SportsWorld Unites Against Russia
By Ken Reed
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has received a near universal pushback. The SportsWorld is no exception.
In the days following Vladimir Putin’s decision to attack Russia’s neighbor Ukraine, the SportsWorld has condemned Russia in a variety of ways.
The International Olympic Committee strongly urged all sports bodies under the Olympic umbrella to exclude Russian athletes and officials from all international events. The IOC also withdrew the Olympic Order it gave Putin in 2001.
Soccer’s governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, have come down strong against Russia, banning Russian teams from the 2022 World Cup and European tournaments. The action followed individual statements from Poland’s, Sweden’s and Czech Republic’s soccer bodies saying they would refuse to play Russia in World Cup qualifying events. Russia has also been stripped of hosting the Champions League final.
In tennis, Ukraine’s highly-ranked Elina Svitolina said she would refuse to play an opponent from Russia or Belarus moving forward. Russia’s star men’s tennis player, Andrey Rublev signed a camera lens after a semifinal win with the message: “No war please.”
In auto racing, the Russian Grand Prix, scheduled for September was cancelled. The decision came after defending world champion Max Verstappen said he wouldn’t race in the event. “When a country is at war, it’s not right to run there.”
In hockey, the International Ice Hockey Federation pulled back the 2023 junior world championships from Russia and suspended all Russian and Belarusian teams from its competitions.
Boxing’s four major sanctioning bodies all banned bouts in Russia.
Basketball’s governing body suspended Russian teams from all competitions and the EuroLeague suspended Russian basketball teams from the EuroCup.
The men’s volleyball world championship scheduled for Russia in August has been relocated.
And on and on it goes. The suspensions and cancellations handed to Russia stretch across virtually all sports.
Moreover, multiple sports entities have dropped Russian sponsors.
While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and resultant horrific impact on human lives, has been depressing, the strong response from the world of sports has certainly been gratifying.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #33 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Ken Reed Announces His Retirement and Chats With League of Fans Founder Ralph Nader – Ken and Ralph talk about the history of League of Fans and the reasons it was created. They then move into a discussion of a variety of contemporary sports issues that League of Fans has been working on in recent years. Ken and Ralph end by talking about the need for sports fans, athletes, and other sports stakeholders to get involved in the sports reform movement and be activists and change agents on issues important to them, whether that be at the local, state, or national level.
Listen on Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and others.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify and others.
Episode #32 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Prolific Author Joe Posnanski Joins the Show – Posnanski is one of America’s best sportswriters and has twice been named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. We chat about his new book, “Why We Love Baseball,” his new Substack newsletter called Joe Blogs.
Episode #31 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Foul Ball Safety Is Still an Important Issue at Ballparks – Our guests are Jordan Skopp, founder of FoulBallSafety.com and Greg Wilkowski, a Chicago based attorney. We discuss the historical problem of foul balls injuring fans and why some teams are still hesitant to put up protective netting in some minor league and college baseball parks.
Episode #30 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The State of College Athletics with Dr. David Ridpath: Problems and Potential Solutions – Ridpath is a sports administration professor at Ohio University and a member of The Drake Group, a college sports reform think tank.
Episode #29 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Honorable Tom McMillen Visits League of Fans’ Sports Forum – McMillen is a former All-American basketball player, Olympian, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Congressman. We discuss the state of college athletics today.
Episode #28 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: A Chat With Mano Watsa, a Leading Basketball and Life Educator – Watsa is President of PGC Basketball, the largest education basketball camp in the world. We discuss problems in youth sports today.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
Books