Should players, sports organizations, or the whole COC boycott the Sochi Olympics?

[Itse]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Just pointing out that the Canadian umbrella of winter athletes is just 200 not thousands. Most seem to be referencing Canada doing something but if you want to talk about every country boycotting then you get 2,000 to 3,000 yes.

Not sure how many gay people are in Russia out of their 145,000,000 total population.

The studies vary, but in the ballpark of 3-10 million propably.

There are really different ways of estimating it, sorry for the multiple edits

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Hypothetically, if you were allowed to protest without being arrested, would the majority of the people here who want the athlete's boycotting the Olympics be willing to take 2 weeks vacation from their job, spend a couple thousand dollars of their own money and fly to Russia to protest? I somehow doubt it. And that's just people giving up a few thousand dollars in salaries / flight money. Imagine telling someone who's trained day in and day out for 4 years just to participate in the Olympics that they can't go.

What the #### is wrong with you? These mental exercises do little but embolden the idea that sports on tv > human rights.

Do you fly to Africa to feed homeless people? Oh, you must not care about starvation.

You mean, what if I was guaranteed the rights that this law strips away, would I go protest the guaranteed rights that aren't in question? What.The.Fark.

I am protesting right now and I don't need to take time off work or fly to moscow fulfill your stunningly myopic criteria for giving a damn.

Shockingly, I know, I am also someone that thinks the way Canada treats their own athletes is appalling. Having said that, as it is my tax dollars at work that is funding significant portions of their training and travel costs, I don't think that money should go to enriching a homophobic dictatorship that is threatening to arrest these very athletes should they appear in some way at the discretion of the commandant or czar or whatever, to be gay.

10 years of athletic dedication is worth giving up to protest someone giving up 5 years of incarceration for something that is legally defended in our founding Charter. I care deeply for Canada's athletes, and I would say, between Olympics, probably more so than those who are crowing the line of "the poor athletes", but, pursuing a sport for fun--out of choice--does not trump being arrested for suspicion of something determined by birth.

Apologies for being potentially offensive.

[kipperfan]

I personally voted "athlete lead boycott" because I think a boycott is the right thing to do. With that said, the athletes should only boycott if they personally want to, and certainly shouldn't be forced into it in any way. I would also understand if a lot of the amateur athletes did not want to support a boycott, simply due to the tremendous time and sacrifice (as mentioned above) that they've put in.

But I definitely think the Men's Hockey team should boycott. They are all filthy rich and chances are those that would be on the team would either have been on the team in the past, or have a relatively decent chance of being on the team in the future. And not only that, but they all get a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup (every year I might add), arguable an even bigger prize then an Olympic gold.

I don't expect it to happen, but I think it would be great if it did and would have a lot more respect for the players that made that decision.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

What the #### is wrong with you? These mental exercises do little but embolden the idea that sports on tv > human rights.

Do you fly to Africa to feed homeless people? Oh, you must not care about starvation.

You mean, what if I was guaranteed the rights that this law strips away, would I go protest the guaranteed rights that aren't in question? What.The.Fark.

I am protesting right now and I don't need to take time off work or fly to moscow fulfill your stunningly myopic criteria for giving a damn.

Shockingly, I know, I am also someone that thinks the way Canada treats their own athletes is appalling. Having said that, as it is my tax dollars at work that is funding significant portions of their training and travel costs, I don't think that money should go to enriching a homophobic dictatorship that is threatening to arrest these very athletes should they appear in some way at the discretion of the commandant or czar or whatever, to be gay.

10 years of athletic dedication is worth giving up to protest someone giving up 5 years of incarceration for something that is legally defended in our founding Charter. I care deeply for Canada's athletes, and I would say, between Olympics, probably more so than those who are crowing the line of "the poor athletes", but, pursuing a sport for fun--out of choice--does not trump being arrested for suspicion of something determined by birth.

Apologies for being potentially offensive.

Again, says the guy who's not asked to give up anything significant. Easy to give a damn when you're not the one being asked to give it up.

[Flash Walken]

How do you represent "You Can Play" at the same time that you participate in Russian Olympics?

I don't think it's possible.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Again, says the guy who's not asked to give up anything significant.

Would you rather:

Be dedicated to a sport for 5-10 years and not be allowed to compete on one specific world stage for your chosen sport

OR

Be locked in a Russian prison for the same duration of time for being suspected of being gay OR talking about the unjustness of said law?

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Would you rather:

Be dedicated to a sport for 5-10 years and not be allowed to compete on one specific world stage for your chosen sport

OR

Be locked in a Russian prison for the same duration of time for being suspected of being gay OR talking about the unjustness of said law?

I would rather go compete in the Olympics, let the the politicians handle the politics, and tell anyone who tells me I shouldn't compete in the Olympics to go eff themselves.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by kipperfan

I personally voted "athlete lead boycott" because I think a boycott is the right thing to do. With that said, the athletes should only boycott if they personally want to, and certainly shouldn't be forced into it in any way. I would also understand if a lot of the amateur athletes did not want to support a boycott, simply due to the tremendous time and sacrifice (as mentioned above) that they've put in.

But I definitely think the Men's Hockey team should boycott. They are all filthy rich and chances are those that would be on the team would either have been on the team in the past, or have a relatively decent chance of being on the team in the future. And not only that, but they all get a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup (every year I might add), arguable an even bigger prize then an Olympic gold.

I don't expect it to happen, but I think it would be great if it did and would have a lot more respect for the players that made that decision.

That has nothing to do with it, IMO.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I would rather go compete in the Olympics, let the the politicians handle the politics, and tell anyone who tells me I shouldn't compete in the Olympics to go eff themselves.

Oh the good old let the politicians handle it line. Yeah, great social change always occurs when you take that route

[Itse]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Again, says the guy who's not asked to give up anything significant. Easy to give a damn when you're not the one being asked to give it up.

Says the guy who is not under any risk of being persecuted. See how that works?

And yet somehow I think you would feel very gratified if you were persecuted and people outside your country would try to do something to support you.

Especially if they were people who actually gave up something to do it.

The size of the sacrifice is, in most cases, directly proportional to the effectiviness of the boycott. You can't have a boycott if nobody is giving up anything.

[kipperfan]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

That has nothing to do with it, IMO.

I only brought that up as others in this thread have mentioned that (some) Amateur athletes have had to quit their jobs in order to pursue their sporting dreams, and that clearly does not apply to NHL players.

[The Yen Man]

You can agree or disagree with my opinions, but I stand by them. As I have already mentioned, the decision to boycott the Olympics should be up entirely to each individual athlete and them alone. Any of us telling them they should or should not go is selfish on our part because we aren't the ones this affects.

And with that, I'm done with trying to get my point accross, as the debate is just going to keep going around in circles.

[Thor]

Here is that Russian pole vaulter and what she said about the law:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/trackandfie...n-tregaro.html

Pole vault great Yelena Isinbayeva condemned homosexuality Thursday after criticizing fellow competitors who painted their fingernails in rainbow colours to support gays and lesbians in the face of a new anti-gay law in Russia.

The Russian, who won her third world title Tuesday in front of a boisterous home crowd, came out in favour of the law which has drawn sharp criticism and led Western activists to call for a boycott of next year's Winter Olympics in the Russian resort of Sochi.

"If we allow to promote and do all this stuff on the street, we are very afraid about our nation because we consider ourselves like normal, standard people," Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic champion, said in English. "We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys.

"Everything must be fine. It comes from history. We never had any problems, these problems in Russia, and we don't want to have any in the future."

[Daradon]

Seems Georgia in Russia is the same as the States.

[krazycanuck]

We just live with boys with woman, woman with boys.

Ms. Isinbayeva sounds like she she's promoting pedophilia... and polyandry.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I think EE has convinced me. I now WANT a boycott.

This "think of the thousands of athletes" is BS. Think of the thousands of gay people that are being oppressed.

And they will continue to be oppressed after your dumb boycott.

Yay! Everyone loses!

But at least you get to pat yourself on the back as a Canadian who sacrificed NOTHING.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by polak

And they will continue to be oppressed after your dumb boycott.

Yay! Everyone loses!

But at least you get to pat yourself on the back as a Canadian who sacrificed NOTHING.

I guess we should all stop caring then? Like, why even vote? Why do anything that doesn't result in immediate change for a cause you support? What's with the need for instant gratification? No, a boycott won't change things overnight, but it contributes and moves things forward.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I guess we should all stop caring then? Like, why even vote? Why do anything that doesn't result in immediate change for a cause you support? What's with the need for instant gratification? No, a boycott won't change things overnight, but it contributes and moves things forward.

Voting doesn't cost innocent people who are completely unassociated to the problem their life long dreams.

Voting also has a far greater chance of actually inciting change.

I also strongly disagree that a Canadian boycott would move anything forward. Like others have mentioned, it'll just increase moral in Russia by upping their medal count.

I actually think Canadians wearing something in support of LGBT would be FAR FAR FAR more effective than not showing up. I would be surprised if Canada boycotting would be world news for longer than the day it's announced. Especially in countries where LGBT are oppressed. You know, the ones you're trying to reach?

Utterly stupid idea.

[MRCboicgy]

Could The Bay just add a few more stripes to their signature colours and say it's their look?

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by polak

Voting doesn't cost innocent people who are completely unassociated to the problem their life long dreams.

This has got to be the flimsiest reason ever to not boycott the Olympics.

The "life long dreams" of a few hundred athletes, the vast majority of whom we've never heard of and compete in obscure sports we don't pay attention to, is hardly a reason to not take a stand based on our principles.

Our "Canadian-ness" is not trumped by the hopes and dreams and sweat and tears and bla bla bla of these people. If Canadians feel we should boycott the Olympics, we should do it.

It doesn't seem like there is much support for, and there have been good arguments put forward against such a boycott, but the emotional impact on bobsledders, mogul skiers, and curlers shouldn't be part of the conversation.