We need to have all Western companies fire all Russian citizens currently working for them as well. Might make the truck driver shortage a little more acute (right @BusinessGenius?) but it’s a price we have to pay.
The reason for banning them from sports is two-fold. First they’ve never stopped the state sponsored doping of their athletes, and shouldn’t be allowed to participate even without the war. There’s also the fact that the intention and spirit of international sport is for it to be used as a tool of peace and community amongst the countries of the world. A country unilaterally invading a sovereign nation violates this spirit. There is a long history of countries engaged in such actions being banned from international sports, or even competitions being cancelled due to war. There’s a reason there were no Olympics in 1940 or 1944.
There’s no need to strawman me being in favor of banning Russia from sports into something more than what it is.
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WTA/ATP never punished any tennis players for state-sponsored doping aside from Sharapova because the rest of the big Russian players didn’t test positive.
And let’s be honest. Tennis is like cycling now. Either you’re on PEDs or you aren’t in the top 100.
I know people say Olympics = peace and all that but it isn’t. It’s about seeing which country has the best athletes and always has been. The Olympics didn’t happen during WW2 because basically every country (or at least the ones people give a shit about) was at or on the brink of war. Hell, a bunch of athletes enlisted to fight in the war. I mean how could you have the Olympics when the people who would normally compete in them were competing in a world war?
Barring Russia from the Olympics or World Cup or other international competitions is different from barring players who happen to be Russia from competing on pro tours as individuals. You want to kick all the Russians out of the NBA? All Russian soccer players out of leagues in Europe? All Russians out of the NHL? That’s what I’m talking about, and that’s what’s happening to Rublev and Medvedev at Wimbledon. Punishing individuals who are working in sports.
Are there any?
Yes
Not currently, no. Last one left the league four years ago (Timofey Mozgov).
huh, thought there were a few. Anyway, not really relevant to my point.
It’s not the same just stop
Wimbledon isn’t all those things
One organization said no more to Russian athletes
Stop making one event banning into literally every Russian on earth should be executed. It
The only difference between the ATP banning Russians and Wimbledon banning Russians is that it’s more tournaments. What’s the rationale for saying it’s fine that Wimbledon is banning Russians but not fine that the ATP is banning Russians. Seems like the same thing.
It is fine if the ATP bans Russian players.
Actions have consequences
What the hell are you taking issue with then? I’m saying it’s like if individual Russians were banned from various pro sports leagues. That’s exactly what an ATP ban would be, and it’s the same thing as Wimbledon.
Like, you want the ATP to bar all Russian players? Why not all Russian hockey players in the NHL?
Are we talking morally or practically? There are some pretty huge practical differences. NHL players are unionized, so banning 7% of the players without it being required by law is probably a non starter. And technically the Russian NHLers probably have some legal status as workers in the US. With tennis it’s a very different thing, they play in a bunch of countries and I don’t even know how that all works from a labor law perspective. For hockey Russia has a domestic league, but by definition there is no domestic version of the ATP.
I’m talking morally. I’m against firing anyone or preventing them from working because they’re Russian. Including if their work is sports.
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morally it would be worse for wbledon if russian athletes used or were compelled to use the wimbledon platform to show off Z/V symbols and speak in support of the war. unfortunately this happens with russian athletes. by now, professionals have had months to issue a statement or signal virtually anything that would help them dodge being non grata.
We are talking about Wimbledon. You are making it an all sports issue. Whatever dude.
Right. Should other sports do what Wimbledon has done? I don’t think so, because what Wimbledon has done is wrong. If what Wimbledon has done is right (your view?), why shouldn’t other sports follow suit?
insisting they have to revoke citizenship just to play a tennis tournament just because their home country started a war
(on top of that, said country may retaliate against their family if they did so)
like holy crap
it’s also extremely subjective, ie, russia bad, america we’ll join them! every place can do their own thing that’s their right tho but it’s just we’re not far off from everyone having to need specific opinions on regular subjects just to play. Before that would never happen, some people here definitely would make that a thing if they could. (ie, the everyone who isn’t 100% my views is a republican crowd)
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