This is being taken very differently in Ireland. Many think that they shamed themselves for playing the match at all. This is seen as a huge PR coup for Israel. The basketball leadership openly called for a boycott of Russian basketball matches.
They would have been fined had they refused to play the game and it's not like Women's basketball is a huge thing, especially not in Ireland, it could have destroyed the club.
Not only that but they might have been banned for 5 years. Basketball has gotten huge in Ireland in the past couple of decades. I don't see this justifying their decision. They still should have boycotted it, it's an actual genocide. They ended up losing and the match was used as PR for Israel. They were used.
They were certainly used and the decision to boycott Israel should have come from the federation that organized the match. Once again we see how good and bad countries are decided on purely capitalist reasons by the bourgeoisie.
However, I don't think the victory did much for Israel's PR. Maybe inside Israel itself, but everyone still stands with the Irish team for their decision not to meet the opposite team face to face.
This is being taken very differently in Ireland. Many think that they shamed themselves for playing the match at all. This is seen as a huge PR coup for Israel. The basketball leadership openly called for a boycott of Russian basketball matches.
You do raise a good point. I suppose I was so taken by something that in the US would seem unthinkable.
They would have been fined had they refused to play the game and it's not like Women's basketball is a huge thing, especially not in Ireland, it could have destroyed the club.
Not only that but they might have been banned for 5 years. Basketball has gotten huge in Ireland in the past couple of decades. I don't see this justifying their decision. They still should have boycotted it, it's an actual genocide. They ended up losing and the match was used as PR for Israel. They were used.
They were certainly used and the decision to boycott Israel should have come from the federation that organized the match. Once again we see how good and bad countries are decided on purely capitalist reasons by the bourgeoisie.
However, I don't think the victory did much for Israel's PR. Maybe inside Israel itself, but everyone still stands with the Irish team for their decision not to meet the opposite team face to face.
Just some more context.
https://twitter.com/MarkAgitprop/status/1754876077413941740
https://twitter.com/JoeBrolly1993/status/1755283322882732338