Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sums Up Beijing Boycott Best!

In Monday’s LA Times, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
wrote a must-read piece about the history of Olympic boycotting comparing the 1968 Olympics to today’s boycott talks of the 2008 Beijing Olympics some 40 years later.

Kareem says best what PreraceJitters.com has been trying to express for months now on this website. The games are in Beijing at this point, and it is best to engage China rather than isolate them. The United States should use this opportunity to build a bridge to improve life for Chinese citizens and the lives of those whom Chinese policies affect.

The Basketball Hall of Fame member best writes about the struggle of African Americans at the time of 1968 Olympics in Mexico City—which coincided with the height of the Vietnam War. Instead of a total boycott of the Mexico City Games, a compromise was made that resulted in the salute for black poverty at the medal ceremony by Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

Abdul-Jabbar writes, “The more we talk with each other, the more we understand each other and can reach compromises that will benefit the lives of those we are trying to help. Jackie Robinson once said that the great thing about athletics is that ‘you learn to act democracy, not just talk it.’ That's what our athletes will demonstrate to the 1 billion Chinese who may be watching.”

Kareem also went on to say that “a second means of influencing the Chinese is through globalization, in which we share products, entertainment, and culture with others—and they share theirs with us—in order to break down the barriers that make us fear each other's differences.”

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Big Trouble In Little China

Would someone please call the folks in Beijing and tell them to chill the heck out? After the latest series of bad news events from China, U.S. officials and other world leaders are probably waiting for Ashton Kutcher to run up at any moment and tell them that they just got Punk’d.

C’mon, you know how rowdy those wild and crazy Tibetan monks can be. The violent crackdown that resulted in the deaths of at least 10 Tibetan freedom protesters is evidence that the Chinese government is clueless about the extent to which the Olympic Games exposes the host country’s policies to criticism.

The Olympic flame lighting ceremony was disrupted by Tibetan protestors this past week. And to make matter worse, China is blocking CNN, YouTube, and other news organizations from reporting about the Tibetan crackdown.

The rapidly rising tide of negative news stories puts world leaders in an uncomfortable position of defending China’s indefensible, extreme tactics to quell free speech.

Many world leaders now face a growing chorus of voices favoring a boycott of the Beijing games. The ambivalence of China’s response only fans the flames.

While PreraceJitters.com agrees that China’s record on human rights is beyond reprehensible, we believe that an Olympic boycott is a terrible idea. First, China really doesn’t care what the United States – or any other country for that matter – thinks about their domestic policies. Second, a boycott really only punishes athletes around the world – including Chinese athletes – who have worked and suffered for the precious opportunity to represent their country on the Olympic stage.

Beijing Officials are nearing a tipping point where the host city’s issues become a distraction to the spectacle, competition, and pageantry of the Olympic Games and its’ unifying message. Maybe Beijing officials should try taking the high road on these matters. PreraceJitters.com has a prepaid phone card for anyone who wants to make that call.

I’m not saying, I’m just saying.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.