Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

'68 Olympics Salute Shouldn't Be Glorified

By Sam Biddle,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 29, 2008 11:43 AM CDT

(Newser) – Last week ESPN honored athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, famous for their  ‘black power’ salute at the ’68 Olympic games, with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the network’s ESPYs award ceremony. LA Times commentator Jonah Goldberg outlines what he considers the highly dubious implications of the award, which he says "rests on an inch-deep nostalgia and the triumph of celebrity culture."

The the lionization of Smith and Carlos contradicts not only the the fundamental non-political ideals of the Olympics, Goldberg writes, but glosses over the Black Panther call for armed revolution. “In today's culture, is it even worth trying to remind people that the black power salute was, for those who brandished it most seriously, a symbol of violence—rhetorical, political and literal—against the United States?”

Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYs Awards on Wednesday July 16, 2008 in Los Angeles.
Tommie Smith, left, and John Carlos accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the ESPYs Awards on Wednesday July 16, 2008 in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, US athletes Tommie Smith, top center, and John Carlos, top right, extend their gloved fists skyward during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, US athletes Tommie Smith, top center, and John Carlos, top right, extend their gloved fists skyward during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner."   (AP Photo/file)
In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, US athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos, right, extend their gloved fists skyward during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
In this Oct. 16, 1968, file photo, US athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos, right, extend their gloved fists skyward during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner."   (AP Photo/file)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Sports World Full of Obama Fans

Sky Camera Falls on Insight Bowl

US Sending 500 FBI Agents to London Olympics

London Olympics Blasted for Using Endangered Wood

Hank Hits Back at Fox, ESPN —in Song


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne