By Tanisha Agrawal, Co-Sports Editor
The 2025 Women’s European Basketball Championship qualifier in Latvia was tense when the Irish women’s basketball team opted not to shake hands with its Israeli opponents. The decision stemmed from comments by Israeli player Dor Saar, who labeled the Irish team as “antisemitic” due to its criticism of Israel-Hamas war and its long-standing support for Palestine.
Like countless others, this instance underscores an undeniable truth: Sports and politics are inextricably linked.
Athletes, with their massive global followings, are increasingly using their platforms to champion social justice causes. San Francisco 49ers ex-quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s act of kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 sparked a national conversation about police brutality and racial injustice.
Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee who swam for the 2016 Refugee Olympic Team, captivated audiences with her athletic prowess and story of resilience in the face of war. Her journey to the Olympic games transcended sports, becoming a symbol of hope and perseverance for refugees around the world.
Beyond individual actions, international sporting events serve as stages for political expression. The founders of the Olympic Games, for example, conceived the event as a means to foster peace and international understanding.
While the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were an extravagant display of Nazi propaganda, the events also witnessed moments of defiance, such as Jesse Owens’ victories shattering Adolf Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy. 36 years later at the Munich Olympics, Black September, a Palestinian militant group that wanted 240 Israeli-imprisoned Arabs released, murdered 11 Israeli athletes. This violent act of defiance cast a shadow over the Olympic Games.
On the other hand, the global campaign against South Africa’s apartheid era highlighted the power of sports as a tool for social change. Sports boycotts played a crucial role in isolating the apartheid regime, ultimately contributing to its dismantling.
The relationship between sports and politics is not always a force for good and is often the face of hypocrisy and propaganda. Nearly 65 countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. However, rarely did the International Olympic Committee — or any athletic confederation — condemn the U.S. for its war crimes in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, which killed millions of civilians.
Sports and politics may seem like two parallel universes. However, that does not stand true and acknowledging the dynamic relationship between them is crucial. This allows us to appreciate the power of athletes as agents of social change and understand how governments utilize sports to further their agendas.
The next time you witness a dramatic sporting moment, remember that a sport is more than just a game. It could be a powerful political statement waiting to be unpacked.
Tanisha Agrawal can be reached at [email protected].
