Part Three: Sticking to sports is not an option
Some fans are really comfortable with the belief that athletes should stick to sports. I am glad John Carlos and Tommie Smith protested in the 1968 Olympics with their heads bowed and raised fists during the playing of the national anthem before an international audience. The Black Power salute was so power and it became an iconic symbol of protest. Therefore, athletes who are taking a stand is nothing new. Colin Kaepernick and others are following in the footsteps of athletes before them.
In this series, I wanted to gauge the minds of a diverse group of men to discuss sports activism and politics. Here are new voices that will share their thoughts: Seyi Omonira, Joe Mullinax, Leonard Saldana, Greg Foster and Jesse Blanchard.
1) What are your thoughts on athletes who are using their platform to speak out about social issues and politics? What would you say to the stick to sports crowd?
Seyi Omonira: I think it is great that athletes are using their platform to speak about social issues and politics. It shows they are human beings and not just public figures aimed to entertain us. They are one of the most influential people in the world especially among the younger generations so speaking about these social issues teaches those younger generations to be more educated and aware.
As for the stick to sports crowd, they have to understand that athletes are also human, seeing these hate crimes and tragedies also affects them, whether if they are a minority or female and using their platform to speak about these topics holds more validity than an average fan. The “stick to sports” crowd uses that phrase usually when the athlete speaks about their viewpoints and makes them uncomfortable.
Joe Mullinax: I think that in this country everyone has the right to voice their opinion on matters, as the First Amendment gives you a Freedom of Speech. On any political issue or side of the aisle, however, it does not make you immune to the consequences of your way of exercising that freedom. As long as you understand that and are willing to take those slings and arrows, then by all means use your platform. Real change is messy, as the history of our country has shown us. If you believe in a cause enough to be willing to sacrifice in an unfair world, you have that right. The “stick to sports” crowd needs to understand that when you are using that platform for that purpose, it brings risk. Same with any entertainer or public figure.
If you don’t want politics in your sports, unfollow that person and stop reading their work. You have that right as well.
Leonard Saldana: I think it’s another path to help push these social issues into the light. I wish more would because I do believe they have such a far reaching voice that could really see walls brought down. They are the change agent we need in this country to have real progress on social and political issues.
People that say stick to sports are part of the problem. I would tell them that its only going to get louder, and these players are athletes but they are people too. Stick to sports? why? They are ok watching a player who beats his wife, but not someone that is kneeling trying to be a voice for those who don’t.
Greg Foster: The most important thing to consider is that social issues and politics transcend sport. For athletes to recognize that they’re also citizens and role models is important. Athletes have built-in influence and a broad audience, so when they do speak out, their words/actions can inspire the public to advance important causes. In essence, athletes can tackle social issues with the same energy and enthusiasm they use on the court/field. Therefore, I’m all in favor of athletes using their platform to speak out and (hopefully) bring about positive change.
If the sports world existed in a vacuum the stick to sports question wouldn’t need to be asked, but that’s not the case. Sports exist within the confines of our society, which makes sports a reflection of society.
For many, sports are a break from the outside world. Within that break it’s easy to think that those involved aren’t people. Meaning they’re entitled to an opinion just like the rest of us. You would NEVER tell Tim in accounting to, “stick to spreadsheets” after voicing his opinion on a social issue, so why is it okay to say to athletes, coaches, journalists, etc.?
Jesse Blanchard: My general response to the “stick to sports,” crowd on Twitters is a few choice expletives. I’m a complex individual with a wide variety of thoughts on a broad array of topics. I’m here for my personal amusement and enlightenment, not theirs.
Beyond that, here’s the thing: athletes are only here for our entertainment for the few hours they’re on the court or field of play. That’s the time we pay for and, in between those lines, that’s typically what we get. We are owed nothing else.
Arguing sports are too hallowed an escape from the trials and tribulations of everyday life to inject politics or societal issues into is bullshit. Fans only interested in sports should stick to game.
