What do you think the role is of national sports teams in terms of politics? Should they stay quiet, like the MLB has, or do you believe that they should speak up for what they believe in? Is what the MLB is doing right, or do they have a duty to unite people?
I think that what the general MLB community is doing isn't exactly the right thing but I think some executives of certain teams like Brian Cashman is warning players about their stances and what they say could impact how fans view them and their reputation. Like mentioned in the article, there is no official policy on this, and I don't think there ever should be. Robert Manfred, the commissioner, luckily doesn't plan on letting it happen.
ReplyDeletePlayers have openly expressed their opinons. No one is stopping them. The media will report it. My biggest one I remember is remember when INF Daniel Murphy was still with the Mets and he stated that he is against homosexuals due to his religion. My dad was baffled to hear this and he told me this and it totally changed my view on him. I still loved him, but I just couldn't respect him the same way based on my differing views from him.
I agree with John. I don't think what they are doing is necessarily the right thing, but asking them to step up and take a stance in politics is a lot to ask for. Choosing a stance is automatically going to alienate half of their fans and some of their teammates as well. The MLB is much more ethnically, religiously, and culturally diverse than the other professional sports leagues in America, and with that comes its unique problems. Also, not knowing if someone is going to back your stance makes it hard to choose a side. Like Jimmy Rollins said, "it's much easier to join a movement, than to start one."
ReplyDeleteIts the players' choice to stay silent in the political world and I do not think its right to force them to participate in the conversation. Their not forced to stay silent, but they understand the consequences of choosing sides.
Athletes aren't paid to speak out what they believe. They're only paid to play the sport. There is nothing that tells that they must stay silent or take sides. I don't believe its their duty to speak up for what they believe in, but if it's a topic they feel strongly about, than by all means they should use their stardom to educate people on that topic and stand for what they believe in.
Personally I believe that sports and politics should be kept separate. I believe coaches, GMs, organizations, and especially players should not publicly specify what their political preferences are or their stances on certain topics. The role of a sports team is entertainment and to appeal to a fan base within that city. If players and organizations begin to comment on politics you are not only losing the appeal from some of your fan base but you are losing the entertainment aspect of the game. Sports teams are meant to play sports not be a political force. Therefore I agree with the MLB's silence stance.
ReplyDeleteThe question that is asked here about "uniting" the people is simply incorrect because if someone was to speak out that is a sports player they would divide rather than unite. I mean if you take Colin Kaepernick for example and see how far his "protest" has got him... simply nowhere and that is why he is stopping it this season. He also received a bunch of criticism and so did the players who tried to "protest" with him. Most lost endorsement deals or money making opportunities like spots on teams. I believe that Brian Cashman is exactly right if you take a stand prepare to receive the ramifications. I personally believe politics and sports should stay separate but if players do comment they must understand the great danger they put themselves and the sports community at.
I don't think that national sports teams should talk about politics. People watch sports because they enjoy the games, they don't care what the players think about politics. If players would talk about their political views it would only create arguments and controversy. Even though players do have the right to talk about politics, I think they should just keep their opinions to themselves. Some people might not agree with them and that would create a lot of arguments. I think that no good can come from players sharing their political views.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that sports teams or players should get political. One of the most important parts of sports is that it brings people together with a common interest. Politics often does the opposite. By allowing teams to get political, there will be much more tension between players, teams, and fans. This is the opposite of what sports is supposed to do. By getting political, teams and players might also be costing their organizations money. If a fan disagrees with the political views of a player or team, they will be less likely to watch the games, buy jerseys, and attend games. Even though it is tempting for players like Lebron James, who draw international attention, to support certain political parties or candidates, it is important that try not to get too involved in politics. Therefore, I think what the MLB is doing is the correct approach, and other leagues like the NBA and NFL should follow.
ReplyDelete-Jesse H
I do not think that national sports teams should speak up about their political beliefs. Even though every citizen has the right to state their opinion, I believe that sports should be separated from politics. An individual player can state their opinion as they wish. I believe that sports should be separated from politics because sports are purely meant for entertainment and competition. Politics can be a very controversial topic and bringing it into sports could cause controversy and ultimately cause the team to lose fans.
