Laura McAllister, a prominent Professor of Public Policy and former captain of the Wales national women’s football team, joins sports historian Fred Frommer to explore the complexities of sports boycotts. They discuss the effectiveness of diplomatic boycotts during the Beijing Winter Olympics, delving into historical examples like South Africa's and the 1980 Moscow Games. The conversation also highlights the evolving role of athletes as activists and questions whether isolation truly fosters political reform.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Brundage's Tour
In 1934, Avery Brundage toured Germany to assess their treatment of Jewish athletes.
He was easily convinced and declared there was no reason for a boycott, despite rising concerns about the Nazi regime.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Jesse Owens' Triumph
Jesse Owens' success at the 1936 Berlin Olympics contradicted Nazi ideology.
This highlights how boycotts can have unintended consequences.
insights INSIGHT
Boycott Effectiveness
Boycotts can yield opposite results, like Jesse Owens' success defying Nazi intentions.
Support for boycotts can be hard if the boycotting country has similar issues.
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Washington Baseball from Walter Johnson to the 2019 World Series Champion Nationals
Fred Frommer
This book captures the rich history of baseball in Washington, D.C., spanning from the early days of Walter Johnson to the 2019 World Series victory of the Nationals. It highlights key figures and moments, including the 1924 World Series champion Washington Senators and the Homestead Grays of the Negro Leagues. The book also details the dramatic postseason of the 2019 Nationals, who overcame significant odds to win their first World Series title.
Karn
Karn
Andrew Mueller
The 2022 Winter Olympics have just opened in Beijing. Not for the first time in Olympic history, the Games will begin amid controversy over the host nation. China is regularly criticised over its record on human rights, most recently over its systematic oppression of the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority. Nations such as the US, Canada, Australia and the UK are undertaking a diplomatic boycott of the event, but do boycotts in sports work? Joining us to discuss it is Laura McAllister, Professor of Public Policy at Cardiff University. Laura is Board Director at the Football Association of Wales Trust, Deputy Chair of UEFA's Women's Football Committee and former captain of the national women’s football team of Wales. Joining Laura is Fred Frommer, sports historian, author and writer, who regularly focuses on the intersection of sports and politics for publications including The Washington Post and The New York Times. Hosting the discussion is Andrew Mueller, journalist and foreign affairs specialist, whose own book, Carn, looks at the history of a game dear to his heart: Australian Rules football.
Intelligence Squared 