https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2018/02/18/new-new-winter-olympics-sport-american-fans-hating-2018-winter-olympic-sport-americans-cheering/349150002/
American fans hating on American athletes who speak their mind.
Adam Rippon, Lindsey Vonn, and Gus Kenworthy all dared to speak out critically against the leaders of our country. Exercising the right of the First Amendment comes at a cost these days for America’s athletes. Lindsey Vonn once said that she would never visit The White House if she was invited to. Most Americans became so angry by her honest exchange of opinions and they treated her as if she were a mortal enemy. Rippon and Kenworthy are openly gay and they have been attacked on social media with angry thoughts, personal attacks, nasty language, and much more that you can only imagine. Lindsey Vonn said in an interview that she takes the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means on the opening ceremony. She said that she wants to represent our country well and she doesn’t think there are a lot of people currently in our government that can do that.
The Olympians representing the US, and all US citizens, have the right to freedom of speech. Lindsey Vonn is very talented and famous, but I think that that if she abuses this right too much, then it would possibly jeopardize her reputation. All eyes are on her this week, and she has a lot of pressure on her to be perfect. People need to respect her opinions instead like they need to every US citizen who has the right to freedom of speech.
It's sad that exercising their first amendment can affect their reputation, but at the same time they are representing America, and speaking out against their country simultaneously.
ReplyDeletei agree, something should be done
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