Tag: College of New Rochelle

“An athlete shouldn’t have to stop being who he or she is, the moment he or she steps onto the pitch, or the court, or the track, or the field,” she said. Instead, she argued, athletes should be able to use the sports arena as a platform to make social or political statements. “The modern black athlete, in this equation that pairs visibility with progress, is perceived to compete on a playing field that has been smoothed out to create equal opportunity,” Bass said. “The triumphs of Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics, situated as this defilement of Hitler’s ideologies of Aryan supremacy,” she said. “The 1938 boxing match between Joe Lewis and German Max Schmeling, which was situated as this battle between democracy and fascism. The integration of major league baseball in 1947, with Jackie Robinson being placed as the beginning of the end of segregation in America.” However, Bass said that not all protests are treated equally. “What kind of protest is disrespectful and what kind is part of our national history that we revel in?” Bass asked. The outcry against Vonn, Bass said, contrasted with the public reaction to Mike Pence, who was seen seated when the united Korean delegation took the stage during the opening ceremonies of the Winter 2018 Olympic Games. Bass questioned why Pence’s protest was considered acceptable, yet protests such as Lindsey Vonn’s refusal to visit the White House or Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem were not. Citing the original Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, she described how the games were founded on the idea that all disputes and disagreements between the city-states should be put aside in favor of sportsmanship and peace.