ReplyDeleteI also do not believe that the MLB has a duty to unite people, nor do I believe that what they are doing is right or wrong. They have the option to speak their beliefs or not and I do not think it is fair for them to be judged for not doing so. While it is nice that sports unite people, it is not something that they are made for therefore I do not think that they have a duty to do so.
I think that Professional sports teams should bring politics into their job. Specifying political standpoints can only hurt these teams. If they stay neutral it will be purely the sport that will motivate fans to support the team. But once political views are involved it will only encourage certain people who oppose the views from wanting to support the team. On top of that if a team shows their political views, it may even discourage talented players from joining their team. When it comes to the player themselves, they remain the right of free speech. They should be allowed to say what they want, but they should also not voice their opinions as openly as the average person. When these players do make the decision to say political things they understand the repercussions. Having a team have political views puts opinions that players may not necessarily have as theirs. Politics and sports teams should be kept separate.
ReplyDeleteI think the MLB should remain out of politics. The nation is politically deeply divided and it is stressful enough that we have to hear and read about it every day in the news and on social media. We do not want hear about the players political views when we turn the game on. If the players do express their political views, the team’s clubhouse would become divided just like Washington is divided and it would plague their season just as it has Washington. I also feel the 40 to 50 percent of the fans could become disruptive if they have a negative reaction to the position a player expressed. When Americans turn on the baseball game they want to watch baseball for entertainment and escape political controversy.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there is no official policy in the MLB that says do not talk politics, the majority of the baseball players are not expressing their political views which I fell is the right choice. Our politician have to start working together and stop the fighting to unite the American people, it is not the duty of the MLB.
This is a very tough discussion nation wide not just in sports. Personally I think since the sport is considered a job for these athletes they should keep their political values aside as difficult as it may be. Unfortunately with all going on in our country it may be very difficult for many to take a back seat in the political debate, however in order to maintain normality I believe it is something professional sports clubs should do.
ReplyDeleteSome have also mentioned that sports are for entertainment and I 100% agree with this statement. Everywhere you look you can find something about politics and one of the nice things about sports is that usually it is a get away from the realities of politics.
I think that National sports teams should remain not bring politics into their job. The effect sports teams have on people is very strong and sports main purpose is to bring entertainment, and enjoyment. Most sports fans watch and support teams because they enjoy the game and the athletes are good at what they do. Not to discuss on learn about athletes view on current political issues. The part of politics is very controversial depending on who you are and can if politics were brought into sports, and athletes having the chance to impact and effect viewers and fans could have the possibility of hurting the sport, if the athletes have different point of views of fans.
ReplyDeleteI think that national sports teams and politics should be separate. As said in the article, if a team supports a standpoint, chances are they can lose 50% of their fanbase based on those views. Sports are intended to bring people together over a common interest - the opposite of what politics does. Our country is politically divided, and having a hyper partisan team will only divide the teammates, fans, and coaches. Players have the right to speak up if they feel necessary. By not doing so, they are not doing anything right or wrong, and should not be looked down upon for feeling that politics and sports should stay separate. It is not their duty to speak up, they are not paid to do so. However, they should not be looked down upon for doing so.
ReplyDeleteI think major sports teams should not express their political views. For me, the main reason I watch sports is to gain satisfaction and for my entertainment. Watching political debate on the news only makes me want to give my opinion, not giving me complete satisfying. Yes, it can be entertaining, but sports is more entertaining. Yes, it's hard to stop a player from speaking up as he or she's entitled to their own opinion. That does not mean however a team should publicly make their view known. Teams that express their political views will only cause controversy and commotion.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that political views should be expressed by athletes. Professional athletes are paid to play well for the team, and hopefully bring success to the organization. Any actions they take outside of this realm, whether it be about politics or something else, can potentially put the well being of the team in jeopardy. I feel that when players' opinions on topics other than the sport are brought into play, the focus is taken away from the team. Other sports should move towards being like the MLB, because the MLB appears to be a less controversial environment, where the players are focused on doing their job. If an athlete feels the need to speak out on an issue, they should take into account that they are bringing the team's and fan's focus away from the season.
