The Russian presence in sports leagues is still being ostracized.
Monday’s announcement by the NHL made it clear that the NHL had severed ties with Kontinental Hockey League. KHL is a professional Russian hockey league. It makes it virtually impossible for the NHL, which has no plans to sign players in the league.
This comes after an announcement made last week in which, according to ESPN, the NHL severed ties “with business partners in Russia and pausing Russian-language social and digital media sites — including terminating the NHL’s Russian broadcast agreement.”
Their ambitious, globalist government launched an invasion that has left Russian business owners in pain.
The opening day rosters for the 2021-2022 NHL Season had five percent Russian players. Although this is not much, it appears that many Russian athletes have been subject to a great deal of ridicule and abuse in recent weeks.
The invasion has resulted in many discriminatory comments about Russian and Belarusian-born players in North American hockey leagues, as well as in the NHL. Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov posted a “No War” message to his Instagram on Friday, and has received unnecessary backlash as a result. A similar incident occurred to another NHL player after his wife posted an Instagram picture of their baby. According to this player, after his wife posted the photos online, he received messages stating that he had “Nazi children.”
Dan Milstein, an agent who represents more than 75% of all Russian and Belarusian players in the NHL, spoke out in support of his clients, calling for people to “stop viewing them (the players) as aggressors.”
Ironically Milstein was born in Kyiv, and immigrated as a political refugee aged 16 to the United States. Milstein would have the right to harbour a grudge about Russians invading his country.
His appeal is to people to stop reverting to an aggressive hatred for Russian players.
“We’re being set back 30 years. Parents and players are calling me. They worry about their safety and ability to play.
While I am speaking to my family back home, bombs are being dropped on the childhood home that I grew up in. This is so hard that I’ve not slept for 6 days. People are choosing the wrong people. My clients want peace in the world, and I speak for them. It’s not how they are treated.
Milstein explained that people need to recognize the fact that such things are happening. Milstein stated, “This racism must stop.”
The sports industry was correct to stop many international tournaments taking place in Russia. However, hatred toward the players is far more extreme. The majority of these players and organizations (like the KHL) do not support Putin’s actions and have no power over their leaders or what they decide to do. As long as they do not post “Down With Ukraine” messages on social media or say anything that would imply that they are happy with what is going on, they should not receive this level of hatred.
Milstein has it right. Racism is unfolding before our eyes, and we need to end it immediately.
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