SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers for their opinions on Anthony Ervin‘s decision to kneel during the national anthem at an international meet:
RESULTS
Question: Anthony Ervin kneeling during the national anthem is
- Patriotic – 25.7%
- Unpatriotic – 35.9%
- Neither – 38.4%
35% of voters found Anthony Ervin‘s decision to kneel during the U.S. national anthem at the Raia Rapida meet “unpatriotic,” but 38% said it was neither patriotic nor unpatriotic.
Ervin knelt during the American national anthem at the meet a few weeks ago, following a growing trend in the NFL where professional football players kneel during the anthem to protest what they consider racially-oriented police brutality in the United States. The decision has created a hot-button issue in football that has now crossed over into swimming. Another wrinkle to Ervin’s decision to kneel is that the meet was an international one, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ervin is the son of a black father and white mother and was the first black American swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
He’s historically been very outspoken on social and political issues, and Ervin’s decision to kneel in Brazil set off a firestorm of comments on both sides. This poll brought in almost 900 responses in a week, much higher than our polls typically run, though not our most-voted poll. More voters considered Ervin’s statement as “unpatriotic” than “patriotic,” but a majority of people categorized it in neither of those two categories.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters for their preseason women’s NCAA winner pick:
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
SwimSwam why are my two other comments no longer here? I made no insults and stated my opinion.
The conversation began deviating too far off topic. This is not a place to break down every republican-vs-Democrat issue. Inevitably this story has a lot of political charging, but please try to keep on the subject of kneeling for the anthem rather than going too far down the politics rabbit hole.
Understood. Thanks
I can’t imagine how people not from our country think how amazing it is that we can freely non-violently protest. Hooray for American and boo for all of the nationalist theocrats.
PEOPLE WARM UP/WARM DOWN during the anthem at swim meets, I refuse to believe this is actually split.
uh, no. How many swim meets have you attended?
I’ve done that before. It’s not on purpose. You can’t hear the anthem start until you reach the wall and stop. A lot of it is just not awareness.
I swam for 15 years including college and have coached at least part time the last 7. Championship meets are full of kids who just swim through it pretending not to be aware, so much so that until Kaepernick kneeled i wasn’t even aware people were that invested in it.
Racial discrimination is a problem in this country.
huh… what an original statement. Did you come up with that one all by yourself?
#smartydiaper
Just wanted to remind you why people are kneeling for the anthem. Seems to be forgotten in these discussions.
Isn’t America the ‘land of the free’ …that includes bending your knee if you want to?
The rest of the world is bemused by the patriotic obsessions of some in the US. I remember Simone Biles was trolled for not putting her hand on her heart for the national anthem (WTF) – don’t you have bigger things to worry about like poverty, inequality, rampant gun violence, crumbling infrastructure etc????
When substance is empty and apples twisted into bananas, you have to rely on symbols and fear.
Boo this man! Booooo!
I support your right to boo this man.
I also have sympathy for you, that you are so blinded by your righteousness, you can’t see the unbiased TRUTH in his writing.
I was the last to comment on the original Anthony Ervin article, so not many saw my comment. I’ll repost it here with the hopes that a few more SwimSwam readers can digest it. This is my personal story, from my community, of how systemic racism and white privilege affects communities of color in the areas of access to youth swim lessons / swim teams. It’s not surprising that 36% of pollsters found the anthem kneeling unpatriotic (and another 38% of pollsters were indifferent) considering the comfortable circumstances most involved in USA/NCAA swimming have been brought up in. Here’s my original post:
A few thoughts on the anthem protests, and a few thoughts on the status of diversity in swimming…… Read more »
YOU GUYS, THIS GUY GETS IT.
This is probably the best comment this site’ll ever get. (Aside from all of the ones I write in lowercase. Those are quite something.)
Look up income by race and then income by ancestry and see if that makes a case for white privilege.
Based on stats the factors to being poor. Dont give birth out of wedlock. If having kids stay married. Go to college. All that supported by statistics and is attributed to why Asians have the highest income of all US residents and by a large margin.
Ooh yeah, let’s spout off some racist talking points. That’s endearing!
Steve Nolan, are you disputing the validity of the statistics or just labeling them as “racist” because they don’t support your point of view? Have you actually read the information that Justin Thomas referenced above? Is it at all possible that some statistics support an alternative conclusion about possible causes of economic disparity in America?
