Interjected in the center of all this controversy about kneeling during the national anthem is the question” why”. It arises again and again with our current president. I’m not talking about why it’s happening. We know that it is all about freedom of speech and the right to protest. And likewise I’m not talking about why many consider the whole thing to be such a display of disrespect of the flag and all it stands for. That is perfectly understandable. Personally I have to say I wish athletes could find a different way to express themselves. The head scratcher for me though is why the president of this nation would go out of his way to inflame an already sensitive issue. That would be something to ponder if we had a normal man running the country. But this is the Donald Trump show, directed by a man who by now we have come to realize is so completely not normal, the “why” in this situation is fairly easy to ascertain.
During all the anthem kneeling and so forth, what has surfaced as debatable argument with a likely outcome of gradual resolution, overnight turned into a firestorm of controversy, all because of a provocative statement president shit-for-brains made during one of his after market campaign rallies. Make no mistake. Trump did not go to Alabama to stump for a Republican congressional candidate, although that was the initial intention pushed by the WH. Trump seems unsure if he is even backing the right candidate. Stumping for a primary candidate is a bit odd in the first place. The real answer to “why” here is it was just another chance to supply Trump with a fix of his never ending need for public adoration. What better way to give his ego a boner than letting him listen to a crowd of his staunch supporters enthusiastically respond to his profanity-laced course of red meat- the kind seasoned liberally with racial overtones.
Labeling NFL players who protest during the national anthem as unpatriotic is a complete win for Trump when his audience is a rabble of football crazy Alabama good ol’ boys. Heck, nationally over half the population feels that way, or is at least uncomfortable with that type of expression. Include me in the uncomfortable segment. And Geezuz it’s hard to feel sorry for anyone making millions of dollars, although you can’t help admire someone who is willing to get his brains scrambled all in the name of entertainment. Calling anyone an SOB during a nationally televised speech is pretty crass for anyone holding public office though, let alone the president of the United States, but unfortunately it is what we have come to expect from this president. You can argue that protesting during the national anthem is disrespectful to the flag, but so is racism. As hard as it might be for many to swallow, these NFL demonstrations are about racial justice, not the U.S. flag,, the national anthem, our military, or Trump.
An ironic twist to this whole episode is instead of remaining unemployed, the chances of Colin Kaepernick getting picked up by an NFL team are suddenly looking promising, exactly the opposite of what Trump intended with this recent speech. I’m surprised the editorial pages in Alabama didn’t go ballistic about Trump’s lack of football knowledge. Outside of a platoon of combat vets or company of firefighters, I doubt if there is any institution that evokes more loyalty to their group than a team of football players. Anyone who has played the game, from high school on up, is instilled with a sense of camaraderie that no doubt can be attributed to the violence of the sport. Throw in the fact that 70% of those playing in the NFL are black, and you should understand chastising one of its members for exercising first amendment privilege to point out racial inequality is bound to create some blowback. Trump’s concept of loyalty however only flows in one direction- his. Underscoring how little the president knows about football is his comment about how the sport is not violent enough for his liking. Every NFL owner arm-locked in protest with their team or otherwise knows all too well it is exactly that that could be cause to litigate the sport out of existence.
“Bone Crusher” Kowalski models prototype of NFL headgear requested by President Trump
Of course that is all secondary. The real issue is anyone’s first amendment right to protest. And a protest is only as effective as the impact it has on society. Whether you agree or not with Colin Kaepernick or any professional athlete taking a stand to promote racial equality during the national anthem, it is their right to do so. And importantly, like it or not, for these black athletes there is no better opportunity to create impact than during the peaceful resonance of the national anthem.
Just for the hell of it here is a Chicago Tribune article that expresses the concerns of those who feel President Trump created an unnecessary shit-storm. Presidential Fumble
Once again, instead of presidential leadership, we get little but incompetence and cultural divisiveness because of our president’s insatiable need for gratuitous applause. Like this Tribune article implores, let’s leave race relations, free speech, religious protection, and now sports, to leaders who still have credibility.