ABSTRACT
This paper presents a topic that for some is considered a taboo or a myth, and it is about the relationship between sports and politics. Some dare to affirm that there is no connection, but it is not true, this is far from reality. Since the beginning of competitive sport there has been this connection and it can be seen in the birth of the modern Olympic Games, affected by diverse wars and political events that have created tension in the world. In Venezuela this fact has also been observed for some decades in which the national sport games (the most important games nationwide) served as a platform for many state governors to become popular, as the awards they provided to winners varied from houses, to cars, to money. At international level there are many examples. In this paper the focus is on the discrimination and/or harassment some athletes have gone through when they have expressed any political comment in public. Here are explained four cases of Venezuelan athletes: Magglio Ordóñez, Pastor Maldonado, Rubén Limardo and Alejandra Benítez. The theory framework is based on social representation and content analysis, so the information used came from various social media and newspapers. A final reflection on sport and politics is presented together with a few implications for sport managers.
