Politics and Professional Sports Do Not Mix Well

Enes Kanter, a basketball player from Turkey who is currently signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, was detained over the weekend in Romania as he was traveling back to the United States. According to a news report published by Esquire, Kanter was surprised to learn that his Turkish passport was revoked, and he suspects that it may have something to do with his outspoken criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Romanian border police officers confirmed that Turkey had indeed revoked Kanter’s passport, which left them with no choice but to prevent him from boarding a flight out of the country.

During his airport detention in Romania, Kanter took to Twitter to post updates about his situation. He wasted no time in stating that he believes his passport was revoked on order of people close to President Erdogan. In fact, Kanter mentioned a highly controversial incident in the District of Columbia a few days ago when the Turkish President visited the White House and his armed security guards attacked protesters who had gathered peacefully.

President Erdogan has come under fire over the last few years due to his hardline stance on criticism and opposition to his political rule, which caused former President Obama to voice concerns. After a failed coup d’état, President Erdogan reacted with a very strong hand against journalists and political opponents; this move was widely criticized by the international community. What exacerbates the situation in Turkey is that this is where the important NATO Allied Land Command is headquartered.

Enes Kanter has been very vocal about his opposition to President Erdogan’s power grab. Even while stranded in Romania with a revoked passport, he wasted no time in continuing to criticize the Turkish President on social media. Eventually, the NBA player was allowed to continue his trip to London and later back to the United States. He was expected to field a press conference about the incident the day after his return.

Kanter’s detention is the latest example of the uncomfortable intersection between professional sports and politics. Strong statements of opposition against the Trump administration have come from NBA players, coaches and even league officials. During the Super Bowl, a few television commercials took direct aim at unpopular White House politics such as the proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Later, several players from the New England Patriots declined an invitation to visit the White House after winning the Super Bowl.