“Are you not entertained?” Thus Maximus confronted a rapt Roman audience in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator,” after handily defeating his opponents in the Colosseum.
How much, really, has changed? What are we willing to ignore, or even embrace, for our entertainment?
When it comes to Hollywood, we accepted decades of mistreatment of women. As the #MeToo movement brought these misdeeds to light, how often did we hear the refrain, “Everyone knew it was going on . . . ”
This past October, after Houston Rockets owner Daryl Morey expressed support for protesters in Hong Kong, the NBA was quick to shut him down and defend totalitarian China. For them, this was largely about a growing Chinese market, but how many NBA fans, after the initial moral indignation died down, really gave a toss?
In 2022, the World Cup — the world’s most popular sporting tournament — will take place in Qatar. The controversies surrounding this locale range from the widely acknowledged bribery on the part of Qatar to win the bid, to the essentially slave labor employed by Qatar to build the stadia.
Forced labor? How much has really changed since the days of the gladiators?
Look at our own sports leagues: Top athletes are certainly well compensated, but they are treated like human chattel at an auction block. Ever watch the NFL scouting combine?
Ever since the NBA’s public opposition of freedom of speech, I have stopped closely following the Nuggets. Despite the team being in such an exciting phase, it hasn’t been as difficult as I thought, because I established the moral dilemma and remind myself of it whenever I’m tempted to follow a game. But I’m also not the biggest basketball fan. For me, the real test will come in 2022.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected].
Copyright © 2020 by the Intermountain Jewish News
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