I am! The “model minority myth” is a cudgel used by racists to advance racist ideas, get outta here with “alternative conclusions” in regards to “economic disparity.” It’s the same crap people tried to pull in the ’60s, because time is a flat circle.
Just tell black people to pull their pants up, we’ll get that whistle, too.
Maybe the idea of a “model minority” is used by some to advance racism, I don’t know. But maybe there are some aspects of Korean culture, for example,that do lead to success at school or economic success. What’s wrong with identifying and trying to emulate? Why is it racist to say “hey, this group is having some success here, what are they doing and let’s spread the word?”
Because it’s at the expense of other minorities. “This one group figured out how to thrive, clearly this other group is just lazy!” It ignores the actual oppression of other groups.
I was fairly uniformed on the issue until Andrew Sullivan wrote something about it earlier this year and got torn apart for it. I hate telling people to Google things, but “andrew sullivan model minority” has plenty of good writing on why it’s so nefarious.
I read a number of articles on the topic, and yes, when used as a comparison as in your quote above I see the point. To me it’s similar to trying to compare individuals, which is too simplistic and unfair. However, if there is something to learn from success, whether of a group or an individual, I believe it’s a mistake to label anyone trying to highlight that success as a racist and try to keep the lessons learned from benefiting others. Frankly, I’d love to learn from some of the high-achieving Asian families that I come in contact with regularly. It doesn’t mean I think my own culture is grossly deficient, but if I could learn a few things… Read more »
Asking someone you find successful for advice is different than blanket statistics comparing the wealth/achievements of different groups. Thompson’s original comment was arguing that because of Asian wealth, white privileged doesn’t exist. I’m gonna flip out over that, justifiably so.
Granted, statistics don’t tell a complete story, but neither should they be dismissed because of that. I’m just not a fan of crying racism. I’d rather hear what people have to say.
Here’s some stats of income. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_the_United_States_by_household_income
Hands down the best comment posted on SwimSwam in the history of this website.
Even if you don’t agree with Ervin’s method of (non-violent) protest or his reasoning for wanting to use his voice to highlight the deeply systemic issues people of color face in our nation, I think we can all agree that we as a swimming community have a responsibility to understand our own history, acknowledge the well-documented racial disparity within our sport, and do what we can to overcome it (both inside and outside of the pool) so that any child can become the next Simone or Lia or Cullen.
Empathetic White Swim Dad….THANK YOU…
For your, and your forbearers, personal sacrifice & military service to our country.
For so eloquently, and educationally, expressing this national dilemma.
For taking the time to care enough to do the research that supports these facts, statistics and truths and to put them in writing, for all those who are truly interested in the facts, statistics & truth to read.
For “getting it”!
In part, sounds like a really good case for school choice.
Intersting synopsis, but let’s not forgot that there are clearly cultural differences at play here.
I keep seeing these calls for “diversity” in the sport of swimming. But truly, why should it matter?! Yes, swimming is mostly comprised of white people, but then football/basketball are mainly comprised of black people, and I don’t see any calls for diversity in those sports.
I just wish we’ll get this crap outta here. We are all 100% human beings, and we should just ignore the color of our skin.
I respectfully disagree with your saying that symbols mean different things to different people. Symbols are created with a purpose and were meant to have a particular meaning.
I’ve analyzed your comment and given my feedback. Yes, it is related to swimming. It’s extensive, so here’s the link. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t8g3d_zUvyBPZ5UcfTnj6nnd1UdawCTl-02kPNGSgRg/edit?pli=1) You’ll need to use a faux google account I created for specifically this purpose. Username: sirswimsalot3113 Password: sirswimsalot12345
Yes, I’m a tech noob, but I really don’t know how to share it any other way.
I’ve analyzed your comment and given my feedback. Yes, it is related to swimming. It’s extensive, so here’s the link. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t8g3d_zUvyBPZ5UcfTnj6nnd1UdawCTl-02kPNGSgRg/edit?pli=1) You’ll need to use a faux google account I created for specifically this purpose. Username: sirswimsalot3113 Password: sirswimsalot12345
Yes, I’m a tech noob, but I really don’t know how to share it any other way.