Diversity shows its value in the makeup of Team USA

By Michele Norris, Washington Post

August 10, 2024 at 1:24 p.m. EDT

Right-wing warriors can rail against diversity, equity and inclusion all they want. But the same so-called patriots who aggressively wrap themselves in the flag and claim America as their country cannot be blind to what is on display for all the world to see at the Paris Olympics.

Diversity is now a core part of America’s brand. In gymnastics and swimming. In fencing and rugby. In skateboarding, tennis, boxing, basketball and so much more. In commentary from Snoop Dogg and Flavor Flav. In the massive billboards all over Paris from U.S.-based companies like Nike and Ralph Lauren that feature brown-skinned models. And let’s not forget the music that’s played to pump upthe audience at all the events — whether or not Americans are competing. I was at the Paris Olympics for a few days,and at every venue I visited, American music with a funky beat was the go-to choice to fire upcrowds and athletes from all over the world. As we watch Americans rack up medals, that retrograde Trumpian Make America Great Again message seems silly; America is clearly pretty great right now.

You cannot cheer for the United States in this moment without also cheering on the diversity born of merit. And that is an important point because the ammunition used to instill fears about diversity in a changing America are based on the false notion that Black and Brown people are getting something they don’t deserve.

That is the fib at the heart of the orchestrated effort to dismantle diversity programs. It assumes that the only way to achieve diversity is by bringing on people of color who have lesser skills or qualifications than White candidates. This is what feeds the idea —no, make that the lie — that under credentialed people of color are pushing White candidates out of their rightful place.

Diversity is not about lowering standards. It’s about widening the aperture to make sure an organization can find the best talent available. It’s about reaching beyond one’s comfort zone or personal network to look for talent and potential in areas that might be unfamiliar. So often, access to opportunity is based on something sociologists call “homosociality” – friendship, mentoring, social circles and cliques based on commonality and comfort. It’s the jolt of reassurance or even relief at finding someone who appears to be the right fit because they have the right background and the right skin color, they went to the right school, they engage in the right sports (golf or sport fishing, for instance), or they speak in the right vernacular. People drift to the familiar. It’s human nature.

This is why the world of sports provides a useful antidote. While sports teams and athletic organizations may have limited their scope of recruitment in the past — based on tradition, bias or the belief that certain kinds of people lacked certain innate characteristics — that line of thinking has eroded faster in sport than other sectors. Remember: It wasn’t that long ago that Black men were not considered quarterback material.

Coaches and recruiters will go where the talent is and cast an ever-widening net to find it. Why? Because they know that talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not. They know that the potential for greatness percolates in all kinds of places, and if they spot it early, they can nurture it toward victory without lowering standards. And they know that staying in their personal socio-economic comfort zonescould keep them from winning.

The Olympic Games are about winning — and so much more. I’ve always loved watching the Games on TV with my family in part because of the learning experience it provides: calmness under pressure. Grace in defeat. People from all over the world coming together to chase their dreams. After a year of pugilistic politics and attacks on diversity programs, the Olympics once again deliver an avalanche of life lessons.

At a time when members of one political party will not commit to accepting the outcome of the upcoming election, it is heartening to watch top athletes shake hands with the competitors who beat them and step aside so the victors can bask in their earned glory. And the mosaic of diverse athletes — often in sports that until recently did not include many people of color — is also a reflection of American values and the cultural diversity at the core of this multiethnic country.

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t cheer on Team USA without cheering on the diversity that makes Team USA great.