Are Sports Really That Unifying?

Unitalian and I have a disagreement in the comments here about my post after watching some of the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Uni seems to think that I’m casting the entire Chinese people as “pariahs” because I take issue with many of the Chinese governments policies. That’s an irrational leap, but what really interests me is Unitalian’s claim that sports transcends boundaries and should certainly transcend prejudices (or in this case, moral disapproval). I’m sure that Unitalian is not alone in believing this: and it is this sentiment exactly that will lead millions of Americans to put aside their moral objections to China’s myriad human rights violations, suck it up, and watch the Olympics, because sports are a unifying force, an opportunity to celebrate “our shared humanity.”
I was absolutely with Unitalian on that point until I thought about it for a long time a few days ago. I […]