Mark and Tyler are AFRAID! of getting into politics in sports

Politics! Ugh! Everyone hates politics. But it is important, even in sports. In ancient Greece the Olympics served not only as a show of might for each city-state, but also as a means of uniting the ancient greeks. During nazi Germany the Olympics was used as means to promote Hitler's ideology, while during the cold war both the US and Russia regarded sports, especially chess, as means of one-upping the other side. Again in the Olympics, this time 1968, John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised a black gloved fist to protest against the treatment of African Americans in the US. Individual athletes have also used sports as means of promoting ideologies, with a famous one being Muhammad Ali (anti-racism, refusing to draft for the Vietnam war etc). In more modern history, athletes have kneeled during the national anthem to protest in favour of BLM, while on the opposite side of the political spectrum trans athletes are used as a fearmongering tool by the right to further their attacks on queer people. And yet, despite all that, Tyler and Mark tend to avoid talking about stuff like that during their segments, as if trying to stay apolitical by not talking about those issues, even though they're the #1 sports podcast. But as a queer person, and seeing as my life is included in those politics, i would like to ask that these parts of sports are not overlooked. They're a big part of why sports are important, and it further shows just how tied humanity is to sports.