Team USA: Sell Outs?

[rapliketp]

So, Is Team USA Muzzled, Or Not?

August 8, 2008 10:41 AM

Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski have said things about how marvelous the U.S. is, in that we do not muzzle our players nor hinder their freedom of speech. (That was in the same report where all the players parroted, almost to the word, Colangelo's stance shutting down all political speech.)

Michael Lee of the Washington Post followed up with the team's managing director and head caoch in Beijing yesterday, and got even stronger statements:

Some have speculated that U.S. Managing Director Jerry Colangelo recently addressed the team and told them to avoid politicizing these Olympics. "That's not true -- absolutely unequivocally not," Colangelo said this week. "As a matter of fact, I did the opposite. [I told them,] 'If your heart tells you say it, say it.' We told our players, no one has a muzzle. Some of us voiced our opinions. My opinion was, we're here for the Olympics. We're here for the sport. There is a lot more we can accomplish by doing what we need to do."

U.S. Coach Mike Krzyzewski echoed Colangelo. "Any of our players can speak about whatever they want to speak," he said. "But I think we've all taken the approach that we're here for sport. We want to make sure that we're good ambassadors for our country and make sure that we're representing our game here in the Olympics."

For the record, that original report did not claim that Colangelo instructed the team to avoid politics. The report said that Colangelo addressed the team about those kinds of questions, and said his personal view was that it was a time for sport and not politics.

He must have a big personality! Because then the whole Team USA staff, even guys like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant who had positioned themselves as leaders on the Darfur issue, suddenly adopted his exact same view, and it seems to be sticking.

(Although James did depart a tad from the party line to say this to Lee: "I said if I was asked the question then I would answer, and I'd say that basic human rights should be protected. That's how I feel. It's not going to go further than that. It's not going to go less than that.")

In any case, you can't help but wonder -- did Kobe Bryant and LeBron James decide not to use the Olympics as a platform for political conversation because they decided not to, or because they were told not to?

Chris Bosh is on that team too, and he has insight. Consider this exchange with Matthew Sekeres of the Globe and Mail:

Q: Chris, would you take this opportunity to make a political statement?

A: No.

Q: Have you been instructed not to?

A: Yes. It's a no-win situation these days.


http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-33-152/So--Is-Team-USA-Muzzled--Or-Not-.html

[duncan228]

From July 24:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/o...3588-china-say

Despite encouragement, Kobe and Team USA won't get political
Olympic basketball team avoids topics like human rights violations in Darfur.
By Janis Carr

The Olympics is the world's biggest stage for athletes. It also can be for politics as well.

Yet several members of Team USA said they will try to keep the two separate when they arrive in Beijing, where China's policy on human rights is expected to play a prominent role.

"We're coming to play basketball," LeBron James said.

Staying mum on the issue of China's crackdown on Tibet and its continued economic support of Sudan, where thousands of people have been killed in the Darfur region, will be difficult considering they figure to be among the most heavily publicized athletes at the Games.

NBA commissioner David Stern, though, has encouraged the team to speak out if they want. Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball, agreed.

"I say 'Be your own person,'" Colangelo said. "One might say 'Well, I'm here to play basketball and the Olympics are about sport. The Olympics are about bringing countries together.' But if you're heart is telling you to say something different than that then be your own person.

"We're not putting the muzzle on anyone."

Kobe Bryant's plan on dealing with the political issues is simple.

"Don't say anything stupid," he said. "Our focus is to play basketball, that's what we're there for, that's what we do best.

"We're not politicians or government officials. We play the game and we're going to go over there and do that."

Sports and politics long have collided, especially at the Olympics.

In 1936, Germany used the torch relay to spread propaganda. This year, the torch run has been besieged by protests around the world.

The United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow for political reasons. Four years later, the Soviet Union stayed away from the Los Angeles Games.

Although President Bush is planning to attend Opening Ceremonies in Beijing, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Britain's Prince Charles said they will stay home.

Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said the basketball players should feel free to speak out about any situation. Many players have filmed public service ads appealing for Sudan to end the slaughter of the people in the Darfur region.

China is a trading partner with Sudan and a major supplier of weapons.

"Our country allows you to do that (speak out)," Krzyzewski said. "The fact is we look at the Olympics as sport, not a political forum. But that doesn't mean our guys don't have the right to speak out about any issue. That's what makes our place a pretty nice place to live."

Still, some players are reluctant to let politics interfere with their mission to bring back a gold medal.

"It's not about us making a stand or taking a position. It's about us playing our position," Dwyane Wade said. "It's not our home. We are going to go over there and respect China. This is a business trip for us. We'll let the politics take care of itself. That's not for us to worry about.

"They're might be some people that get into it, but that's not my focus. I'm focusing on basketball."