Expel Israel from Sports, But Who Kicks Out the Lobbyists?
The New Arab rightly points out that banning Maccabi fans isn't enough; expelling Israel from all sports is the proper response to its ongoing actions against Palestinians. Yet, while the calls for sporting boycotts echo, the deafening silence on the political arena is striking. For instance, in 2023, AIPAC spent over $10 million lobbying US politicians, influencing votes on critical aid packages
like the $14 billion military aid bill (HR 815) , which passed with bipartisan support. Funny how 'ethics' in sports are demanded, but 'ethics' in Washington are simply 'lobbying.' We can debate the virtue of keeping sports separate from politics all day, but the reality is, sports are often the first place we 'ethically' sanction bad behavior. (Remember Soviet Bloc athletes?) Meanwhile, the
architects of foreign policy, the very individuals enabling the actions that provoke these calls for boycotts, continue to operate with full legislative impunity, funded by vast sums of money. One might ask, if we're expelling teams for association, why aren't we expelling politicians for their financial allegiance?