Why do we put sportspeople like Dricus du Plessis on a pedestal?

Dricus du Plessis is the best middleweight UFC fighter in the world, that cannot be disputed.

However, should his political views, which seemingly align with US President Donald Trump, be considered separately from his exploits in the octagon?

Over the weekend, Du Plessis proved once more why he is the best in his division as he dished out a brutal beating of challenger Sean Strickland.

In the lead-up to the fight though, Du Plessis made his political beliefs known as he wore a ‘Trump supports Champions’ T-shirt during a press engagement.

The timing of the statement from Du Plessis could not have been worse though, as Trump last week announced that he planned to cut funding to SA pending an investigation into alleged confiscation of land from white farmers.

Trump also accused South Africa of treating”‘certain classes of people” badly. SA-born Elon Musk, and proud Trump supporter, also chimed in by saying President Cyril Ramaphosa had “openly racist laws”.

Trump has also since offered asylum to Afrikaners in the US over SA’s Land Expropriation Act, which has been widely dismissed as the US President ‘peddling dangerous lies’.

While the right-wing views of Du Plessis are in stark contrast to someone like two-time Rugby World Cup winning Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi, it brings the old question: can you separate the artist from the art?

Du Plessis is certainly allowed his freedom of speech, and is more than entitled to support whomever he chooses. He does, however, as an ambassador of the Rainbow Nation risk alienating a number of his fans by supporting Trump and his anti-SA rhetoric.

There are countless examples of sportspeople still being viewed on a pedestal despite being involved in controversies like Ryan Giggs, Herschelle Gibbs, Mason Greenwood and Oscar Pistorius just to name a few. This is not a comparison between political beliefs and disreputable or sometimes criminal actions, it’s just about the double standards often at play in sports.

For Du Plessis though, his political stance is actually nothing new and his legions of fans will probably continue to grow regardless of his pro-Trump position.

@Michael_Sherman

IOL Sport

* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.

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