I mentioned in my first entry that I am a huge sports fan.  Sports have been a huge part of my life, I've been playing football since I was 8, I still am playing arena football as a professional.  The life lessons sports has given to me are things I couldn't learn anywhere else.  Sports and politics seem to bleed into each other more and more, and I don't know that it's healthy for either genre.  I see this especially when I look at these media-hogging protesters who have this insane idea that if they somehow make the Olympic torch go out-China will say, "Oh my gosh, you're right, we're sorry for the last 50 years, well hello Dahali (Lama) !!!."  It's amazing how these people all of a sudden are bound and determined to end what is certainly a wrong-headed and brutal occupation of Tibet when it has been going on for more than 50 years.  I guess they think that China will bow to world pressure because they are hosting this event, since they're so responsive to the outside world.  
Two words to the protesters: GET BENT!


Furthermore, now Democratic politicians are finding a way to spin this to blame it on President Bush.  That would just be added to him being responsible for the Iraq War, Terrorism, Katrina, the Economy(but only now when it's been bad-not the good 6 years), Hurricanes in general, All diseases created to kill black people, the situation in Darfur, and oh yea, the decline in Starbucks' coffee's quality.


Hillary Clinton is calling on Bush to boycott the games, which is totally hypocritical.  She didn't have a problem with China when she went over there in 1998 to glad hand the Chinese premier during the UN's conference on human rights.  Then it was only smart policy to "Talk to the Chinese and let them know our concerns."  Of course, this is what the President has said he is going to do, but now it's an "endorsement of China's human rights policy."  
I guess this is what is called a 'political football'.  Only problem is, one who is supposed to be on our team is running toward our goalline, not the opponents.


Please don't get me wrong, I am not for China's brutal oppression.  They treat their own people like dogs, anyone remember Teninnamen Square?  This has gone on for years, and will go on, Olympics or not, protests or not.  Actually, the protests are a bad strategy if you know anything about Far Eastern culture standards.   The concept of Face is as important in China as the American concept of justice.  When you burn Chinese flags and attempt to run down the torch-bearer(who by the way, has nothing to do with China or helping them oppress Tibet), that makes the Chinese lose face, and not in a good way. 
The question that is more important however to me is this: Do these self-proclaimed reformists and revolutionaries actually care about the people of Tibet, or the rest of China, which is equally oppressed and starving?  Or, like I suspect, do they care more about the idea that they are part of a 'movement' that makes their pathetically selfish lives legitimate?  I tend to see the latter.
How can I say that? Well, again, I don't see them doing anything constructive.  Are they contributing to funds to help Tibet? Are they committing their time to anything to help Tibet other than making something that should be celebrated throughout our world-the Olympic games-like writing to our officials to take real, effective action against the wrongs of China?
How many products in their house are made in China?  Your pocketbook tells your priorities.   I don't have a German luxury car, and I never will.  As a Jew, I will not spend my money and give it to companies that helped the Nazis kill my ancestors. 

The biggest problem I have with these actions is this: These protesters obviously do not know their history, or how powerful a sporting events like the Olympics can be.  No one listens to protests that counts because of this reason: the same people who protest would protest anything if someone convinced them to--the protesters really aren't dedicated, disciplined, or powerful.  Athletes, however, people listen to, even if they don't deserve it, because they are(or should be) those very things.
Let's go back to 1936 and Jesse Owens.  He showed Hitler that he was a fool, even if it was for a brief moment.  Same with Joe Lewis--the 'white knight' that Hitler said would dominate the boxing competition was stopped in his tracks by the Brown Bomber, and this stunted any claims that Hitler's Aryan supremacy could possibly be legitimate.
On the other hand, the boycott by president Carter of the 1980 Olympics only lead to another boycott--and it had no effect on helping us rid the world of the scourge of Communist Russia.  Then they boycotted our games---a childish act that was provoked by our childish act. Far less impactful than our 1980 whooping of the Russians in the Miracle on Ice at the winter games.

This is my point: The Olympics may be hosted by China this year, but they are not Chinese. The torch has nothing to do with Freeing Tibet.  Let the Olympics go on, let President Bush be in China when everyone else in Western society is pulling out, he'll actually be listened to by the stubborn Communist Chinese.  Furthermore, let the athletes run without controversy, and let's see if the areas where the Chinese Olympic teams are normally dominant if the world does not send them a message--the whole world will be watching, and the actions and words of those athletes will be far more powerful than some college student who doesn't even know where Tibet really is trying to snuff out the eternal flame.   G_d knows that the Chinese will not win, because they are not right--but we must beat them in this world the right way- with determination, discipline, and passion--not another protest.