In my profession I have to deal with two kinds of politics. There are basketball politics, and then there are Government politics. I am not a fan of either. Basketball politics is just about knowing the right people in order to increase your opportunities. Similar to many other fields of business, a name or reputation can carry someone further than an unknown person regardless of who is actually more fit for the job. While I don’t enjoy this kind of politics, it usually doesn’t have an effect on my personal safety or well-being. As for the other kind of politics, I’ve found it to be a big part of my life since playing overseas.
I didn’t have an interest for politics growing up in America because I felt like regardless of what was going on with the government, nothing really affected me. Looking back on life there were many things that actually did, but one thing that always remained the same were my basic rights and freedoms. As long as those were untouched, there was no reason for me to care. Now, as a professional who spends 9 to 10 months out of the year living in a different country, it is imperative that I am aware of the political climate of wherever I am residing.
If you are an American that doesn’t travel much internationally then you are probably hesitant to go anywhere these days. If you look up many countries on Google it will probably say “Do not travel”. Or if you watch any American news outlet when an international event is happening you probably think you will be killed as soon as you enter that country. This is not your fault, as the media does a great job of creating mass hysteria exaggerating many situations and instilling fear in the viewers. My first experience of this was when I played in Venezuela in 2018. These were very dangerous times as the country was going through many protests and riots. I traveled to the world’s most dangerous airport and played games in the murder capital of the world. When I arrived, the head coach told me he was robbed a few nights ago outside of this restaurant that we eat at daily and I was warned to be aware of my surroundings at all times. I was advised to not wear any jewelry or walk with my phone exposed. At the time, I wasn’t completely up to speed with the current political situation or I’m sure I wouldn’t have gone. You couldn’t find one piece of information online that deemed it a safe place to be for Americans. The more I read about it the more nervous I became and spent my first week or so in constant paranoia. After building a routine and not running into any problems I eventually became comfortable and had a safe stay my entire time there.
Since then, I have tried to be more aware of the political situations of any country I have decided to play in. I am fortunate enough to never have been in any physical danger during all my years overseas. Only recently have I experienced the power of a government that is in full control. I am currently in playing Kazakhstan, which is generally a pretty safe country. Things took a change a few months ago as there were protests against the government that turned violent and deadly. There was a lack of coverage and accurate information coming out around the world because the government cut off all internet access in the whole country for about 20 hours a day. Bank cards had become useless and we were forced to wait in lines wrapped around the block to use ATMs. The city was on lockdown and between that and Covid spreading throughout my team, we missed practices and were not able play any games. While I was lucky enough to live in a city where no violent protests took place, I still suffered from the mental effects of being stuck in my apartment for weeks with no means of communication and just enough cash to get by daily.
Experiences like those made me grateful for what rights we do have in America. This is not a post meant to derogate other countries. This is meant to give the reader another prospective. To be thankful that we argue about the right to not wear a mask while some countries fight for access of internet and communication during troubling times. It is sometimes hard to truly understand something if you have never experienced it, but in the words of one of my favorite rappers Wale, "I've been ungrateful but thankful".
-Skylar Spencer
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