Political pressure, free speech and human rights at the Beijing Olympics

The Winter Olympics in Beijing are here, and many countries including the United States have instituted a diplomatic boycott for the games -- the athletes will still go but the high level politicians and diplomats won’t in protest of China’s human rights abuses. China is a country with no free press. Dissent is cracked down upon, and that could create problems for athletes from the US and other countries that try to speak up and or take political stances. We wanted to talk about the pitfalls of this situation and what it could mean so we caught up Dr. Jonathan Howe and Dr. Elizabeth Taylor, assistant professors at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management.