Alejandro A. Tagliavini *
Violence in societies is intensifying to unsuspected levels even in countries that, until recently, were peaceful to boredom, such as in Germany where a few days ago protesters broke through the police perimeter of the Reichstag building and «took over» the Chamber of Deputies In Berlin.
Although this taking was not exactly violent, it is not normal and responds to the tense moods caused by the recent repressions of the governments of the freedom of the people and their natural right to work. In a previous article, I had already commented on the upsurge in violence, particularly the “race riots” in the United States, which, although they are not new – I have even experienced them by myself when I was a high school student there – have intensified.
And this has to do with the growth of unemployment, misery, marginalization, and alienation created by the violence of the State, its police repression of the right to work. And this politicization of life, since the State interferes in everything, spreads to the most unsuspected areas.
Robert Álvarez says that in the NBA, the one of the stars to whom his teams pay up to 35 million dollars a year such as LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard, games were suspended for the first time due to the absence of the teams. The shooting from behind, from the police to Jacob Blake, in Kenosha (Wisconsin), filled the patience of the players. “The fight is real and you can’t sit on the sides,” LeBron James (@KingJames) tweeted.
The NBA players, after a debate in which Michael Jordan mediated and Barack Obama advised, decided to go ahead with the season, in the bubble of the ESPN complex at Disney World where the slogan «Black Lives Matter» presides over the games after the murder of George Floyd. And among other things, the players union pledged to invest $ 300 million over 10 years to support black communities.
Something has changed in American sports, unfortunately it is becoming politicized – beginning in the State that is repressing every time more, isolating it from the public, for example – that is, adopting attitudes that, even with laudable intentions, weaken the sport by taking up time and effort. And it is not only athletes putting their careers at risk but the NBA itself, its franchises, the major leagues, and entities that sports depend on, even sponsors.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, said in his column in The Guardian: “What really struck me the most (on the day of the boycott…) was the support of other sports and athletes. MLS (soccer)… postponed five games that day. MLB (baseball)… also postponed three games. Naomi Osaka did not want to play in the Cincinnati semi-finals and professional tennis organizations supported her position and postponed the tournament for one day. I have never been so proud of my fellow athletes. «
Anyway, human beings must mature and understand that no matter how serious, supposedly, a threat is, it is insane for governments to go around repressing what politicians believe are the causes. Violence will never be a solution, on the contrary, it will make things worse and bring more violence. And the meddling of the State at all levels, the politicization of life, will also waste time and effort.
* Senior Advisor at The Cedar Portfolio and Member of the Advisory Council of the Center on Global Prosperity, de Oakland, California
Alejandro A. Tagliavini 
Deja una respuesta