Why I am Not Tuning into Beijing 2022

The 2022 Winter Olympics do not deserve our attention or dollars because of the human rights abuses that serve as the backdrop for the games.

I absolutely love the Olympics. Since I watched Michael Phelps dominate the competition in Beijing in 2008, I have been hooked and tuned in every 2 years to watch the best athletes in the world compete for the most exclusive athletic prize. Not this year though. And I do not seem to be the only one. NBC’s viewership for the Opening Ceremony this year topped out at 16 million viewers, their lowest number since they began broadcasting the event in 1988 and nearly a 50% decrease since the last Winter Olympics in 2018. 

So why are people not watching? For me, it is not that I do not enjoy watching it anymore. I closely followed dozens of events and sports during the Tokyo Games, and I actually prefer the winter events over the summer ones. It is because I cannot bring myself to give my money and attention to a country that is currently committing genocide against a religious minority and released a deadly pandemic on the world. 

I think that most people have always understood that China has never been a free nation. The government that presides over the country is authoritarian and has no concern for human rights and liberties. It represents the actual greatest threat to democracies around the globe, including the United States. China’s leaders routinely display a disregard for human life with their words and actions, and the West’s leaders have cowered to their demands across the board. It is time for the United States to stand up to both Xi and the Chinese and re-establish America’s position as the dominant cultural, military, and political force in the world. 

In the conversations I’ve had with family and friends, I have heard one common argument to support still watching the Olympics. Since it began, the competition has been a time when disagreeing nations come together and put aside their conflicts. This tradition of making peace for a short time goes all the back to Ancient Greece, as the city-states would stop warring during the Games. However, this Olympic truce does not extend to nations actively committing genocide while hosting the Games. China is a dangerous nation. Our leaders recognize this. Nancy Pelosi knows this. She made a statement warning U.S. athletes to not speak out against China’s human rights abuses. China has threatened athletes by saying that punishment would be inflicted on those who speak their minds. “Athletes need to be responsible for what they say,” is what Yang Shu, the deputy director of international relations for the Beijing organizing committee, told media outlets during a press conference. 

So why on earth would the U.S. send our athletes into an environment where they are not free to speak their minds? The viral photo of the big air event and the hellscape that surrounds it is a great example of what the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics are: a stage built to hide and disguise the horrors that take place just outside the view of the cameras; a way for China to prove to the world that the West will not do anything about their constant crimes against humanity; and a Games that are scarred by the claw of an abusive, overreaching government. 

If you are a usual viewer of the games, please turn them off this year. Do not give your attention to an evil, genocidal dictatorship. Do not allow yourself to ignore what is really going on in that country, and be proactive in ensuring that they do not become more powerful and influential through what you choose to consume. Go outside. Play some games with your family and friends. You will feel better than you would sitting on the couch, and you will be able to stand tall knowing that your values and principles have not been sacrificed for a little entertainment. 

If you do decide to tune into the games this year, I don’t condemn or blame you. It’s been hard for me to leave them off, and I know that people still want to watch and support our athletes. All I will say to you is this: you can support both your nation and athletes without lending credence and legitimacy to President Xi’s government. It is not impossible, and hopefully, more Americans will realize this soon. 

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