGBTQ+ soccer fans watching the World Cup. According to an article published by the Human Rights Watch, stadium security officers have been inflicting verbal and physical abuse, as well as denying legal counsel and medical care for LGBTQ+ soccer fans holding rainbow flags throughout the tournament.

the way they feel politically about something, associations such as the NBA advertising social and political issues can have more negative consequences than benefits.

For example, a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020 playoffs saw a 41 percent decrease in viewership compared to games in 2019 since the social justice campaigns started according to a Newsweek article. Making the statement as important as the event can lead to a decline in ratings and interest in sports, which decreases viewership and can cause more disinterest in social dilemmas. According to a Newsweek poll, 34.5% of people have been watching less sports in 2021 due to social justice campaigns.

DID YOU KNOW?

Only about 27% of all fans agree that they want to hear about political opinions of people involved when they tune into sports.

Additionally, according to the Washington Post, any fan wearing a rainbow symbol or holding a rainbow flag that represents the LGBTQ+ community have been denied entry into the stadiums and confronted by public officials. However, according to CNN, a Qatari government official told them prior to the World Cup that Qatar would be inclusive and open to all fans, regardless of their background. Qatari officials should not take away the rights of visiting LGBTQ+ fans because of the country’s unjust politics, especially if they promised to accept them beforehand. By breaking their promise to be inclusive and arresting those fans that were simply representing their identities, Qatar unneccesarily brought politics into the game of soccer and hindered the ability of some to just enjoy the game they love.

Source: Forbes

Yet, this does not mean that all political statements should be removed from sports games. For example, the national anthem is sung at the beginning of every sports game. The history behind that goes back to World War II. The national anthem would be sung only once in major events like the World Series in the Major League Baseball organization, but out of respect for the lives lost in the war, the MLB decided to begin singing the national anthem at the beginning of every game as a sign of patriotism and unity in the country.

Nowadays, there are people that refuse to stand up for the national anthem in sports games making the tradition more political than it has to be, taking away from the fun of the game. Instead of using sports to unite fans behind a common opinion or cause, people are trying to use every opportunity they have to showcase their political opinions and take away from the focus of the game.