If there’s one thing I hate – and obviously there’s not, there’s about 600, but if there is one thing I hate – it’s politics and sport mixing.
It disgusts me. We live in a free society, and one of our greatest freedoms is the freedom to get along to a sporting event and enjoy the athletic skills on display without having political ideology showered down on us like so much rancid fish sauce.
For example, I just loathe sports stars who think it’s their place to offer unasked-for opinions on political issues rather than sticking to what they’re paid for, i.e. playing games.
Like when American footballers ‘take a knee’ to protest cops killing black people, even though none of these footballers have themselves even been killed by a cop? That’s disgraceful.
Or like when the AFL or NRL say they “support marriage equality”, even though they are sporting organisations and not some kind of gay rights anarchist collective? Ugh.
And when the NRL not only ‘supports’ same-sex marriage, but hires some nobody called ‘Mack LeMore’ to perform at the grand final, and then they write a song for him to sing specifically about how much rugby league hates Tony Abbott? There is no place for that in sport, because that is politics and sport is not politics. It is sport. Mixing the two is unacceptable.
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Like when politicians hang around with sportspeople in an attempt to make the untainted popularity of sporting heroism somehow rub off and make the politician seem less cynical and morally bankrupt? And when they pretend to actually be fans of sports they’ve never even watched? Intolerable.
Or like when politicians have themselves photographed at sporting events in order to create the impression that they are ‘of the people’, rather than born-to-rule elites enriching themselves at the expense of the common folk, their contempt for whom their attendance is designed to mask? Don’t you hate that? It’s even worse when they actually insist on presenting trophies themselves – makes me shout, “Hey, keep politics out of sport!” at my TV.
Or, my god, you know when politicians pump millions of taxpayer dollars into commercial enterprises under the guise of ‘promoting sporting participation’ so that sports fans will be so impressed by the government’s sporting ardour that they won’t notice how badly essential services are being neglected, and marginalised groups discriminated against?
Like building state-of-the-art stadiums while essential infrastructure decays or never gets built in the first place? Or constructing elaborate bids to win major events that most voters don’t even want in their city? That’s the worst, am I right?
Image: supplied
And when they go and pump even more millions of dollars into elite Olympic programs rather than grassroots organisations, trying to con us all into actually believing that winning one or two extra gold medals every four years should actually be a priority for a responsible government? Man, it makes my blood boil when sport and politics mix like that.
When political parties parachute retired sportspeople into safe seats to profit from pre-existing popularity with no regard for experience or competence?
When governments rake in massive tax receipts from gambling companies, for whose convenience they relaxed regulations to make it easier for them to corrupt the sports on which they prey?
Or when politicians think it’s their place to offer unasked opinions on sporting matters rather than sticking to what they’re paid for, i.e. responsible governance? So sick of that.
So let’s keep sport and politics separate, please.
Matth
Guest
Age has it’s benefits. There was no way I could be offended by anything that guy sang, because I couldn’t understand a word of it. Now if they had hired Percy Sledge, that would have been political and offensive.
Matth
Guest
I would say most under 30 know who he is.
FnQ
Guest
AOK Peter. I do get a little cryptic sometimes.
Doc79
Guest
Considering that the Colosseum was built to distract the masses from the going ons of currupted governance it's a little strange that politics should rear its head within the sporting arena. Yes, in some nations the player's are free to take a knee and protest about whatever they like but I find it beyond strange that they kneel with the white billionaire paymasters they supposedly despise and accept the cash that they pay them.
Pauly
Guest
Would you feel the same way if they promoted the no vote?
Pauly
Guest
Also incredible that many callers to these radio shows were concerned about the effect on children. Having heard the lyrics numerous times courtesy of a gym membership in 2013, there is absolutely nothing explicit and until I actually watched the video my 28 year old self had no idea what the song was about, so most kids would be oblivious.
Sharkattack
Guest
Agree strongly, the AFL had NO PLACE promoting YES vote.
Rellum
Roar Guru
The people who buy into the whole nationalism, flags and patriotism are the ones who will be most upset by this form and timing of protest. They are the ones who generally want to keep the status quo and have the position or privilege to keep that status quo. The success of the protest, both in reaction and taking up the same protest shows it was the right way to go. If they had done as you suggest then they would have been doing as the powers at be would want them to do and that is not a protest at all. You need to do something they don't want you to do to make your point stand out. I am not even going to touch your comments on comparing police shootings to crime shootings.
razamatazbaz01
Guest
To the contrary. Most of the time he does provide sources, quotes and evidence in ALL his vids. He backs them up in a logical and based way that anyone not blinded by a norrow view of the world would appreciate, but then again im just a conspiracy theorist who enjoys seein people being TRIGGERED! Now lets get back to talkin about "the greatest game of all"
NME
Guest
Don't know why they cannot have an Aussie performer - don't know who this bloke is at all - Don't think entertainment is really required - why not show highlight footage of the how both teams seasons instead
Peter
Guest
OK, got you wrong. Apologies.
peeeko
Guest
enjoy fox news
Sam Brown
Roar Guru
I think it could be people who don't regularly read his column, so don't really know what to expect. Some of the best satire is when you aren't quite sure if it is or isn't satire, eg Donald Trump's election campaign.
peeeko
Guest
digging a hole there
Duncan Smith
Guest
Aem, In reply to your latest message, great to hear you're an independent thinker. Your suggestion that PJW has created a job and a persona with the main aim of making money, and that he does not believe in what he says, is simplistic and far fetched. He presents opinion pieces that are designed to provoke, and 'trigger' some people out of their comfort zones - and it seems to be working. I'll be interested to read the article you cite on virtue signalling. There seems to be such a lot of it about these days.
Aem
Guest
"My own side" - Let me guess, you're assuming I'm a leftie? Nope. Just someone who has no time for people who buy into whatever conspiracy theory (FYI I'm using that as a technical, not cultural, term) best fits their worldview with no regard to the evidence. As editor of InfoWars, PJW makes a living by cynically preying on stupid people. His arguments don't follow any form of deductive, inductive or abductive reasoning. That's not trying to own a monopoly on logic - just a statement of fact. Hell, most of the time he presents 'facts' without citing where they came from... including in that video. Anyone can do that - doesn't make it true. Given the content of his video, he should probably have a read of this too: "Stop saying 'virtue signalling'", an article over at the Adam Smith Institute.
Cliff (Bishkek)
Guest
Nice intelligent comment - I think not!! No understanding of satire (not great satire) but satire - none the less! Wake up!
Cliff (Bishkek)
Guest
Rellum, I agree with you up to the point of Kaepernick and all of the NFL players taking the knee. However, I support their right to protest and they have a very good issue about which to protest. However, they should change their timing. No citizen of any country should be disrespect their Country, their Flag and their Anthem. These are the instruments of a Country's constitution and patriotism. If it is required and the practice to stand for the raising of the Flag or the playing of the Anthem, then all citizens should do so. If the hand should be placed over the heart, then please do so. All of the NFL players and teams would have been more widely accepted if they did their "Taking the Knee" after the Anthem and held the position for 1 minute before moving off and assembling for the game. Then their position would receive far greater advertising as people would have asked, why are they doing this. So as I see it - stand for the anthem and kneel after the Anthem in protest. As an aside and as a person who works overseas, the "Black Lives Matter" wrt police shootings is a good position. But people from other countries need to realise two things which are not greatly advertised or known: 1. Police shootings are not always white on black - and many times the black on black shooting does not seme to raise the same level of discontent, and 2. In the USA there are more Black on Black killings than any other homicide. An issue that the Black Activists do not seem to raise too often and this needs serious looking at from both black and white communities in the US.
Roger Cronin
Guest
Go back and write at your Marxist rags
northerner
Guest
I don't agree at all. First, satire and sarcasm are not the same thing. Second, while this article may be the sledgehammer version of the former, it still went over the heads of half the people commenting here, so it seems to me that anything more subtle would have flown past even more. Doesn't say much for our education system.