The year 2023 was quite a year for the intersection of sports and politics.
The notion that politics should stay out of the wide world of sports is no more. Even without athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, issues ranging from promoting social causes to transgender athletes participating in female sports have caused nothing short of controversy.
Still, this year in sports and politics has not been all doom and gloom. Joe Kennedy, fired in 2015, returned to coach football at Bremerton High School in Washington after the Supreme Court ruled that he had a right to pray on the field after a game.
Below, in no particular order, are the top moments of 2023 when the worlds of sports and politics converged.
Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports
Ever since former male swimmer Lia Thomas beat Olympian Emma Weyant in the 2022 NCAA Women’s 500-yard freestyle swimming competition, battles have erupted over transgender athletes in women’s sports.Oberlin College women’s lacrosse coach, Kim Russell, was fired after sharing a video of someone calling Ms. Weyant, not Mr. Thomas, the “real winner” of that competition. In the post, she wrote, “What do you believe? I can’t be quiet on this… I’ve spent my life playing sports, starting & coaching sports programs for girls & women.”
“I have been taken out of the role of coach, which is what I’ve done for 27 years,” she told Fox News in September. “I’ve been a P.E. teacher, a coach, and a teacher of programs of wellness, yoga, all sorts of things…and [been] asked to take a role as employee wellness program manager, [and] have no contact with students and creating things—which is paperwork.”
Natalie Winkelfoos, associate vice president for athletics at Oberlin, told Ms. Russell, “Unfortunately, you fall into the category of people that are kind of filled with hate in the world,” according to a recording aired on Fox News.
“It’s acceptable to have your own opinions, but when they go against Oberlin College’s beliefs, it’s a problem,” said Creg Jantz, senior associate director of athletics at the Ohio school, according to the recording.
When the college requested that she write a letter of apology, Ms. Russell refused.
Throughout the year, former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines, who was tied for fifth place in the event won by Lia Thomas, testified before Congress, voicing opposition to transgender female athletes in women’s sports.
Trans athletes’ participation in women’s sports has even been a topic on the presidential campaign trail.
Candidate Nikki Haley has repeatedly called it the “women’s issue of our time.”
“Biological boys don’t need to be playing in girls’ sports,” the former South Carolina Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. said on Aug. 12 at the Iowa State Fair.
Another candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, upon signing a bill prohibiting males from partaking in female sports, said, “In Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports, and boys are going to play boys’ sports.”
“I believe that women’s sports are reserved for biological women,” stated entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in August, adding that it goes against Title IX.
Djokovic Wins US Open After Vaccine Lockout
World tennis icon Novak Djokovic won the U.S. Open in September, months after being denied entry to the Miami Open because he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine.That was not the only time Mr. Djokovic, one of the best on the court with 1,087 wins and 24 Grand Slam singles titles, was denied entry into a country due to being unvaccinated against COVID.
In January 2022, he was denied entry to the Australian Open after authorities initially gave him an exemption.
“I told our Novak that the whole of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to see that the harassment of the world’s best tennis player is brought to an end immediately,” he posted on Instagram.
“In line with all norms of international law, Serbia will fight for Novak, truth, and justice,” said Mr. Vučić. “Novak is strong, as we all know.”NHL Pride Debacles
The issue of pride landed The National Hockey League in the middle of a controversy.The NHL no longer allows themed jerseys, including pride warmup jerseys. Last season, players refused to wear them for a variety of reasons.
In March, then-Buffalo Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who is Russian, declined to wear a pride jersey or participate in the team’s pride night warmup in the game against Montreal, for fear of retribution in his home country. Russia was recently described by Amnesty International as having a “prevailing climate of rampant state-promoted homophobia.”
Former Florida Panthers center Eric Staal, his brother, defenseman Marc Staal, former Philadelphia Flyers defender Ivan Provorov, and former San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer also refused to don warmup pride jerseys, citing religious beliefs.
MLB All-Star Game Is Back in Atlanta
Major League Baseball announced on Nov. 16 that Atlanta will again host the 2025 All-Star game—four years after the league pulled the Midsummer Classic out of the city to protest Georgia’s electoral reform law.This will be the third time Atlanta will play host, having previously done so in 1972 and 2000, but it will be the first time at the Braves’ current stadium, Truist Park, which opened in 2017.
That sentiment had previously soured in 2021 when MLB, under Mr. Manfred’s leadership, decided to move the All-Star game from Atlanta to Denver in response to Georgia enacting a new election law that implemented reforms, including having fewer ballot drop boxes, more early voting, new voter ID requirements to get absentee ballots, and reducing the time period between general and runoff elections.
Critics of the decision, including the Braves, said the decision to relocate the 2021 All-Star game—which the American League won over the National League—hurt businesses and working-class people in Atlanta.
Nonetheless, the Braves expressed appreciation for being picked to host the 2025 game.
Pending PGA Tour/LIV Golf Merger
A test of the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, the merger between golf’s two largest powerhouses sent shockwaves not only through the sports world but also through the halls of Congress. President Joe Biden, a golfer, gave an odd and unclear answer when asked about the possible merger: “I plan on being a PGA.”According to the framework, the nonprofit PGA Tour would maintain control of the competitions, while a new, yet-to-be-named for-profit umbrella organization would take care of the business side. The PGA Tour would maintain a controlling voting interest in the umbrella company, while Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns LIV Golf, would maintain a non-controlling voting interest.
PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan would be the chairman of the umbrella organization’s board of directors, while PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan would be the umbrella organization’s CEO. PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne, Mr. Al-Rumayyan, Mr. Monahan, and PGA Tour Policy Board Chairman Ed Herlihy would form the umbrella organization’s executive committee.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s notorious human rights record, numerous stars left the PGA Tour for a lucrative opportunity with LIV Golf. They included Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Sergio Garcia. As a result, they were prohibited from competing in the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have until Dec. 31 to complete the merger. Unless an extension is reached, both parties agreed to drop pending litigation.
During the hearing, Mr. Dunne and PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price said that the merger needs to happen for the sake of the PGA Tour and for the game of golf.
Mr. Blumenthal admonished the PGA Tour for caving to the PIF. He claimed that the PGA Tour “surrendered” to the Saudis because of the kingdom’s vast amounts of money.
Republicans came to the PGA Tour’s defense as the subcommittee’s ranking member, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), said Congress should allow the parties to complete the merger.
