More and more representatives of the world of sports join the criticism of the current government in the United States. The new wave of discontent was triggered by the massacres that occurred on August 3 and 4 in the states of Texas and Ohio, as well as recent controversial statements by President Donald Trump about several women members of the country's congress representing minorities.
The legendary American athlete Carl Lewis joined the dissatisfied. During a press conference on the Pan American Games these days in Peruvian Lima, he openly criticized the head of state for discrimination. According to him, at present the USA is faced with a number of problems that the current government does not react to in any way.
“There are many problems. Our president is a racist, a blinded person and a woman-hater who does not value anyone but himself. But this does not mean that we can’t fight for what is right for the people and pay attention to where others in their lives could have missed something or found themselves on the sidelines, ”quoted Yahoo Sport as saying.
In mid-July, on his Twitter page, Trump called on four representatives of the Democratic Party, actively advocating for the rights of immigrants, to return "to their homeland", where, according to him, there are more serious problems with domestic politics. The President believes that they should not interfere in the affairs of the United States, as they are not capable of truly loving this state and imbued with its problems.
Despite the fact that the president did not give specific names, his ambiguous statement was taken at his own expense by Rashid Tlaib, Alexandria Okasio-Cortes, Ayanna Pressli and Ilhan Omar. All of them are US citizens and, except for Omar, were born on American territory. Trump's statements sparked a flurry of indignation in American society.
At a press conference in Lima, Lewis touched on another hot topic. He advocated equal pay for women and men.
“The reality is that there is a mass of prejudice, and a mass of prejudice is fear. To give equal opportunities to be afraid, because it will help us ... But in reality it is the same different player in another team. So yes, I am for, ”said the nine-time Olympic champion.
As an example of an athlete who had a tremendous impact on his life and career, he brought his mother, runner Evelyn Lewis, who took part in the first Pan American Games in the US team.
“If there wasn’t a strong woman in my life, I wouldn’t talk to you here today. My mother was a pioneer, ”added the legendary athlete.
The problem of equal rights in sports was especially acute after the triumphant return of the US national team from the World Cup for Women.
Senator from the state of West Virginia Joseph Manchin drew public attention to the fact that the wages of athletes are several times lower than that of representatives of the men's team, despite the fact that it can not boast of such high results. He proposed to equalize payments at the legislative level, since, in his opinion, otherwise, this could negatively affect the holding of the 2026 mundial.
At the end of July, defender of the National Football League (NFL) Carolina Panthers team, Eric Reed, also known for his criticism of the US authorities, said he would continue to participate in protests ahead of the matches. According to him, the country has not only not changed for the better, but also increased discrimination.
“If one day I understand that we have solved these problems and our people are not discriminated against and are not killed for violating the rules of the road, then I will stop the protests. So far I don’t see this, ”- quotes the footballer The Guardian.
In 2016, Reid, who at that time played for San Francisco Forty Niners, along with his teammate Colin Kapernik, became one of the initiators of the protests on the eve of football matches. As a sign of dissatisfaction with the US domestic policy regarding the black population, as well as the arbitrariness of law enforcement agencies, they stood on one knee during the performance of the national anthem.
Players were supported by team managers and football coaches, as well as representatives of other sports. Many of them continued the work of Reed and Kapernik, repeating their gesture or completely refusing to take part in pre-match ceremonies.