NBA, NHL Teams Show the NFL a Much Better Way To Protest
In a perfect world, sports and politics would never intersect.
The world obviously isn’t perfect and politics have certainly seeped into professional sports, particularly the NFL.
The NFL, despite some recent positive ratings trends, is still mired in a public relations nightmare as many people are still wholly turned off from the league after Colin Kaepernick first began kneeling for the national anthem in 2016.
While the anthem protest movement has mostly died down, many Americans still find the mere thought of it so incredibly disrespectful to the flag, the military and police.
It’s been enough for President Donald Trump to become a vocal critic of the movement.
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
…our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
In a nutshell, NFL players went about trying to spread their message in a completely wrong way. It’s almost impossible to get people to listen to whatever your cause is if they feel that you’re going about it in the most disrespectful manner possible.
Compare the NFL’s anthem protests with how other sports leagues have recently taken it upon themselves to speak out for recent victims of mass shootings in America.
Honored to stand together with my teammates last night. #ENOUGH pic.twitter.com/JnTuEANG3C
— Tanner Pearson (@tannerjpearson) November 9, 2018
The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings held up signs reading “ENOUGH” before a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Kings president Luc Robitaille explained the meaning of the signs to NHL.com.
“I think at some point we all looked at each other and said: ‘It’s enough.’ We’ve got to stop the violence. It’s not enough for every sports organization to just do a moment of silence. We need to do more,” Robitaille said.
The NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks wore T-shirts emblazoned with “ENOUGH” before a 128-126 OT Clippers win on Saturday.
Enough is #ENOUGH.
We stand together and remember those lost in the tragic shooting in Thousand Oaks. pic.twitter.com/ghkmRXXByl
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 10, 2018
ENOUGH. pic.twitter.com/YPgZKXXZnN
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 10, 2018
At the end of the day, there is certainly a tinge of politics to the message of “ENOUGH.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the shirts are advocating for gun control or other laws that could be construed as anti-Second Amendment.
That being said, there is nothing political about wanting to end violence and senseless killings. There’s nothing political about wanting to honor the memories of those killed.
Even if you disagree with how these goals are achieved, you would at least be amenable to having an open conversation about it. Or, at the very least, you’d be far more open to discussing it than with someone showing disrespect to the American flag.
None of the hockey or basketball players took a knee during the anthem. They all stood at attention. If the players did make politically charged comments, they certainly didn’t happen during the game.
And as sports fans in 2018, this may very well be the best-case scenario.
If athletes insist on injecting themselves into heavy real-world issues, they should do it with a modicum of respect and reverence. It’s a much more powerful way to get a message across than to blatantly disrespect a country that many Americans love dearly.
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