One of the great lessons sports teaches is that many times political and social boundries can be overcome through play on the athletic field. baseball gave us Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier, and last year in an Olympic tuneup, four nations who have few political ties as a group…Chinese Taipei, China, Japan and Korea…met in baseball and opened the door for future positive relations. So it was very disappointing to see events unfold this week at a women's tennis tournament in Dubai, when Israel's Shahar Peer was denied a visa to compete in the event. Harvey Araton's column in the New York Times went into great detail about the incident and the long-range ramifiactions the political move could have on sports in the region, especially for tennis and golf. Even more evidence of the damage was the withdrawl of the Wall Street Journal as a sponsor of the event, and it will be interesting to see if any players of note take a further stand in support as the week unfolds. Tennis players have been usually apolitical and the Tour has followed the dollar into some interesting regions of the world in recent years, so while a stand by players would be surprising, it could have the effect of unifying a sport which is sometimes viewed as fractured. In addressing the issue, Tour CEO Larry Scott took a strong and cautious approach, which was the prudent thing to do. A knee-jerk move to cancel the event outright could have turned the promoters into winners in a politically charged region, and could have cost players travel and prize money, as well as putting some sponsor deals in jeopardy. By playing through, the sport has taken a high road position and can let those behind the scenes see what the prudent road will be going forward. The biggest brand damage in the long run may not be to the one tournament, but could be in drawing high quality events…from rugby to golf to basketball…into the Emirates going forward. The other interesting area to follow will be on Emirates companies looking to grow their brand abroad, and whether a backlash against those events that may partner with such companies (such as horse racing) will face a public outcry. In a time when most of the world is hoping for social change, the denial of an athlete to ply her trade because of nationality is disappointing, and shows that there are still ways to go to have true unity in sports across the board. Kudos to the WTA for their stance thus far, with the hope that they follow through on the issue an deliver a penalty for the event that is worthwhile and sends the right message for all sports.
Some other good reads…CBS Sports.com has a good piece on the recruitment of a 12 year old quarterback, and the issues/opportunities that such actions present…Sunday's New York Times Magazine had a great profile of All-Star Shane Battier by Michael Lewis, and shows the evolution of hoops into the stat-crazy world that baseball has been in for a while…the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan has a good portrait of David Ortiz… and Darren Rovell has a good look at the marketing oppts presented to two-time Slam Dunk winner Nate Robinson.
