Andy Murray drew an interesting comparison between athletes and politicians recently
Former top-ranked player in the world, Andy Murray, expressed his perspective on the distinctions in the impact of political figures and athletes on Monday, October 5th.
Murray, a three-time Major winner, has never hesitated to express his views on political issues. He gave his fans plenty of food for thought recently, pointing out the double standards that are applied to athletes in terms of free speech.
The Brit claimed that politicians always use the “cancel culture is an attack on our right to free speech” cop-out while giving their opinions on international news. He also asserted in the same breath that athletes come under scrutiny for the same and that they’re often told to ‘stick to their sport’
“Politicians and political commentators, ‘Cancel culture is an attack on our right to free speech!’ Athlete makes comment or supports anything political, ‘stick to (insert sport) sport should be free from politics,'” Murray wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, followed by a thumbs up and a clown emoji.
For what it’s worth, Murray is no stranger to not sticking to his sport and using his platform to speak out on a variety of issues. Not long ago, the Brit took down former politician Nigel Farage, who is infamous for his pro-Brexit and anti-immigration politics.
“[Fishing emoji],” Murray wrote in a repost to Farage on X (formerly Twitter) in 2022.
He also disapproved of Farage posing with Novak Djokovic’s brother Djordje in Belgrade last year, writing:
“Please record the awkward moment when you tell them you’ve spent most of your career campaigning to have people from Eastern Europe deported.”
Andy Murray also called out Nike recently for an alleged sexist congratulatory message to the South Africa men’s team at the Rugby World Cup 2023
More recently, Andy Murray expressed his displeasure with Nike, who made an oversight while congratulating South Africa on their fourth Rugby World Cup title on X (formerly Twitter).
The global sports brand had congratulated South Africa’s men’s rugby team after they narrowly beat New Zealand to win the 2023 Rugby World Cup final last week, falsely stating that “The Springboks” had won the most titles in the tournament’s history.
“When we believe as one, it brings victory for all. Congratulations @springboks, the new World Champions and the first rugby team in history to do it four times. A big win and an even bigger victory for every South African,” Nike wrote in a post that has since been deleted.
The replies to their post, however, were far from desirable as a fan asserted that New Zealand have triumphed at the women’s Rugby World Cup a record six times, which is more than the tally put together by South Africa’s men’s team.
“@BlackFerns have done it six times! Representation matters, words matter! Just ask @andy_murray who has consistently challenged journalists on facts ascribed to male players as having ‘the best’ record, when women eg @serenawilliams were top! #CantBeWhatYouCantSee,” the fan on X (formerly Twitter).
The Brit, who was tagged in the fan’s comment, soon appeared in the thread of replies, inferring that Nike’s congratulatory post had sexist connotations.
“You’re right. It’s pathetic that the biggest sports clothing brand in the world still does this stuff,” the Brit wrote in his reply to the said fan.