No one is forcing anyone to follow their favorite athletes 24/7 on Twitter or cable news. There’s plenty of space on television and the internets for “stick to sports,” people to stick to sports without ever having to bother actual decent human beings. They should relegate themselves to those secluded portions of the internet. No one should have the temerity to demand professional athletes be as shallow and one-dimensional as themselves.
If you want to participate in discussions with the rest of society, understand you won’t always be able to dictate the terms.
As for the athletes, it’s inspiring to see them rising to the occasion and using their platform to speak out on issues falling on deaf ears. The things about white supremacy, male supremacy, privilege, etc. is it always retreats to the places of comfort it has carved out for itself. Challenging these institutions means confronting them everywhere and making sure no place is too comfortable to ignore widespread injustice — from sit-ins at diners in the 1960s to kneeling at football games today.
If white men didn’t seek to retreat and recoil from these discussions at every turn, these issues wouldn’t have to bleed into the places they seek to escape and we’d all be better off.
In light of the Jemele Hill situation, one could argue it has never been more important for athletes to speak up. The media isn’t equipped for this because the biggest outlets are too invested in the status quo. Institutions are too afraid to lose credibility or numbers to make simple logical connections.
It’s why ESPN’s public editor Jeff Brady could impugn Hill’s journalistic integrity while being too much of a damn coward to say whether her statement was accurate or not.
https://twitter.com/ESPNPublicEd/status/908835899915587584
That is a white man telling a black woman she erred in communication, shortly before deleting a few of his own sloppy tweets, focusing more on whether her remarks were inflammatory than if they were true. So, if by a hired editor’s interpretation, the media isn’t allowed to call something what it is, who’s left to speak truth?
2) Do you think the fear of being “Kaep-ed” is keeping some NFL players from actively speaking out against social injustice and politics?
SO: Yes, a perfect example is Cam Newton. About over a year ago, he made a remark in an ESPN interview supporting All Lives Matter and in that interview he seemed very reluctant to speak about the issues presented by Colin Kaepernick. In my opinion, he wasn’t that he did not support what Colin Kaepernick was doing, it was that he was more concerned of his public image if he did openly support Colin Kaepernick. Even for some fringe players, it is the fear of not having a job like Colin Kaepernick. Jerry Jones for example demands his players to stand for the national anthem so players will do so in fear of getting released from the team.
JM: Of course. Taking a stand can often result in those consequences I mentioned before, fair or unfair. Players in the NFL do not have the same level of financial security that NBA players do, and their careers are far shorter on average due the the physical nature of the game. Because of this, it makes sense that the NFL would not be as socially progressive…at least publicly. Players surely agree with a lot of what Kaepernick says, but the average NFL player is looking to maximize their career earnings in a dangerous game. It is hard to be willing to sacrifice making life-changing money for yourself and your family.
LS: Yes, especially for POC, I almost wanted to say that unless you’re an established quarterback then speaking your mind wouldn’t do you any favors but had to delete that. The NFL is a very interesting league with the status quo being the norm.
In the NFL, 66 percent of the players are African American and there is not one black owner. The NBA, 76 percent are African American and there is only one black owner and his logo is probably more recognizable than the NBA’s current logo. Diversity is not high and since 98 percent are extremely wealthy people that have no idea what its like to be racial profiled like some of their players.
It will take more than Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady hoping Kaepernick gets another chance, but it’s a start and hopefully it will continue bringing light to the problems that are being held in the dark.
No, and this speaks to some organizations that promote their players in using their voice. If the Kap thing wasn’t such a problem, then more executives would be on record but its easy for someone to say what they think if they are not on the record. I believe more are not because of lack of support from their organizations.
GF: When you look at how Colin Kaepernick has been blackballed from the NFL, it’s negligent to think it doesn’t have a ripple effect. Livelihoods, and millions of dollars, are potentially at stake. It’s much easier for an NFL player to keep his mouth shut, collect his check, and keep living the lifestyle he’s accustomed to, than to speak out and risk the same ostracism that Kaepernick’s currently facing.