ReplyDeleteI think the MLB as a league and the teams that are apart of it should do their best to not talk about political issues. As an individual player, you have the right to have a freedom of speech but each team, including the people that run them, are part of of an organization thats on a national scale. If a team of a national sports league conveys strong political views to the public, they could spark mass tension between fans, players, and teams. The MLB and other national sports leagues are there to bring people together to have a good time watching the sport they all love. These controversial political topics will just ruin all of that. I think the MLB should continue to do what it's doing by staying out of all political controversies.
ReplyDeleteOverall I think baseball lives by an outdated set of "rules". I put rules in quotes becuase there the unofficial laws of baseball, such as you throw at my player ill throw at you, or other dumb rules. Baseball is at an interesting point right now, its got all the older fans enraged with how baseball is changing, getting younger and losing the old rules. The players have started to speak out on issues and not just be baseball players. I dont think what baseball is doing is right or wrong but im excited to see how it plays out, the new wave of players, or the old outdated rules.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that professional athletes, like all Americans, should be able to voice their opinion publicly. They, however, should be prepared to face the consequences if they say something that offends people. Amar'e Stoudemire can't say what he did about homosexuals and expect to get away without criticism. In this light, I understand the MLB's goal in being controversy-free. The only way to truly be controversy-free is if nobody voices their controversial opinions. I think Adam Silver has the right idea, which is to encourage athletes to speak their mind, but they should be sure they know what they're talking about and who they might offend.
ReplyDeleteI think the league as a whole and the teams, however, should not speak out politically. If they do speak out, it should be done completely separately like Mark Cuban does, where he's speaking as Mark Cuban the businessman and not Mark Cuban the Mavericks' owner.
I do believe that athletes should be able to state their opinions and political beliefs, especially if they are personally affected by an issue. Athletes have the opportunity to be seen and heard by a lot of people and their opinions can be very powerful and affect a lot of people. I think athletes by now know the effects of their words and they know they are seen as role models and for those reasons I believe that athletes will be careful ad conscious of the consequences of their words. However I do not think sports teams should really be affiliated with a political issue in order to keep sports just as a way to unify people and for a source of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteWhat the MLB is doing isn't necessarily right but by stating your opinion a lot you open yourself up to a lot of criticism and praise. You could lose respect, fans, money, and even a contracts based on your beliefs. It is this way because who wants a racist on their team when they know it will cause conflict on a team. If the players just stick to the game and building camaraderie then no one is hurt and a fan base can be easily built. The MLB probably should voice their opinions but from a fan stand point and what not it makes sense to just keep it professional.
ReplyDeleteSome people would say that athletes are role models but to me they are athletes first. A kid can look up to a player because of the game he plays. It is an understandable opinion though. Players probably think about their money and their fan base more often than speaking their mind though. So really it doesn't matter because either way the MLB will continue to make money.
I believe players shouldn't use their fame to talk about their political opinion. There is no reason for everyone to know about their opinions and they are not professionals in the things they are talking about. There are a lot of risks for players who use their fame to voice their political beliefs because they have a lot of influence on fans and are role models so it would be bad if their opinions swayed fan's perspectives. However, there is a balance because they should be allowed to voice something if they feel very strong about a cause and want to say something then they have the right to. It should definitely be outside of the actual sport game or press conference because that is too affiliated with the sport itself and that fame. Otherwise I believe the players that keep their opinions to themselves is much more beneficial to the player and their fans. As long as it is under control and not too mean it is fair.
ReplyDeleteI think athletes count as individual humans, and as such they all have their individual opinions. These opinions can be stated off the field and not in the middle of their games or post game press conference. These statements cannot get in the way of the game but rather can be a part of their private life. Organizations shouldn't make general statements because it may not encompass every player on that team's opinion. I think a player understands the risk of possibly losing fans by people disagreeing with their statements. But if a player feels that his opinion is more important than that or maybe even going to help them gain fans then he is very entitled to his own opinion.
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