Taking the knee was a powerful way to amplify the message of Black Lives Matter, writes Jon Sopel. But football needs to stop its sanctimonious posturing and allow fans a place to escape what’s happening elsewhere in the world
…says professional journalist Jon Sopel whose podcast in the last two weeks includes episodes such as:
“Should it be a crime to shout “jihad”?”
“The UK politics of Israel-Palestine”
“Is Israel about to commit war crimes?”
“How does Israel get its hostages back?”
“How far will Israel go in response to Hamas terrorism?”
The misinformation of war
Can there ever be peace in the Middle East?
Is Biden going to Israel a bad idea?
and the hilarious… “Are the Tories heading for extinction?”
It’s almost like it’s a very important talking point of mainstream media and all-compassing, impactful social issue that bleeds into every aspect of life, even entertainment and sports.
He says “I don’t go to the theatre and stand, head bowed for whatever the passing cause is.” … a respected journalist calling thousands of murdered innocent civilians a “passing cause” is abhorrent in itself but to assume that entertainment isn’t subject to current events is downright ridiculous (e.g. he even says he doesn’t “go to see the Barbie movie to remember victims of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh” when the movie itself was criticized by many for being too “political”)
Whose podcast is called The Newsagents, it’s their business to be informed and bring news to listeners. No one is going to their podcast to watch sport. It’s their job to be informed and deliver the news as they see it - they don’t signal affiliations and promote causes.
And that’s bad faith/disingenuous to wrap up that ‘passing cause’ comment as an attempt to diminish the seriousness of the situation in Gaza.
…says professional journalist Jon Sopel whose podcast in the last two weeks includes episodes such as:
“Should it be a crime to shout “jihad”?”
“The UK politics of Israel-Palestine”
“Is Israel about to commit war crimes?”
“How does Israel get its hostages back?”
“How far will Israel go in response to Hamas terrorism?”
The misinformation of war
Can there ever be peace in the Middle East?
Is Biden going to Israel a bad idea?
and the hilarious… “Are the Tories heading for extinction?”
It’s almost like it’s a very important talking point of mainstream media and all-compassing, impactful social issue that bleeds into every aspect of life, even entertainment and sports.
He says “I don’t go to the theatre and stand, head bowed for whatever the passing cause is.” … a respected journalist calling thousands of murdered innocent civilians a “passing cause” is abhorrent in itself but to assume that entertainment isn’t subject to current events is downright ridiculous (e.g. he even says he doesn’t “go to see the Barbie movie to remember victims of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh” when the movie itself was criticized by many for being too “political”)
Whose podcast is called The Newsagents, it’s their business to be informed and bring news to listeners. No one is going to their podcast to watch sport. It’s their job to be informed and deliver the news as they see it - they don’t signal affiliations and promote causes.
And that’s bad faith/disingenuous to wrap up that ‘passing cause’ comment as an attempt to diminish the seriousness of the situation in Gaza.