At least the so-called “anti-woke” movement is not responsible for the composition of American sports teams.
The US national team won the most medals at the Paris Olympics with a total of 126 medals, including 40 gold medals – all thanks to the power of the “Gumbo” spirit.
Just as diversity of flavors and ingredients matters, a successful organization – be it an Olympic team, a corporation, or the elected government of the United States – depends on diversity and inclusion.
Every athlete, regardless of race, ethnicity or background, has earned their spot on Team USA with blood, sweat, tears and talent. But if the “anti-woke” policies promoted by extremist activists and politicians were applied to sports, many of the Black athletes wouldn’t be there at all.
Contrary to the lies of anti-racism extremists, the purpose of DEI is to open doors to all and exclude no one. But for decades, Black athletes were excluded from many sports that now celebrate diversity. The U.S. women’s gymnastics team, in particular, garnered global attention because Black women were historically excluded from sports. Nearly a century after the first modern Olympics in 1896, Dominique Dawes became the first Black gymnast ever to qualify for the Olympics in 1992. She and the other members of the “Magnificent Seven” won the first gold medal for the U.S. women’s team in 1996.
The argument that black women are absent from Olympic gymnastics due to a lack of talent is equally absurd when applied to leadership positions in the country’s largest corporations, admission to elite colleges and universities, or the Oval Office.
For nearly 100 years, Ty Cobb’s .367 batting average was hailed as the best in professional baseball history. It wasn’t. Josh Gibson’s .372 average is. But because Major League Baseball didn’t accept DEI for the first seven decades of its existence, its teams were spared Gibson’s talent. Gibson, who played in the Negro Leagues from 1930 to 1946, died three months before Jackie Robinson broke racial segregation in the MLB.
All-time gymnast Simone Biles poked fun at those who apparently believe black people belong in low-paying, unskilled jobs – including a major party presidential candidate. In a widely shared social media post, she declared, “I love my job as a black person.”
The anti-DEI movement is driven by the racist assumption that organizations can only diversify by lowering standards. Team USA’s success shatters that myth into a thousand pieces.
If you wonder what would happen to the United States if extremists were able to slam the gates of opportunity by eliminating DEI policies, just imagine American sports without athletes of color… and constantly losing to teams that champion diversity.
However, it is clear that some would be happy with this scenario. The extremists who oppose racism and want to ban DEI policies would rather dominate second-rate institutions than work together to create first-rate organizations.
They would condemn Team USA to mediocrity just to secure their own spot on the roster.
Marc H. Morial is President and CEO of the National Urban League and was mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002. He writes a Column published twice a month for the Sun-Times.
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