JB: I can’t speak to the reasons why NFL players might not speak out, but I feel comfortable saying there is legitimate reason for fear.
Contracts are non-guaranteed and players are disposable to NFL teams. So far as these issues are concerned, the league is run on the whims of Roger Goodell, who can’t seem to competently set guidelines for the NFL on anything beyond television deals and other forms of revenue.
The NFL lacks leadership, which creates uncertainty, and within that chaos, it’s difficult for those lacking power to know what lines they can toe. And few players every have enough to comfortably assert themselves. Young players need a larger second contract, and by the time they get there, football careers are so short they’ve already lost most of their security and leverage.
With that being said, it was comforting to see the NFL Players Association to put out a video showing unity and solidarity. With President Trump calling for the livelihood of anyone who kneels, I think we’ve reached a tipping point where the numbers will escalate rapidly.
Someone has to point out the hypocrisy of the NFL, which only began making a big deal out of the national anthem because our government paid them to; or its fans, who use the national anthem as time to prep their nachos and beer.
3) Are you actively participating in the grassroots campaign #BlackoutNFL? Why or why not? Do you think it has the potential to affect profits for the league?
SO: I have not been participating in the grassroots campaign #BlackoutNFL for a couple of reasons.
1) I am watching because I cover and write about sports so it wouldn’t be beneficial for me not to watch the NFL.
2) Kaepernick has left a huge impact on the current players of the NFL, as you see more athletes sitting during the national anthem even Seth DeValve a Caucasian NFL athlete takes a knee during the anthem so it is interesting to see the effect of the NFL post-Kaepernick.
3) Just simply being honest, I watched the NFL my whole life, it is hard for me to completely go cold turkey on a sport that I watched since childhood. I made this analogy on a podcast, it is like you are trying to go vegetarian but you happen to stumble upon your favorite fast food spot remembering the taste of your favorite meal and the moment of bliss you feel when you eat it. That is just how I feel in the NFL.
It is affecting the profits of the league and with Jay Z declining to perform at halftime for Super Bowl LII, it might not just be the average viewer that is affecting the profits of the NFL.
JM: It has the best possible chance at bringing about real change. If you are frustrated with the league, hit them in the pocketbooks. That is how you get their long-term attention.
LS: I will be honest, I am not participating in that campaign. Once I seen the backlash of the Kaepernick Protests I began to wined down my viewing of the NFL last season. I see the preseason game in which seen Kaepernick on camera sitting and seen the storm coming I never expected the type of backlash and once I seen that instead of watching every 3+ games every Sunday maybe catch half of one?
I have not been on top of the NFL in the offseason, I don’t even think I watched last year’s Super Bowl. Seeing a company treat its contracted employees like that and not supporting them is the problem. If someone says something it effects “business” and their bottom-line. Football is a family unless you step out of line.
GF: There are a myriad of reasons why I’m not watching the NFL — pervasive substance abuse, systematic racial injustice, handling of domestic violence, CTE denial, a craven commissioner, all-encompassing greed, declining product, etc. — so while I’m not actively participating in #BlackoutNFL, the same result is achieved.
Any movement that becomes powerful enough can spark change. We’re already seeing NFL TV ratings drop, which will affect ad revenue, so the impact is already being felt.
JB: I don’t actively participate in anything regarding the NFL anymore. My interest in the league dipped as the quality of teams has waned. There is some truly bad football being played — ironically, with a glaring need for improved quarterback play that’s only served to highlight the blackballing of Kap, who is at least an adequate starter, in a league handing jobs to people who are iffy backups.
The NBA, at one point, had a dip in quality in the early 2000s. But at least it had endearing personalities to compensate. So much of football culture is built to wipe out the humanity of its players, burying it under layers of helmets, padding and jerseys.
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the league’s standard bearers, have displayed the personality and depth of a cardboard cutout over the course of their run — a byproduct of the NFL keeping it corporate.
Players kneeling and boycotts won’t harm the league in the short term. There is simply too massive an audience to make a large enough dent. The biggest threat to the NFL is finding enough parents willing to submit their children to brain damage as evidence mounts, depleting its overall talent base years into the future.
