Varsity (Red, White &) Blues
Quick Thoughts on Pigskins and Knee Joints
I’m not exactly sure when the words, “son of a bitc*” was last uttered publicly by a president or even myself — as I do fear a bar full of soap from Momma Hom. Considering it is hardly appropriate to use that diction at a canine maternity ward, it is not surprising Trump’s words have carried such controversy these past few days. At a rally for failed GOP Senatorial candidate, Luther Strange, Trump continued his warpath on morals and altruism with the select words of:
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!…“You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it [but] they’ll be the most popular person in this country.”
Utilizing an astute understanding of football that only a 2nd place Fantasy Football team owner can spout and the simple value of logical thinking, one can deduce that the aforementioned statement is completely ridiculous. I’ve seen a fair amount of defense for kneeling during the American national anthem, ranging from the actual flag code to the Constitution of the United States, but let’s take a quick peek at what these athletes and others are actually kneeling for (and it’s not for Daenerys Targaryen).
Criticizers of the ninety degree patella have slammed Kaepernick and other NFL players for allegedly disrespecting the flag, the United States, the military, Saturdays with the boys, and cracking cold ones. So do these grass stained Underarmours really hate America? Kaepernick had some choice words to address that theory:
“The media painted this as I’m anti-American, anti-men-and-women of the military and that’s not the case at all…Once again, I’m not anti-American…I love America.”
The United States has afforded me and abundant others many privileges I would not have garnered elsewhere. My family immigrated here knowing that they could give their children and their children’s children better lives. However, to paint America as a flawless gem is sheer nonsense. It was only around 50 years ago when water fountain privileges were determined by the skin of your color and not how rad your grade school backpack is (I had the wheelies). Unfortunately, we, as a society, still struggle with these systemic issues today and hyper-patriotism and ignorance will not provide any solutions. If you truly respect something, you will want to see the betterment of it. We are deliberately watching and enforcing a standstill for this country’s progression of equal rights and opportunities because of misguided shortsightedness.
“The message is that we have a lot of issues in this country that we need to deal with… We have a lot of people that are oppressed. We have a lot of people that aren’t treated equal, aren’t given equal opportunities… Police brutality is a huge thing that needs to be addressed. There are a lot of issues that need to be talked about, that need to be brought to light and we need to fix those.’’
Kaepernick’s message has always been about putting the spotlight on the miscarriage of justice for the African American people. It’s about police brutality. It’s about the prison-industrial complex. It’s about kids dying. It’s about being murdered for selling cigarettes. The palpable hammer named “racial prejudice” (or “Donald” during weekend touch football) is utilizing the blunt force of post-racial denseness to strike hate and inequality into this country’s foundation. Blood-filled concrete cannot build a future of civil rights. Apathetic black robes and biased bronzed sigils cannot govern fair institutions. Am I disrespecting this country? Only the parts that have disrespected, brutalized, evicted, and murdered generations of immigrants, Americans, and human beings.
While you watch hypocritical billionaires link arms with 300 pound lineman or when you read that the second best player in NBA history calls Trump a “bum”, don’t forget what this is all about. If you want to watch or protest the NFL, do it with the purpose and solidarity for the chance of equality for all peoples (and not just because the Mike Glennon can’t throw a pass).
