Politicians Exploiting Athletes

Watching the Winter Olympics and the aftermath, two things have struck me.

First, since when did “Canada wins X medals”? Canada doesn’t win medals — Canadian athletes win medals. 

Aside from the sloppy grammar, it’s men and women who have devoted years of hard work and sacrifice who achieve success in their chosen sport. They happen to be citizens of the same country as me, and undoubtedly that has been beneficial and contributed in some small way to their success. They’ve likely received some level of taxpayer support (and often complain it isn’t enough — probably with justification). But a lucky coincidence of birth hardly entitles any Canadian to claim a share of an athlete’s victory. If, as they skate around the oval draped in the flag, we feel a connection or a sense of pride, that’s fine. It’s also, let’s admit, opportunistic on our part and largely unearned — not much different from feeling like a “winner” because the thoroughbred you bet on at the racetrack came in first.

Second, don’t athletes realize when they are being used by politicians? And if they do, don’t they care? This thought was prompted by the strange spectacle of the head of the FBI celebrating with the US men's hockey team in their dressing room after their overtime gold medal, followed by 20 out of 25  players attending trump’s snorer of a State of the Union address.

Once again, the gold-medal-winning US women's hockey team — who declined trump’s invitation — appeared to be the more sensible group. They appeared to understand that allowing themselves to be politically exploited could tarnish their achievement.

It’s interesting to consider what the women grasped that the men did not. In terms of the competition itself, the women’s gold feels earned in a way the men’s does not. The US women’s team was widely regarded as the best in the world and performed accordingly. The men’s team, by contrast, was significantly outplayed in the final and prevailed largely due to heroic goaltending and a bit of luck— not uncommon in high-level sport. You might expect such a victory to inspire humility. Instead, the opposite seemed true.

There are other differences as well. The men are highly paid professionals; the women are closer to true amateurs. Because they play largely for the love of the game, the women may have a clearer sense of what competing represents — not just personally, but for women’s hockey and for their role as public figures. 

For the men, the gold medal can appear more like another triumph to celebrate, another credential to display, and any association with powerful political figures simply part of the package. 

Perhaps the only honest stance, as fans, is to admire the display of athletic prowess and talent, without trying to own any part of it. To cheer without pretending we had anything to do with it, and be happy for the players without layering on any meaning or importance that isn't there.