4) Should NFL coaches speak out and be more vocal about social issues like some of their NBA counterparts?
SO: Yes, but it is not just about the NFL coaches, it is with the owners of the NFL compared to the NBA. This mainly has to do with demographics. Despite having more teams in the NFL, the NBA has more black head coaches, the NBA also has a couple of black owners (Michael Jordan and Masai Ujiri). The only minority owner the NFL has is Shahid Khan(Pakistani-American). Also the age range of most of the owners are in the 60–70s, they were alive during the years of segregation in America, so it is won’t be surprise if at least some of them shares similar views to that of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Until the demographic of the owners change, then will see a domino effect to the head coaches.
JM: It all comes down to the workplace. The NBA is more accepting of social activism of this nature for its players and coaches than the NFL is. That is not to excuse the inaction of a coach or player, it is just an acknowledgement of the fact that the NFL could potentially be more strict with the message it wants put out by those under their employment. The Kaepernick situation would be good evidence of that.
LS: It is a totally different culture and two sports that don’t seem close to being ran the same way. It would be nice to show support but they are worried about becoming a pariah as well especially after seeing the public response. Jim Harbaugh came out and made a statement early in the protest then came back and showed support. I have more respect for someone that corrects themselves once they made a mistake.
I would love to see the whole league come together and work on a solution especially since 2/3’s of the league is African American, but the way the fan base is, I highly doubt it.
GF: It’s not for me to tell people what they should or shouldn’t do in regards to social issues. The beauty of this country is the liberty to choose.
Would I like to see NFL coaches be more outspoken in regards to social issues? Absolutely. Seeing Gregg Popovich, Stan Van Gundy, David Fizdale, and Steve Kerr speak out on social issues was a highpoint of this past NBA season, but it’s completely up to the coaches to decide whether or not to speak out.
JB: I would hope, at the very least, if these issues are something they’re passionate about, coaches would feel comfortable speaking up.
Not everyone is going to have strong feelings or insight on these things; which is a little shallow, but fine…I guess. The only thing I’d say NFL coaches should do is to create a culture where athletes feel safe expressing themselves on critical issues.
There is nothing inherently bad about not speaking on something you have little experience in. Most of these problems won’t touch their lives. But it takes a special kind of asshole to restrict the speech of someone else on a topic that has no impact on your own life.
Asking that the police not shoot first and ask questions later has no impact on picking up a third down blitz. Hell, I struggle to see how asking police not to shoot black men would negatively affect anyone’s lives to the point where they’d have a problem with such a statement.
5) What are your thoughts on the president’s controversial comments regarding Jemele Hill, NFL players who protest and withdrawing the White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors?
SO: It is no surprise given the past actions of Donald Trump. What is more of a surprise is that he chooses to focus on these issues during Hurricane Irma. The NFL players who protest him have a right to especially Mike Tomlin for not bringing the team out for the National Anthem. Although it is a violent sport, one of the positive traits that football(sports in general) teaches is unity and acceptance. People of different nations, cultures and backgrounds come together to play a sport and put aside their difference to be apart of a team. Trump’s words antagonizes those viewpoints.
As with him withdrawing the Warriors for the White House, it contradicts what he said in his running for the election that America has to be thick skinned and that America has become soft. He was affected by Steph Curry’s opinions to the point that he withdrew the Warriors from the White House. Something that should be insignificant to the President of the United States in the grand scheme of things turns out to be his main focus amidst of tragedy.
JM: With regard to Ms. Hill, clearly she should not be fired. It is such an intensely personal political climate and people feel their freedoms and beliefs are truly under attack. We should not simply ignore that fact. But as I said earlier, to come out and say plainly that the President of the United States is a white supremacist will bring consequence with it. Whether she is right or wrong, the backlash had to be expected to some extent, as well as the support that she received.
