Lessons for the NFL
N ational Football League players, professional athletes paid in not thousands or even hundreds of thousands but millions of dollars are asking you, the fan base, to take a good hard look at the inequality and unjust system in the United States of America.
Excuse me if this seems like a joke. I do believe they are serious about their peaceful protests performed during the playing of the National Anthem before ball games nationally.
No matter if you agree or disagree with their opinions, everyone can see this isn't the cultural norm.
Growing up from a very young age I was taught a few lessons that seem pretty automatic to me as an adult:
1. You stand, remove your hat, and place your hand on your heart during the playing of the National Anthem. You shut your mouth and look at that colorful flag the entire time.
2. There is a time and a place to make your arguments. While mom and dad are talking is not that time.
3. Nobody wins if you throw a temper tantrum. This only makes you look like a fool and embarrasses anybody who sees it.
These lessons are not being applied by grown men who play professional sports.
Their claimed reason for protest is to bring attention to the national issue of police brutality towards minority residents. I'll be the first to applaud anyone who stands up for what they believe in and especially in an attempt to bring about positive change in the form of protecting another person's rights.
However, you need to do your homework first. Nobody is going to listen to you, right or wrong, if you throw a tantrum.
Sure, the protests are peaceful and non-violent. That's great. But they are TOO safe. There's nothing on the line for these boys. They still play their game and they still get to go home to their mansions and fancy cars.
Even as a very privileged white man, I think I have more in common with the Black Lives Matter crowd than these football players do simply on the grounds of financial status.
If you really want to draw some attention to your cause, Mr. kneel-during-the-national anthem-man, you should strike from playing the game. Go out into the parking lot of the stadium, hold up a sign and start chanting for justice for your cause. Bring your fellow players along and make people notice. This can still be a completely peaceful protest. No violence needed. You would get my attention then.
As it stands (or kneels, depending who you are), you have only managed to make me want to look the other way during your illogical disrespect for a tradition of honoring our nation and what it stands for.
I'm happy to live in a nation free enough to allow you to kneel during the National Anthem. You won't go to jail for that, you probably won't even lose your job, because you have rights protected by men and women who have given everything in the name of that flag, that nation.
I hope this entire debacle passes over like a hurricane and is over quickly so we can begin to clean up the mess left behind. Football and sports like it have always been an escape from the ugly world of politics.
Let's get back to letting the talent on the field do the talking and enjoy some healthy competition. I'd love to be done with seeing all the showboating and displays of who can throw the bigger temper tantrum.
