Michael Arace: The sports world turns on Russia and gets on the right side of history

Sports are often a respite from the real world. Yet escaping in a game does not mean the real world goes away. There is no such thing as “shut up and dribble,” neither for athletes nor politicians. Nor for fans.

The 1936 Berlin Olympics, for example, will always be remembered for Jesse Owens’ performances, which flew in the face of Adolf Hitler's ridiculous notion of a master race.

Eighty-six years later, the New York Times reports Western intelligence agencies believe Chinese President Xi Jinping had advance knowledge of Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine. According to the Times, Xi asked his counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, to wait until the Beijing Winter Olympics were completed before he threatened world order.

In the wake of the invasion, the sports world reacted swiftly with a raft of sanctions on Russia and Belarus, where Russian troops gathered before striking. If you are one who believes it important to make one’s voice heard, to pick a side for the sake of history, then you are heartened by what the NHL had to say:

“The National Hockey League condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.

“We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult situation.”

In 2014, when Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, I got into a conversation with three Russian players in the Blue Jackets' locker room. The conversation ended when one said, “You can’t believe what you see on television. Obama controls the news.” And another said, “You didn’t know that?”

Suffice to say, there are cultural and historical chasms between our democracy, strained as it is, and Putin’s autocracy. That’s one reason the NHL is to be commended for the second paragraph of its statement, for its humanity.

Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin is a longtime Putin supporter, campaigner and outspoken fan. Ovechkin is torn. His family is in Moscow. When he met the media last week, he made an emotional plea for peace, and he said, almost painfully, “(Putin) is my president.”

Ovechkin has to skate through a political minefield. Some of the mines, he planted himself. It's a terrible complexity. He has already lost at least two sponsors (CCM Hockey and Mass Mutual).

Former Blue Jacket and current Ranger Artemi Panarin, an outspoken critic of Putin, has gone quiet. Presumably, he senses danger.

The Blue Jackets have three Russians on their current roster, defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, rookie forward Yegor Chinakhov and goalie Daniil Tarasov. They are among 41 Russian-born players in the league.

According to the Associated Press, “(Players) have been told not to share opinions about Ukraine because of the political climate back home, where the Russian parliament is considering making it a crime to spread what the government considers fake news about its military efforts in Ukraine.”

Again, one commends the NHL for the humane touch it included in a firm stance against the Russian state. Its sanctions were just one small part of a global movement that sprang forth in a matter of days.

FIFA and UEFA have suspended all Russian international teams indefinitely. The UEFA Champions League final scheduled for May 28 in St. Petersburg has been moved to Paris.

UEFA also canceled a major sponsor, Gazprom, a Russian energy giant.

Governing bodies for basketball, figure skating, Formula One racing, ice hockey, skiing, swimming, tennis, volleyball — the list goes on — have stepped forward to condemn the invasion and sanction Russia and Belarus.

World Taekwondo has stripped Putin of his blackbelt, saying he has gone against their motto: “Peace is more precious than triumph.”

World Athletics, which oversees track & field and an array of running competitions, has imposed sanctions on the Russian and Belarusian federations. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, a four-time Olympic medalist, said:

“Anyone who knows me will understand that imposing sanctions on athletes because of the actions of their government goes against the grain. I have railed against the practice of politicians targeting athletes and sport to make political points when other sectors continue about their business. This is different as governments, businesses and other international organizations have imposed sanctions and measures against Russia across all sectors. Sport has to step up and join these efforts to end this war and restore peace. We cannot and should not sit this one out.”

If you are one to question why China’s genocide of Uyghurs — part of a notorious list of human-rights violations — was largely ignored during the recent Beijing Olympics, maybe you’re not quite as cynical today as you were two weeks ago.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Putin's invasion of Ukraine spurs a host of worldwide sports sanctions