The Olympics have been a ratings disaster for NBC.
Politicization of sports is a major reason why.
And one Olympic athlete engaged in a stunning protest at the podium.
Ever since former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled for the national anthem, copycat athletes have used sporting events to dishonor the flag and the anthem in order to push a political agenda.
In order to combat these phenomena, the Olympics issued guidelines against protests at the Tokyo Games.
But Team USA shot putter Raven Saunders flouted the rules and protested after winning the silver medal, holding up her arms in the shape of an X.
Silver medalist Raven Saunders raises hands in ‘X’ in Olympic protest https://t.co/PPntp1CIW8 pic.twitter.com/nG1RpLXPWO
— New York Post (@nypost) August 1, 2021
Saunders said the X represented “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.”
This is the first time that an athlete broke protocol and protested at the anthem.
American hammer thrower Gwendolyn Berry infamously hanged her head in disgust and covered her face with a T-shirt as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played during a qualifying event.
Berry said she would’ve protested had she medaled, but she finished in 11th place out of 12 competitors.
IOC chief Thomas Bach said in a recent interview:
“The podium and the medal ceremonies are not made…for a political or other demonstration. They are made to honor the athletes and the medal winners for sporting achievement and not for their private [views].”
Apparently Saunders didn’t get the memo.
Saunders added that the point of her protest was “to be me, to not apologize…to show younger people that no matter how many boxes they try to fit you in, you can be you, and you can accept it. People tried to tell me not to do tattoos and piercings and all that. But look at me now, and I’m poppin’.”
Saunders’s attitude reflects the growing narcissism of the progressive Left.
The idea of competing in the Olympics as the representative of the United States is almost unseemly to “woke” athletes.
The violent protests that roiled for an entire summer in 2020 have become mainstreamed to the point where Olympic athletes are joining in.
The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team kneeled before the start of the tournament, and lost to Sweden 3-0; Team USA ultimately lost to Canada in the semifinals.
Gymnast Simone Biles quit on her team in the middle of a competition because of stress, and said she needed to focus on herself.
The narcissism of the “woke” Left is corroding every cultural institution that Americans hold dear.
The trend needs to stop.