The presidential elections in the United States next week will be watched in perhaps the most tense atmosphere in the world than ever before.
Donald Trump or Terrible Harris? It’s a hot question and a sensitive topic, also for many Americans who play sports in Finland.
Urheilu approached American players playing in the SM League, the Volleyball Championship League and the Korisliiga. Three of the hockey players answered the interview request in the negative, the volleyball team did not answer at all.
Basketball circles were significantly more willing to talk about the election, as all three interview requests were answered affirmatively.
René Rougeau: “Funny, but sad”
The 38-year-old captain of Helsinki Seagulls René Rougeau has celebrated the Finnish basketball championship Four times and achieved the status of an icon in the Korisliiga.
Rougeau has closely followed the events in his home country. After Trump became president after the 2016 election, American politics became the subject of discussions more and more often.
– We talked a lot then about how crazy things have gotten with Trump. A lot of jokes have been made about the subject among Americans living abroad, and it’s kind of funny, but also sad. We need to take this seriously.
According to Rougeau, the younger teammates are not very interested in matters related to the elections, but Rougeau mentions that they had interesting discussions on the subject, especially Lassi Nikkarinen with.
Rougeau is worried about the division of the United States, which he believes has increased with Trump. Politics is also a sensitive topic in his family.
– My father was in the army. He’s such a macho guy. All three of my younger sisters and my stepmother are educated. We try to avoid talking about politics, because it easily gets unsettling.
Hailing from California, Rougeau has also played in Mexico, Venezuela, Israel and France in his long career, so there is plenty of perspective. The years in Europe have been eye-opening.
– It has been wonderful to see how people are taken care of here. Free healthcare and education, that’s where we should take Europe as a model.
According to Rougeau, the United States supports warring countries too generously. He would rather use this money to eradicate homelessness and promote educational opportunities. He also raises investment in working life conditions, overtime compensation and holidays as development targets.
One of the big themes of the election is US border policy and immigrants. Rougeau hopes that there would be a legal way to cross the border. However, he understands why people flock to the United States.
– I played in Mexico for five years and saw how people live there and how dangerous it can be there. In Guatemala and Honduras, things are even worse. We need to fix things and help people who fear for their lives. Not all of them are criminals, as Trump claims.
Rougeau is looking forward to next week’s elections with excitement.
– We have a chance to make history. We already had our first black male president. I expect we will have the first black female president.
Grace Stone: “A female president would be monumental”
The 24-year-old who joined Tapiola Honka for this season Grace Stone is on the same lines as Rougeau. Stone, who graduated from the famous Princeton University last year, arrived in Finland in the fall, having previously played in Cyprus and Australia.
– It’s exciting to be so far from home. It’s such a hectic atmosphere, but I’m here. This is an important election. We may have the first female president. As a black American, I find it monumental.
Stone tries to be informed as much as possible. He watched the televised debates of both the presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Important topics for a young woman are, for example, reproductive health, and that people are allowed to live freely on their own.
– As a country, we have taken a few steps back, these elections can hopefully turn the tide.
Like Rougeau, Stone also feels that talking about American politics or Trump easily turns into a joke. The headlines and clips circulating on social media often lead to a feeling of disbelief.
– People ask me if that guy who talks about eating dogs and cats can really become president.
Stone reminds us that the United States is a really big country, where you can find a lot of different people and opinions about how the country should be run. In his opinion, the president should try to represent everyone.
Tensions have also arisen within Stone’s circle of friends due to politics and elections. You have to know how to talk about things, even if you disagree about them.
Now Stone hopes that as many as possible will find the urn.
– In the last election, especially many people my age did not vote. It is a real shame, because it is we who should define what kind of future we want for our country.
Greg Gibson: “I’m hearing amazing stories”
Head coach of BC Nokia, the reigning champion of the Men’s Basketball League Greg Gibson55, arrived in Finland for the first time at the turn of the millennium. After the end of Gibson’s playing career from North Carolina, he became a coach and has won a total of four Finnish championships.
Although Gibson has lived almost his entire adult life abroad, he has never failed to vote in the US presidential elections. He voted by mail in these elections as well. It cost 11 euros.
– I received confirmation yesterday that my vote has been received, Gibson says at the time of the interview.
The always polite coach talks enthusiastically about the elections, but the speeches show great concern about the current situation in the United States. Gibson feels that voting also gives you the right to complain about things.
– At the moment, the United States is not very united. I went home in the summer and sensed a great division. Both Democrats and Republicans should be able to compromise.
When he was younger, Gibson felt that the wheels of society turned much more slowly. Then the ruling parties at least tried to get along with each other. Gibson hopes that work will be done together and in a better spirit. There is a lot to improve in the country, and it will not be successful at the current rate.
In addition to the discussion atmosphere, Gibson is horrified by, among other things, the school shootings, which do not seem to end in the country.
– I am disgusted by the thought that something terrible could happen to my niece at university at any time. There are mass shootings every other week. Something has to be done about it. It is also important to keep the border situation safe.
Gibson also hopes that climate change would be taken more seriously. Hurricane Helen, which shook the United States at the end of September, hit Gibson’s home regions in North Carolina with force, where more than a hundred deaths have been reported.
– My cousin was missing for eight days until he was found in a remote forest outside of Asheville.
Young American players arrive in the Men’s Basketball League year after year. Most of them are just passing through, a few stay in Finland for a longer period of time.
On BC Nokia’s game trips, Gibson sometimes has time for deep conversations with his players. The stories told by young Americans on the bus do not paint a very rosy picture of the common homeland.
– As a white American, it’s interesting to hear young black people’s thoughts on things. They tell about the injustices that have been done to them. They are stories to be told.
Gibson believes in the victory of Kamala Harris, but no matter how the election turns out, the experienced coach hopes that the future president will extend a hand to the other side of the party line.
– I miss cooperation. That we would try to improve the atmosphere in the country and that the tone of the conversation would be friendlier and more reasonable.