Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Thinks an Olympic Boycott Is a Bad Idea

Forty years ago, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was invited to play for the United States basketball team in the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. It was a decision he struggled with as racial strife and the Vietnam War made participation a sticky issue for him. He ultimately chose not to play, because of a summer job not politics he says, and was at home watching when Tommy Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in the iconic moment of those games.

Abdul-Jabbar's memories have been stoked by the discussion about possible boycotts of this summer's Games in Beijing, a topic he discusses in a piece written for the Los Angeles Times.

Should we boycott the Olympic Games to protest China's arrogant human rights performance, its political imperialism, its shoddy exports that recently have left some Americans ill or dead?

The answer is no. While it may seem disingenuous to be playing games with countries that aim weapons at us, the same claim can be made about us by many other countries.

I am of a mind that the actions of Smith and Carlos made a difference in 1968. However, this Olympics is an entirely different situation that requires different tactics to achieve a satisfactory resolution. Instead of turning our backs, we need to continue a dialogue with the Chinese.

Why can't part of that dialogue take place at the Games in a similar fashion as 1968?

It would have been easy for those who disagreed with Smith and Carlos's actions to argue that they should have competed and left their political issues at home by saying it was the wrong time and place for such statements. They wouldn't have raised consciousness about the issue if they had, however, and wouldn't have made the difference that Abdul-Jabbar credits them with either.

It also wouldn't have allowed for the dialogue that he argues the U.S. and others need to have with China. Had Smith and Carlos not raised their fists, there wouldn't have been any following discussion in the United States just as there wouldn't have been any if they had just boycotted. That's exactly the same situation, then, for athletes who are concerned about issues pertaining to China.

Abdul-Jabbar is right, there shouldn't be a boycott, but he's wrong about these Olympics being an entirely different situation. The athletes should speak their minds, share their concerns and, yes, raise their fists if they choose. It was the right thing in 1968 and it's the right thing now.

(H/T Can't Stop The Bleeding)