Athletes or Advocates?

Do the competitors at the Beijing Olympic Games have an obligation to speak out about the suffering in Darfur? It’s not like they don’t know about it. In fact a number of US athletes have spoken out about the genocide, but will they have the nerve to risk losing sponsors or worse, their freedom at the hands of the Chinese government?

While most of the vocal athletes come from sports like softball, speed skating and badminton, a number of high profile athletes made strong statements about the suffering in Darfur and even denounced the Chinese government. This list includes NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, who filmed a public service announcement for an NGO called Aid Still Required, and Lebron James, who signed an open letter denouncing the Chinese government’s complacence about the genocide in Darfur.

So in the next couple of weeks we will see whether these athletes continue to do the right thing. While it’s understandable that they keep the issues off the field, you can’t help but wonder about the type of impact they could have if they decided to be advocates.