Alejandro Bedoya encourages World Cup players to speak up on issues beyond the field

"We have a platform, and it’s important that we try to leverage that to put more positivity into our lives, into society,” Bedoya said.

Union captain Alejandro Bedoya at the team's practice facility.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Nov. 27, 2022, 3:51 p.m. ET

With all the talk about human rights controversies at the World Cup in Qatar, it was no surprise that Union captain Alejandro Bedoya discussed the subject during an appearance on the “Men In Blazers” show in Philadelphia on Friday.

Bedoya was one of the featured guests at the show taping at the Theater of the Living Arts. He was asked by show co-host Roger Bennett about athletes’ activism in Qatar: Iranian players not singing their national anthem to protest their government, FIFA and the Qataris not allowing shows of support for LGBTQ+ people, German players covering their mouths to protest the power brokers, and other national teams retreating out of fear of punishment.

Speaking out off the field doesn’t come as naturally to some athletes as it does to Bedoya, the Union’s longtime captain and a former U.S. national team stalwart. So Bennett asked Bedoya what advice he’d give to athletes, especially younger ones, who aren’t sure if they should raise their voices.

“It takes a lot of courage, but you’ll be better for it,” said Bedoya, who played on the 2014 U.S. World Cup team. “Because people need to hear from you.”

The crowd, which had many Union fans in it, applauded.

“I’ve just always felt like I’ve had a moral obligation to speak on things,” Bedoya continued. “I’ve always tried to assimilate into the communities that I’ve been a part of and the teams that played in.”

While with the Union, Bedoya’s focus has been on gun violence, locally and nationally. As Bedoya spoke, a big screen at the back of the stage showed the famous photo of him shouting into a field-side national TV microphone during a 2019 game in Washington where he scored, then called on Congress to pass gun control legislation.

“In Philadelphia, I mean, the gun violence is crazy,” Bedoya said on stage. “It takes a lot of courage, it does, and I understand players that maybe are not so much willing to speak out on issues — because younger guys especially, they’re concerned about their careers, the next contract.”

He acknowledged that those concerns can be valid, but he had an answer for them.

“I think if anything, these last few years have shown that us athletes, we have a platform, and it’s important that we try to leverage that to put more positivity into our lives, into society,” Bedoya said. “These aren’t political issues, you know — we’re talking about basic human rights.”

He nodded toward Bennett as he continued: “You mentioned Qatar. When it comes to gun violence, we’re talking about having a better society, for our families, for our neighbors, for our friends. And that’s just where I come from.”

Then Bedoya nodded proverbially toward his national team, which published a strong letter to Congress in June calling for more gun control.

“I think it means a lot, and I think it was important for the national team, for the players there, to have courage and come together as a federation to speak out on the gun violence,” he said. “I’ll just always continue to be like that. I think it’s important for other athletes to do so, and I think other athletes are following suit.”