Daily: SHUT UP AND PLAY? Why sport is always political

As footballers take the knee and culture warriors try to whip up a minority to boo, and the Tokyo Olympics teeter on the edge of cancellation, should we just accept that sport has always been inherently political? Jules Boykoff, former footballer, politics lecturer at Pacific University in Oregon and author of four books on the history of the Olympics, talks to Alex Andreou about the politics of sport’s showpiece event, whether the Tokyo Games will happen… and if it’s right to contact out politics to inexperience sportspeople.

• “Rule 50 outlaws expressions of politics at the Olympics… it’s a rule rooted in both power and hypocrisy”
• “The IOC are totally happy to have a made-for-TV event with no fans, as long as money heads into their coffers”
• “In major sports leagues 45-60% of the revenues to go to the athletes. At the Olympics it’s just 4.1%”
• “I don’t believe that every athlete should be an activist… but when it comes to athlete activism, now is a really exciting time to be alive”
• “The Olympic Committee is a profit-gobbling cartel… and one of the least accountable sports bodies in the world.

Presented by Alex Andreou. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers Jelena Sofronijevic and Jacob Archbold. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production

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