Powerful story re: Long Island U & 1936 Olympics

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coolhandgopher said:
I saw this article over on ESPN, pretty compelling story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=weinreb/090414
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting that--probably goes without saying that it's nothing I'd ever heard of before.

But it leaves me with a sense of sadness. I will always support the right to peaceful expression that these guys exercised, and I greatly respect their determination for solidarity. But I think they harmed their own cause.

They chose to boycott. Like most boycotts, it had no real effect that I can see on advancing their cause. [See, e.g., Carter's boycott of the 1980 Olympics or Russia's retaliatory boycott in 1984.] But what could have happened if they had gone? The signature story of the 1936 Olympics was Jesse Owens putting the lie to HItler's silly theory of Aryan supremacy, and showing him to be a small minded, petty tyrant when Hitler refused to shake Owens' hand. If we had had a second signature story--a half Jewish baskeball team destroying Hitler's myth of religious inferiority, might the world--or at least Germany--woken up earlier? The odds are against it, of course, but you never know. And what a message it might have sent to the anti-Semites in this country.
 

Humility

Clearly, these men were humble, did the right thing, and moved on with their lives. A similar action today would likely result in a publicist being hired to help the guys make the talk show circuit, get a book deal, and print tee shirts.

What was likely a basic virtue for these guys is looked on with confusion today. Why would you do such a noble thing and not tell anyone? Probably because these guys were doing noble things every day and not telling people about it. It's the way they lived. Isn't this the heart of the greatest generation? You just do what you're supposed to do.

This is a great read. It's why we need good journalists digging stuff like this up.
 

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