There is one tenet that most sports fans live by and that is keep politics out of the game, event or exhibition that they love and it applies equally to soccer, NFL and as we have seen in the recent winter Olympics – whether you agree here or not – the Skeleton and a remembrance helmet. The same is also true when it comes to the many promotions that inhabit the sphere of World Wide Wrestling.
Promotions are the name of the game and even wrestling enthusiasts will enjoy their bitcoin mobile casino gaming during quieter moments, but the political spectrum right now is anything but quiet. Of course, the line in sports entertainment can get a little bit blurred at times as well known faces embrace their cameos but given how fractured politics and wider issues in the United States of America are right now, even the ultimate live distraction of ringside story arc action has not escaped the public’s frustration.
Issues surrounding the behaviour of ICE in Minnesota and President Trump’s true motivations are front and centre right now, and plenty of wrestlers have long been making their own feelings clear on topics such as this. ICE promotional material featured during the sponsor breaks, and fans at a Las Vegas AEW main event Eliminator Match between Brody King and reigning champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman took full advantage to get their voices heard as it was screened on TBS and HBO Max.
There cannot be anyone who has not seen a wide eyed MJF react in surprise to audience chants of ‘F*** ICE’ whilst King nodded along in agreement. It was placed to be the perfect storm really, Las Vegas is a major immigration destination for Latinos and the company does have a large Latino fan base given their embracing of both Mexican luchadores and Latino wrestling tradition, and the crowd certainly got their point across and garnered airwaves on the late night talk shows.
Fans relished the build up to the encounter and whilst some would have favoured traditional sportsbooks for the outcome, others would enjoyed gaming on mobile bitcoin casino apps as the bell drew near.
But King had already spoken out against ICE’s behaviour and the tragic loss of life that has been seen, and he had been helping to raise money for the Minnesota Rights Action Committee to support local communities. He has previously done similar for a non-profit in California.
King ultimately triumphed in the clash, but that was obviously a sideshow on the news headlines, and the viral moment appears to be gaining further ground as at the end of this week former WWE broadcaster Kayla Becker – better known as Kayla Braxton – took to her social media to talk about her own frustrations at being silenced by the company when it came to their handling of political discourse.
The 34 year old has been more vocal in recent times and she revealed that speaking out has cost her followers and friendships, but that she believes a platform comes with responsibilities to use it correctly to call out the difference between wrong and right.
Criticising the WWE’s standpoint of staying silent because sports entertainment is a distraction from the real world, she spoke about climate change and called on them to remove Donald Trump from their Hall of Fame – acknowledging it would never happen for corporate reasons.
Fans will obviously hold their own views here, but it is a very safe bet indeed that the coming weeks will see even more ‘names’ speak out with their own views.
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