In an empty gesture, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee reprimanded a pair of Team USA athletes who protested during the national anthem at the Pan American Games earlier this month.
The committee sent letters out to both fencer Race Imboden, who knelt during the anthem, and hammer thrower Gwen Berry, who raised her fist during it. Ultimately, the two were placed on a 12-month probation period where they are still allowed to attend practices and compete in events, including the 2020 Olympics, according to USA Today.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, tried to play both sides in the letters written to the athletes. She said she “applaud[ed]” the athletes’ “decision to be an active citizen,” and that it was “admirable.” However, she said athletes must “abide by the policies we agree to in order to ensure the Games succeed in their purpose for many years to come.”
If either of these two athletes were to repeat this offense, they could receive a more serious punishment, although what that might be is not specified.
In letting Imboden and Berry off easier than a slap on the wrist, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee set a terrible precedent. The committee really should’ve taken a stronger action to prevent this from happening in the future with other athletes by barring Imboden and Berry from the next Olympics.
Nothing changes for either Imboden or Berry. They can still compete in the Olympics for Team USA and, if they are so inclined, they could kneel or protest the anthem again on the final day of the 2020 games, deepening the American divide.
Other American athletes now know the committee has a weak policy in place for first-time offenders. “Woke” athletes know they will still be allowed to compete in the Olympics if they protest during the national anthem, even at the Olympics, so why wouldn’t they do it? At this point, what’s stopping someone such as outspoken U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe from kneeling during the anthem during the 2020 games? She has knelt for the national anthem in the past, just not at a U.S. match.
The Olympics is supposed to be one of the rare events which unites the entire country. Meanwhile, 53% of Americans say it is never appropriate for athletes to kneel during the national anthem, according to a 2018 Washington Post survey, while only 42% said it might be appropriate to kneel.
Even though the country is bitterly divided along political lines, the country’s success in international sports is a source of pride. According to a recent Gallup poll, it makes 73% of Americans proud of their country to see its athletes thrive on the international stage.
It feeds into a healthy form of positive American nationalism, which is civic by nature. People of all different races, creeds, and religions come together under the American flag to compete for Team USA, and the same could be said for the fans supporting the team.
As Florida Sen. Marco Rubio put it last November, American nationalism centers around the “belief that all people are created equal, with God given rights.”
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s own policy makes it clear that athletes are not allowed to “make remarks or release propaganda of political, religious or racial nature, or any other kind,” according to Reuters. If someone does something needlessly divisive one time, they should be done. There are plenty of other athletes who work hard and would love the opportunity to compete on the global stage who don’t want to make the day about politics, and one of them should take the place of the “woke” athletes who protest the flag and anthem instead.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
