Peng Shuai
where is she?
This is not a regular post. It is just an update on a previous post that I feel strongly about.
Update on a Previous Post
A while back I wrote a post titled “Tennis is Love”. Whether you read the post or not, take the time to understand the story of Peng Shuai. If you use Twitter, the hashtag is #WhereIsPengShuai. I have always believed that sports were a place that could lead society forward. The story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in baseball. Jesse Owens a black man who likely could not stay in a hotel in half of America becoming the symbol against Nazism in the 1936 Olympics. John Carlos and Tommie Smith raise their fists at the Mexico City Olympics representing a country where if they returned and took a seat near the front of a bus they might get their skulls fractured. Heroes for a moment and in an instant because they spoke, derision and hatred from home. My childhood hero Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record amidst death threats everywhere for him and his family.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has taken the step to suspend all tournament play in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since I wrote the original post. With the exception of Enes Kantor who has experience with authoritarianism, not a single sign of support from the NBA. Shameful. Shoe sales matter more than decency and equality. Nevertheless, an organized group of women have chosen to risk their livelihoods and much wealth to fight for what is right. Their male counterparts are largely silent. The PRC can someday be a responsible neighbor in this world of ours. If we cannot agree on the floor of human decency, we will never be able to raise the ceiling. It may take this brave group of women to bring them into the fold. Hooray for the WTA. This can be the beginning of great things that can transcend borders.
Please pass it on if you wish. I decided long after this was published it needed a song bad.