David Beckham's Failed Defense and Saudi's Buy Sports' Soul
Houston Dumps School Libraries, GOP Plans to Cancel Climate, The Perils of Fishing While Black, Laila Biali Sings
I’m excited about today’s newsletter because it contains a variety of topics: sports, education, climate change, and neighborhood racism. Plus, an awesome dance video and a lovely jazz duet. It’s a scrapbook of what’s going on in the country right now.
David Beckham Gives a Pitiful Defense of His Qatar Millions (The Daily Beast)
SUMMARY: Soccer star David Beckham says he was “comfortable” with his decision to become an ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a country where same-sex relationships are banned. The Inter Miami owner received a reported $193 million for his services promoting the tournament, where soccer fans’ rainbow flags were confiscated by officials. “The Qataris said from day one, ‘Everybody is welcome,’” Beckham, who was once revered for championing his gay fans, told The Athletic. “I came away after the final thinking, ‘This is possibly one of the safest World Cups I’ve been to.’ I spoke to people from the LGBTQ community. I was comfortable with the decision I made to get involved because I always feel that to make change you have to communicate, you have to engage.” He also addressed criticisms that he failed to speak up during the tournament, saying he “didn’t want to come out and be the person who is fueling the fire.” “I felt, ‘I’m going to talk at the right time,’” he said.
MY TAKE: I can’t blame Beckham for agreeing to be the World Cup ambassador for $193 million. Few of us know—or will ever know—what we’d do, what moral adjustments we’d make for that kind of payday. What bothers me is the attempted justification. If you’re going to compromise, then own it. If he’d just said, “Look, that’s a crazy amount of money, and I’m not getting any younger,” then I’d have to just be disappointed but not mad. But it’s the self-righteousness that I can’t get past.
David Beckham had been supportive of the LGBTQ+ community (“10 times David Beckham was proud to be a gay icon”) until this decision. The LGBTQ+ community felt betrayed because once you sign up as the poster boy for a country that persecutes gays, you are giving tacit approval to their oppressive behavior. If you pose for a photograph with your arm around Kim Jong Un while giving a thumbs-up, you’re basically endorsing his policies.
At the time of the World Cup, Beckham’s spokesperson said in a statement to CNN, “We understand that there are different and strongly held views about engagement in the Middle East but see it as positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region.” Beckman should have been embarrassed by this sad attempt at image rehabilitation. The issues were already being heatedly and energetically debated. He didn’t stimulate debate that would lead to the end of persecution. He did nothing to move the needle toward inclusivity. Rather, as “ambassador,” he gave passive encouragement to the policies continuing because he did not use his enormous celebrity to condemn them.
Let’s further examine a quote from the above article (my comments in bold and brackets): “I came away after the final thinking, ‘This is possibly one of the safest World Cups I’ve been to.’ [Safety wasn’t the issue being discussed. Every dictatorship boasts about safety because they have laws and a police force that doesn’t enshrine personal rights. Plus, it certainly wasn’t safe if you were openly gay.] I spoke to people from the LGBTQ community. [But he doesn’t tell us what he said or what they said in response. He implies that by talking to them, they supported his decision. However, there was plenty of international backlash (“David Beckham responds to criticism of his ambassadorial role at Qatar World Cup”).] I was comfortable with the decision I made to get involved because I always feel that to make change you have to communicate, you have to engage.” [What specific steps did he personally take to “make change”? What changes have been made since the World Cup? Qatari law requires a prison sentence of one to three years for homosexual sex. His “engagement” ended with receiving $193 million and nothing more.]
Take the money, but just be honest about it. There’s no path here for claiming a moral high ground.