Here’s a common theme from the last few years: Athlete makes anti-Trump or social justice statement. Media fawns over said athlete for their “bravery” and wokeness. Both praise and criticism are showered upon said athlete, but any criticism is shot down by the SJW overlords as “out of touch”, or worse, bigoted.
While this has been a common thing, it needs to be rehashed. Most recently, US Women’s National soccer team star Megan Rapinoe was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated. The ensuing article written about her was the puff piece of puff pieces. It portrayed Rapinoe as a courageous and irreverent fighter for equality. Since receiving the award, Rapinoe has criticized SI for their lack of diversity. Can’t make this shit up.
Congratulations to @mPinoe, the 2019 Sports Illustrated #Sportsperson of the Year https://t.co/FhYYGIT5a7 pic.twitter.com/fHD6sLDhxM
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 9, 2019
Sure, she was impactful in delivering a World Cup championship for the United States, but this award is far more about her standing as a social “activist” (I put activist in quotes for a reason. You’ll see why shortly).
Rapinoe’s left wing views were no secret. She previously knelt for the national anthem to show solidarity with fellow SJW Colin Kaepernick. She made waves during the World Cup when she told a reporter that she would not go to the “fucking White House” if the USWNT won the title. More adulatory media coverage followed.
“I’m not going to the fucking White House.” – @mPinoe pic.twitter.com/sz1ADG2WdT
— Eight by Eight (@8by8mag) June 25, 2019
People like Rapinoe, Kaepernick, LeBron James, and other athletes with outspoken left wing opinions can say and do what they want. It’s a free country, and they can take whatever stance they want. That said, there are two big problems with this type of “activism”.
If these folks really wanted to make real change, they would open up dialogue with the people they disagree with. I have yet to see that. If you’re invited to the White House, go talk to the orange guy. As easy as it is to make fun of someone like Kim Kardashian, she met with Trump when she wanted to bring about change. As we’ve seen, President Trump has been willing to hear people out. Whether or not it’s for selfish reasons and a photo opp is irrelevant.
These athletes can do what they want, but as I said, if they want to affect social change as they claim, they’re going about it the wrong way. They’re only preaching to the choir, while giving the middle finger to everyone else.
Rapinoe went on a personal media tour after the World Cup, but only to outlets and people in favor of her cause. If you’re really serious, meet with some conservatives. Go on Fox News and tell Tucker Carlson and his audience that you deserve equal pay and that Trump is awful, and why you believe that. I’d have far more respect for you.
An example of a famous person that I would actually consider to be an activist is Alyssa Milano. I find the far-left/feminist views she routinely spouts off on Twitter to be very unappealing, but she has actually made an effort to talk to the other side to affect change. She met with Senator Ted Cruz to discuss solutions to gun violence. The opinions of Cruz and Milano are pretty divergent on this and many other issues, but the country is a better place when people who disagree can have a real discussion.
The other issue I have is that these so called activists are never held to task for their views. The journalists who fawn over them ask easy questions, and never challenge them. They agree with them. The media use the athlete and celebrity “activists” to boost the signal of their own opinions. People like Kaepernick and LeBron can make plenty of statements about police brutality, but nobody is asking the obvious questions about the statistics and dynamics behind the issue. You’re not allowed to ask those questions.
Megan Rapinoe had been calling for the USWNT players to receive equal pay to the USMNT. Instead of challenging her, the media who cover her just parrot the same talking points about sexism and discrimination, instead of talking about the other reasons this gap may exist, such as the difference in revenue generated by the men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments, as well as the amount of money it takes to pull well-compensated soccer stars away from their pro teams to join Team USA. When you ask a few key questions, it’s impossible to conclude that some oppressive patriarchal system is keeping the USWNT down. But without asking the questions and investigating on your own, you’d assume it was discrimination. That’s all you hear
If people like Kaepernick and Rapinoe tried to open a dialogue with more than just the people who agree with them, I would have some respect for their “activism”. From what I can tell, that’s not what’s going on. I’m not accusing them of being insincere, I believe that they are telling the truth as they see it. However, when you continue to only preach to the choir, you’re part of them problem, not the solution. They aren’t activists, they’re frauds.