Do sports stars have the right to free speech?
Summary
The article examines how athletes’ remarks and gestures can trigger pressure from sponsors, clubs, leagues and governments. It contrasts Kylian Mbappe’s joke about an image of Mao Zedong with deliberate protests by Colin Kaepernick and Lamine Yamal, and argues that commercial ties can restrict athletes’ public speech.Key Facts
- The article says Chinese sponsors withdrew support after Mbappe made a remark about an image that apparently placed his face on Mao Zedong’s.
- Chinese state television suspended broadcasts of La Liga, and Mbappe and Real Madrid apologized.
- Colin Kaepernick knelt during the U.S. national anthem to protest systemic racism and police killings of Black people; the article says he was effectively frozen out of the NFL.
- After Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s title celebrations, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz accused him of inciting hatred and called for the club to distance itself from the gesture.
- The article cites ancient Greek writer Pausanias’s account that Croton residents tore down a statue of runner Astylus and turned his house into a prison after he identified himself as a Syracusan at the Olympics.
- Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said athletes may be better off staying silent because comments can be dangerous.
- The article argues that commercial relationships can give sponsors, clubs and leagues leverage over athletes’ speech.
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