Boycotts don't work

The Olympics is officially underway and the issue of whether or not to boycott them is on the front plate (or at least until the speed skaters and snowboarders take over.)

Boycotts don't work.

While the intention is nice, the result is misplaced. Whom would a boycott benefit- Putin? I hardly think so. Once he won the Games—something that shouldn't have happened in the first place—that was it. The Games would go on and it'll take more than a few hurt feelings and bloodied noses to stop them. Russia—Putin won't be shamed into admitting they erred massively, and they certainly won't undo their archaic laws with crow on their face. A country's dignity is a powerful thing, and can cause it to act in head-scratching ways.

The only way a boycott would have worked is if everyone except Putin's inner circle had stayed at home- athletes, fans, coaches, broadcasters, construction workers and even dog cullers. Then, and only then, Putin would have been left with a tropical resort, the looming Games, and nothing to show for it. But really, what were the chances of that happening?

Instead, these Mickey Mouse actions like boycotting "Russian" vodka (which is actually based in the US and produced in Latvia, and holds no ties to Russia whatsoever), a ban that's actually been lifted once Stoli donated money to some queer-friendly fund, and liking numerous status updates on Facebook contributes to a false sense of accomplishment when nothing's actually been done. It's like watching a moguls skier finish with the fastest time and congratulating yourself on winning gold.

A boycott would have also hurt the athletes who have trained ridiculously long and hard for their one moment in the spotlight, and given Putin the satisfaction of knowing his words are enough to keep athletes away. Remember the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and a certain (black) track athlete named Jesse Owens? Hitler would have much preferred that Owens "boycott" the Games because he wasn't part of the superior Aryan race, but Owens showed up and wiped the floor with his four gold medals. How many medals would he have gotten had he stayed at home?

Or how about the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City when Tommie Smith and John Carlos had the medal podium all to themselves to make a political statement? Sure, they could have done a Black Power salute on home soil and it would have been picked up by local media, but they had the entire world watching, and made the most of it. And do you think the local media at home would have shown them in shoeless feet, wearing black socks to represent poverty? Probably not; people usually aren't shot from the ground up.

History remembers the athletes who show up. History will remember Thomas Bach's plea for acceptance. And history will remember Germany's super gay outfits during the opening ceremonies. However, history won't remember the thousands or millions of people who made a protest post on Facebook, turned off their TV, or wagged a menacing finger at Putin.

Change doesn't happen from the outside, from the comfort of one's living room. It happens from the inside out, and to get there, a little sacrifice is necessary. It means showing up and performing better and more graciously than the person you're trying to oust; it means beating them at their game on your rules. And, as Sun Tzu said, it means knowing yourself and knowing your enemy.

Show up.