# Is sports better off with or without politics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 29, 2019, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sports-better-off-with-or-without-politics/828599 "2019-01-29T04:09:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sports-better-off-with-or-without-politics/828599/21 "2019-01-30T18:19:06Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > 1. As far as the individuals, they certainly have every right to express their political opinions, but again see #1, however I don’t understand why the public cares. Let’s just take Tom Brady for example. The public either admires or hates him because of his abilities as a quarterback. If he wants to come out for or against Trump’s border wall, why does anyone care? He has no particular expertise on the matter. The media might as well interview any poster on this board about the wall. > > . Unlike normal times, in the age of Trump, any sports or entertainment figure who supports that moronic asshole needs to hear repeatedly that enabling Trump has serious career consequences. We “care” because we love our country. If Tom Brady came ou and said “I think Trump is doing a fine job,” he increases to some extent the ability of Trump to stay in office. That’s a terrible thing. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sports-better-off-with-or-without-politics/828599/22 "2019-01-30T18:46:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > An organization can’t have political views. Any political views that are attributed to the organization are really held by individuals within that organization. If an organization pays lobbyists to try to pass or kill this or that legislation, I’d have to attribute political views to the organization itself, regardless of which individuals in the org. were specifically responsible. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sports-better-off-with-or-without-politics/828599/23 "2019-02-01T07:21:14Z")
I would say this about anyone who comes out publically about anything. They should risk something. Contributing some money for something already and asking us to do the same risks nothing, it’s a wealthy person criticizing poorer peoples collective moral compass. You want me to change my mind about something. Sacrifice. Follow a moral path for the sake of it. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sports-better-off-with-or-without-politics/828599/24 "2019-02-02T17:46:03Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > That’s what an organization _is_. It’s just people. There’s nothing else it can be. So I don’t understand why people who decide to organize can’t have political views. As far as I can tell, “the individuals within an organization have political views” is synonymous with “the organization has political views”. It’s a distinction without a difference. This is only true if the organization has a single goal which happens to be political in nature. So, the International Organization to Reduce Potholes probably can be correctly said to have a singular voice on that issue. If the organization is a sports team, a corporation, a religious institute or anything along those lines, I guarantee you that its individual members don’t all come down the same way on political issues, no matter what the leaders of those organization might want to claim. There are Catholics on birth control, Benetton employees who are anti-diversity, and Dallas Cowboys players who don’t agree with Jerry Jones on much of anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sports-better-off-with-or-without-politics/828599.md?page=1)