issue 1// vol 47 opinions // no. 19 Finished watching sports >» Who cares about the players’ Jacob Blake opinion? Timothy Easling Contributor fter the shooting of Jacob Blake, a umber of players and coaches began talking about a boycott. Soon, games were cancelled, and multi-millionaire athletes were sitting quietly in their bubbles. No speaking engagements, no volunteer work, no plan of action. Just days off. It’s really a struggle to understand political mob mentality sometimes. The idea that “boycotting” your own games (which you are willingly and handsomely employed to play) does anything for “awareness” of the cause is a serious deviation from logic. But perhaps more serious than this rational shortcoming is the insulting nature of athletes thinking that they can truly affect change simply by not doing something. Where are the athletes volunteering their time to speak to their communities? Where are the tales of athletes studying their stats and key points so they can better argue their side? Where are the millionaire athletes donating even so much as a meal to those truly in need? If youre going to take a stand, you probably shouldn't be pulling up a chair. Even more insulting, albeit likely through a helpless ignorance, is the total lack of regard shown for the already struggling food and beverage industry. When the athletes decided to boycott for Jacob Blake it was easy for them. Just don’t play. Get a night off. Get a few nights off. They'll still eventually play all the games. They'll still eventually pick up their game cheques. They'll still keep living the high life as they spout off against those who are truly privileged. But they didn’t think about the people who they really hurt. Game nights are the lifeblood of a great deal of bars and restaurants. They represent extra exposure. They represent extra revenue. They represent a chance to keep those already razor-thin margins above the water line for at least another day. Of course, with that added opportunity for a decent night, the establishments also have to prepare extra staff accordingly, whether it’s behind the bar, in the kitchen, or on the floor. More food than usual might be prepped. More advertising might be in order. And when these games get cancelled and the businesses are left with a quiet evening and a boatload of unnecessary overhead? At least the players are still fine. Thank god they let us know about their righteous cause. And all of asudden, even some of those rabid fans among the group start to question their enjoyment. Sports are meant to be an escape. Movies are an escape. There are all manner of escapes—but now the politics are inescapable. If issues start to get crammed into our leisure activities, are they escapes anymore? If you went on a hike and someone screamed “BLM” at you every few feet, it might lose a bit of the magic. I was very invested in the Canucks’ run. Did the politics bother me? A bit, but I figured it could be worse and put up with it. And then it got worse. Because it wasn't just politics—it was a privileged, actionless, ignorant, and selfish protest. If you postpone games without doing anything on the evening that you postponed... I’m going to stop watching. And I’m far from alone. NBA viewership is down. NHL ratings are down. MLB is down. ...perhaps not surprisingly, golf and its completely non-political approach is up. For the rest though, many of the commentators for various networks and newspapers try to explain away the drop with “people are slow to get back into watching sports,” “it’s traditionally a quiet time for TV,’ and, “COVID-19 has put everything out-of- Toxic.com? » Has the internet gotten too hostile? Craig Allan Staff Writer he invention of the internet may very well be society's greatest achievement. It has allowed all of us to do everything from writing assignments to watching TV. While it has also led to more seedier elements of the world like the black market to flourish in a new way, the good outweighs the bad. However, there is one part of the internet that often gets criticized for its toxicity and mean-spirited nature: social media. Is this reputation warranted though? In my opinion, social media is not really that toxic. The only reason we think it is toxic is because we choose to follow toxic people, and don't use the powers these social media platforms have to block out that toxicity. Though I am making this argument, Iam not going to say there are not toxic people out there. The people who drove Elizabeth Olsen off of Instagram due to her deemed late condolences to the death of her Avengers co-star Chadwick Boseman, and the people who contribute to the harassment of politicians are out there. However, for the most part, I believe that social media is not as toxic as people say. The reason we believe that social media is more toxic is because we are more likely to remember a bad interaction on social media than a good one. For example, years ago I was having a discussion with a woman on Twitter about politics. At one point I mentioned that overthrowing regimes is not always a good thing because they can lead toa worse regime taking over. The person I was talking to then attacked me saying that I was condescending and insinuating she, and all women were dumb because I began a response with “Just remember.” [f you had asked me what the last positive social media exchange I had, I would not be able to tell you, even if it may have happened just a few hours ago. If you asked about bad exchanges, I can still clearly remember this whack.” People are slow getting back into sports? It’s the playoffs. There's been nothing for months. Every sports fan has been starved for action. NFL fans have been reading super- early mock drafts for the entire summer. And summer may not be a traditional couch potato fest, but this is the playoffs. It’s that time of year you've been saving all of your best get-out-of-plans excuses for. It’s irresponsible and incorrect to try and blame so many failures on COVID-19. At some point you have to look at the product. How do characters like LeBron James not redden with embarrassment? If the system is so terrible and racist and weighted against those less fortunate, should not he give up all of his ill-gotten gains? The system that he constantly speaks out against is the same system that has given him more money, power, and fame than any of us can ever dream of. He’s crying bloody murder as every racist money stream he’s got pours funds through his window. Quit basketball. Quit all of the oppressive practices that your position entails. Quit profiting from the very thing you campaign against every single day. He’s like those oh-so-common Canadians who decry colonialism and stealing land... and then turn around and “purchase” a brand-new plot of land complete with a one and other bad exchanges I have had over the years. That’s because those stick with me longer than the good interactions, even if I didn’t do anything wrong. I havea feeling that this is the case with other social media users as well. Social media can be toxic, but it is getting easier to avoid these kinds of toxic interactions due to social media sites developing new technology to combat toxicity on social media. For example, Twitter has the “Mute” button, which allows people to mute conversations and accounts of people who might be displaying toxic behaviour. Muting someone is much nicer that straight up blocking someone and it provides a shield in defending people against social media bullies. Social media is much different than real life; in real life, anyone who comes out and wants to preach something that is racist or homophobic likely wouldn't do it in public. This leads to an emboldened populous who is willing to say online what stolen-wood house. And is it about race or politics? He keeps saying “Vote” without offering any real solution to issues. Are you campaigning or crusading? Anyone really think LeBron has to deal with racism? Anyone think the man shares any of the struggles with those not as well- off as himself? He’s nothing more than a massively talented hypocrite. His privilege allows him to profit from both sides. You need fewer LeBrons and more Billy Turners. The black tackle for the Green Bay Packers perhaps said it best himself: “Yeah, we can go out there and boycott football games. Sure, we can do that; that’s easy. What change is that going to bring initially and right away? Football fans across the country and the world pissed off because they can’t watch football. What is that negativity going to bring to the world because we're not out there playing this game? I don’t know that that necessarily creates change initially” I'm with you, Billy. I'd like to watch some football this season. Photo by Billy Bui they wouldn’t say to someone’s face. For this reason, it does have some level of toxicity, but it can be avoided. Some can’t avoid the brutality of social media, like politicians and celebrities for example, but for most people, separating yourself from social media toxicity is easy. Just don’t follow people who are spreading hate or drama, and if someone does attack you on social media, always remember that things like the “Mute” and “Block” buttons are your friends. If everyone used these properly, we would find that we can still have calm and thoughtful discussions without the toxic elements.