IN GOOD CONSCIENCE: dont we need more sportsmen with moral courage like venus williams?

Question

Hey guys.
First of all, let me clarify this: I don’t have any political affiliation.
As you all might have heard, Venus Williams won the Dubai Tennis Championship.
But Im much more concerned with what she had to say during the post-match press conference.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ju5qfcPKaqUEDUzvBebgWAer9EWgD96G5PP80

As highly politicized as sports is, political values should NOT be mixed together with sports.
This is not the matter of right and wrong, or whose political view is upright and whose is not.
Sports are supposed to be played in the spirit of sportsmanship and brotherhood.
When politics come into the equation, these values are easily wiped off and that definitely does no good for sports.

My question is:
SHOULD SPORTS BE MIXED WITH POLITICS?

When Israeli athlete Shahar Peer was denied visa entry for the tournament due to alleged racial discrimination, I was deeply disheartened.
Tennis is a sport well known for its highly respectful manner.
This incident has tainted this clean reputation, for sure.
Luckily, Venus Williams came to the rescue with a highly commendable act by saluting Peer after the tournament.
Well it could have had more impact had she spoken up during the course of the tournament.
But just to stand up for the politically prejudiced against takes a lot of courage, and we have to credit Venus for that.

DON’T WE NEED MORE SPORTSMEN LIKE VENUS WHO HAVE THE MORAL COURAGE TO SPEAK UP FOR THE PREJUDICED?
With more athletes like her, sports will become a much better place than what it is today.
And this is likely to encourage more racial and political tolerance to the world, considering the massive effect sports have today.

Please put forth respectful arguments, rather than just answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Regards
lightofwadowice

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Yes. In addition to mentioning Peer in her victory speech, Venus (who is a member of the WTA players council) is heading to Indian Wells next month for a council meeting to decide what more should be done to right the wrong in the Dubai controversy.

I disagree with what "CATMANDU" had to say because if Venus didn't care she could've stayed out of it completely. A lot of other players chose not to comment. 

People like "CATMANDU" don't understand that the professional tennis circuit is not like your neighborhood tennis tournament. People do care if you don't show up. The players can't just pull out at will because they feel like it. There are repercussions for their actions-there are fans and sponsors to worry about. 

Professional tennis is a business and the tours operate like businesses. Some tournaments are mandatory for top players, injuries are verified, and fines are handed out in an effort to keep the sponsors happy and the tours alive.

A top player like Venus withdrawing from Dubai would be costly to the player, the tour, the fans, and the sponsors who sponsor more than just Dubai. It is important for the WTA which has had trouble landing sponsors to keep the sponsors (who not affiliated with the tournament) happy, that is why the event was not immediately canceled and the players did not withdraw.

Peer found out last Saturday her visa was denied, the players were already in Dubai and the tournament was just about underway when it became known to everyone. The WTA players did not have the choice(like Andy Roddick) of wether or not to make the trip to Dubai because they were already there. Canceling the event or withdrawing players would be a catastrophic and costly blunder for the tour. 

Venus should not donate her prize money to worthy Isreali causes because she is NOT taking a political side. She is standing up for a fellow player who was denied a right to play, it doesn't matter where Shahar Peer is from.

? · Answer

I agree we need more heros like Venus Williams, she is a huge role model for young girls everywhere. She is a very vocal advocate for players rights and I've been a fan of hers for a long time but she earned even more respect from me when she was very vocal in her opposition to unequal prize money for women at the grandslams which affects me in my career in tennis.  But even more respect for her having words to say against UAE for there discrimination against Shahar Peer after she won Dubai. It is never good to mix politics with sports the Olympics has a history of this and it always ends up being very sad to see, but the UAE did it by denying Peer a visa for Dubai and it's great that Venus had the guts to speak up about it.

Jerry S · Answer

we do need more people like Ms. williams speaking out against
prejudice etc... i could not agree with you more.
i do not believe stanfords, fallout will be a sign of financial
catastrophe in the near furure.

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, we need more people like Venus Williams

Uh-Oh Chongo · Answer

Wow! Nothing more to say after Catmandu!

Anonymous · Answer

So what do you think of Andy Roddick withdrawing?

catmandu · Answer

If she really cared she wouldn't have played.

It was 100% covering her own ***.

She took the money and ran.

If she cares so much why doesn't she donate her winnings to worthy Israeli cause ala Patrick Rafter after he won the U.S. Open.

JOHNNY M · Answer

we need more athlete's to be more humble today

tennislover · Answer

yes good for her! she is very morally correct...

Michael Scott · Answer

hey boo!  you so crazy!

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IN GOOD CONSCIENCE: dont we need more sportsmen with moral courage like venus williams?

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