President Trump’s attacks on the NFL players and comment about Stephen Curry should not be surprising at this stage, either. We live in unique times, and the presidency is no longer a place where basic respects and consistent fact-based logic (the protests aren’t about the flag, for example) exist. The NFL players, the Warriors, and every professional athlete has the right to respond to those statements with their own protests and comments, as do other media types. It isn’t like the President sticks to politics — the “stick to sports” crowd is officially out of luck.
LS: I am not surprised by 45 ‘s comments. I thought we were a long way off from having a black president because of the racism in this country. Came back as a slap in the face when he won but hey what can you do.
Jewels Hill spoke her mind and spoke her truth and the truth of many others. I applaud her on her response to this whole fiasco.
The NFL players are doing a great job making sure the message is not lost in the oppositions act to spin the protest into something it never was. The players are going to have to really organize to make sure their message isn’t chewed up and spit out, having players of all backgrounds join in a continuous battle to keep their message true and not let it become manipulated by opposing sides. They have a have a longer road ahead than say the NBA but they still have a road to travel. It will get bumpy but if they have enough support should be able to see real change.
As far as the Warriors? They don’t look like they are hurt any, right? They gained a fan in me not for their play on the court, but because of the stance they took. I am proud kids have these kind of role models. They can look up to and every kid should look up to a person standing up against the wrongs in this world.
GF: Trump’s response to Jemele Hill’s comments sets a dangerous and irresponsible precedent in regards to the First Amendment. Trump using his power to call for Jemele’s job for voicing her opinion puts her, and the press, in an extremely precarious position. If journalists have to risk losing their job for writing/reporting an unflattering story/opinion on the Trump Administration, then journalism dies, and America is left in the dark.
On the other hand, if ESPN chooses to fire Jemele over her opinion, then so be it. It would be a cowardly move, one that would surely affect my viewership, but ESPN would be well within their rights to do so. While freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, it doesn’t give people immunity from their employer.
My thoughts on the NFL are parallel to those on Jemele Hill, players have every right to voice their opinion and exercise their First Amendment rights. One of the beauties of living in a free country is the right to do things other people might not like. Taking a knee in protest to systemic racism is democracy at work; forcing people to stand, blackballing, and demanding players who don’t comply to be fired is authoritarianism.
Lastly, Trump withdrawing his invitation to the Warriors was childish and petty. It’s the typical, “You can’t say no to me, when I say no to you!” tantrum, which is what we’ve sadly come to expect from our Commander in Chief. However, I applaud the Warriors for standing up to him, and using their D.C. visit to “celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization.”
JB: First, with the amount of turnover the Trump administration has had, i don’t think they’re in any position to comment on personnel and who gets to keep what job.
It is telling that no one in the Trump administration (or even ESPN itself, officially) tried to refute the accuracy of Hill’s statements. Her comments were merely criticized for being inflammatory. The same goes for what the NFL players are saying. They’ve never tried to address it, they’re just trying to discredit the messenger and delivery system.
But racism is inflammatory. It is impossible to confront without making people uncomfortable because to do so requires taking some real hard looks at what we are. ESPN and its public editor, Jim Brady, aren’t engaging in responsible journalism by avoiding a label because its inflammatory.
It’s also telling that Trump has done more to criticize Hill and NFL players than he has the people walking the streets waving confederate and Nazi flags — representations of two of the greatest enemies our country has ever faced. To my knowledge, President Trump has yet to specifically call for the firing of anyone marching with a Nazi flag at an event that ended in the death of an American citizen.
If you’re going to demand someone be fired for something they said, you should at least point to where she’s wrong.
And here we are with natural disasters everywhere, a mass shooting still in the headlines, and the battle our President is going to fight is with professional athletes over flag decorum? Fuck that. And this goes beyond the Trump administration, which is just an extreme manifestation of something that’s been plaguing our country. For conservatives, it’s never the proper time or place to discuss anything impacting our lives. Gun debates, white supremacy, inequality, racism…anything that might disrupt the status quo. Which, you know, is why the message needs to be taken into sports in the first place.
