Professional Athletes are Disrespectful, but not for Declining the White House Invitation
It’s an honor for teams to be invited to the White House to celebrate and recognize their achievements. A player declining that invitation, however, should not be considered disrespectful. These players should not be demonized by sports fans for having political views.
Since Donald Trump became the president, members of championship teams voiced their opinions about visiting the White House. Professional athletes, and even college athletes, who decline are predominately African-American and do not support President Trump.
In 2018 Stephen Curry, a basketball player for the Golden State Warriors, was criticized by President Trump after Curry said he didn’t want to go to the White House. After Super Bowl LIII, Duron Harmon from the New England Patriots told TMZ he would not visit the White House if he was invited. Jason and Devin McCourty, twin brothers with the Patriots, were also uninterested in going to the White House.
Players have committed worse acts than say they don’t want to go to the White House since President Trump came into office. Those acts should be criticized. Professional athletes should be held to a higher standard for breaking the law, but they should be able to express their political beliefs the same as everyone else.
Yes, these people are paid an absurd amount of money to play sports, but if they do not feel represented by the current president or agree with his methods, why should they have to meet him? The president is supposed to reflect the values of the entire nation. All citizens, not just a select few, should feel like they are being heard by the country’s leader. If these athletes don’t feel comfortable around the president, I believe that’s the president’s fault, not the athletes’.
The majority of the National Football League’s fans seem to care only about “disrespect” regarding issues involving racism and political decisions. Players can ignore court hearings, end up on a team despite assaulting women or children, and think they deserve the sympathy of fans for not being offered enough money. These are things I consider to be disrespectful, not only to the players on their teams, but also to their fans.
The Cleveland Browns’ recent addition of Kareem Hunt is much more insulting than anyone declining a White House invitation. In November 2018, Hunt was cut from the Kansas City Chiefs after footage was released confirming a previous assault investigation.
The NFL let its supporters believe Hunt had been adequately reprimanded. He was released from the Chiefs. No other teams had picked him up either, so people were beginning to think the NFL was starting to do the right thing regarding these cases.
A mere three months later, Hunt was signed by the Browns.
So why is it when players stand up, or even kneel, for what they believe in, they are instantly called unpatriotic and disrespectful by viewers across the country? I guess athletes who assault women, such as Hunt, and their children, like the Redskins’ running back Adrian Peterson, aren’t as offensive as those who reject an invitation to the White House. Why would anyone want to ban a talented player from the NFL when they help teams win?
People say they separate the athletes on-field from their actions off-field. If that were true, why do these same fans care so much if players decline President Trump’s invitation? The truth is people only separate players’ skills and actions when it’s convenient for them. There’s a reason this separation is needed in the first place, and that’s because the NFL does not want to take proper action against these players. It cares too much about how the viewers would feel if good players were banned. This league cares more about quality entertainment and positive ratings during football season than the people affected by the appalling behavior of these athletes.
Some agree the NFL needs to toughen up regarding its punishment for players involved in misconduct, but others don’t mind looking away. There is one issue most fans agree on when it comes to the NFL. When a team wins the Super Bowl, the players go to the White House. It doesn’t matter what the athletes believe because visiting the president is one of the highest honors.
But is it really?
If the president doesn’t respect the players, should they respect him by accepting his invitation? President Trump has shown how fast he will rescind a White House invitation when athletes don’t agree with him. Why should they respect this tradition if he can change his mind without a second thought? The NFL has let players get away with worse actions, and those behaviors should be discussed more than who declines or accepts a White House invitation.
