This is the editor’s letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
When the Boston Red Sox went to the White House last week to be honored by President Trump for their 2018 World Series victory, about 10 of the 25 players boycotted. All were Hispanic or African-American. "It's personal, bro," catcher Christian Vazquez explained to The Washington Post. Like Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who also didn't go, Vazquez is from Puerto Rico and doesn't appreciate how Trump has treated the U.S. island devastated by Hurricane Maria. In the Trump era, these boycotts have become the norm. The University of Virginia men's basketball team recently refused a White House invitation. Trump angrily disinvited the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 after black players said they would not show up. They did not want to shake the hand of the president who demanded that the NFL fire the mostly black "sons of bitches" who knelt in protest during the national anthem.
Sports, in its finest moments, can enable Americans to forget and even transcend race. But our games have always been a mirror of society, showing us where race relations stand — and what we see today is not pretty. The Trump presidency has been like a magnitude-8.0 earthquake that has widened fault lines of race, class, and culture into chasms. Across these rifts, Americans view each other with growing disdain and mutual incomprehension. How can you show such disrespect to our president? shouts the tribe on one side. How can you not see how deliberately divisive your president is? responds the other. You have to wonder how much uglier this will get, and how it ends. At a rally in Florida last week, the president pointedly noted that border security agents can't use weapons on the migrants asking for asylum at the border. "How do we stop these people?" Trump asked. "Shoot them!" one rallygoer shouted. The crowd erupted in cheers and laughter, and the president of the United States grinned.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
