EDMONTON — “Keep politics out of sports.”
Fans of every sport, including fans of the Edmonton Oilers, want to have their politics kept in its own tidy box outside of hockey. However, Thursday night’s 4 Nations Face-off finale is steeped in politics.
The lead up to the game between Team Canada and Team USA began with controversy. Bill Guerin, the USA GM, was misquoted in an article that went viral.
For the championship game, each team named an honorary captain. Wayne Gretzky was the choice selected for Canada while Mike Eruzione was the selection for Team USA.
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This happened while US President Donald Trump keeps threatening the sovereignty of Canada. The constant referring to Canada as the “51st state” and calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “Governor” are demeaning at best.
At surface level this makes sense because he’s the “Great One” for a reason. He’s also a very open supporter of Trump, the man who is hellbent on making Canada into whatever he wants.
Sports and politics are inevitably linked. Wearing a military appreciation jersey is a political statement, as is wearing a Pride Night jersey, or being prohibited to wear any jerseys of the sort.
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