After his impressive NHL career Ovechkin has been honored by the Russian President and has received the Gratitude of the President Award.
This award was given directly to Ovechkin and is not the sort of award that can be turned down, especially by a native citizen. But, of course this announcement immediately led to backlash from some fans.
Unfortunately for Ovechkin, due to his nationality and connection to the Russian President his legacy will be tainted for some, due to no fault of Ovechkin. This is just another example of why politics and professional sports should be kept as far away from each other as possible.
POLL | ||
7 JUIN | 217 ANSWERS Alex Ovechkin facing fan backlash after being named the recipient of an award Do you care about a player's political views and who they support? | ||
Yes, I care about who they support | 48 | 22.1 % |
No, I couldn't care any less | 150 | 69.1 % |
It depends on the player | 15 | 6.9 % |
See results | 4 | 1.8 % |
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