NFL players entitled to protest if they want

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/09/2017 (2915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The age-old question of does politics belong in sports popped up again last week.

At a rally in Alabama on Friday, United States President Donald Trump said, “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.”

His comments were regarding some National Football League players taking a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and other issues in the country. It’s their way of showing patriotism and pushing for change instead of disrespecting the military, flag and anthem.

The reaction on Sunday? Teams stood arm-in-arm, some kneeling during the anthem, or didn’t leave their locker-rooms until after “The Star-Spangled Banner” was completed.

After the games, the players spoke of showing solidarity, but there was still some confusion about whether their sign was in response to being called SOBs or hearing the leader of their country saying they should be fired for exercising their First Amendment right or because more eyes are being opened about the racial divide in the United States.

Some fans may find these actions and political discussions to be annoying. After all, sports is a form of entertainment and escape from real life. It’s also something that encourages teamwork and people working out differences to achieve common goals.

Politics have become more and more divisive. The debate over these actions likely won’t ever end. Some people believe “My country, good or bad” while others would rather live in a country that just does good things and push for positive changes. These mindsets have been around forever and likely won’t change.

Arguments on both sides will be made on various public and private forums, but what people must remember is athletes are people too.

Yes, we pay money to go watch them perform impressive feats for a few hours at a time. But when they’re not practising, training or playing, they go home to their families. They have kids who will inherit the world they leave behind and they aren’t exempt from societal issues regardless of how much money they make.

They are entitled to voice their opinions just as much as anyone — although they may have a more public forum — and you can’t blame them for wanting to make the world a better place.

Some people may be annoyed that athletes are taking a stand, but everyone should take advantage of it and research what is being protested after enjoying their games.

Start thinking and discussing the issues that are being raised. It will only help society to grow and become a better place.

A few other thoughts this week:

• Congratulations to the Neepawa Natives who currently sit fifth in the Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings. Neepawa swept its home-and-home season-opening contests with the Winkler Flyers on Friday and Saturday. It has only been one weekend so it’s hard to know this is sustainable or not, but it’s great to see a local team getting national recognition. It also gives head coach Dustin Howden, who said his goal for the team this season was an above-.500 record, a new way to motivate his team to live up to that standard.

• How impressive has Ty Lewis’s and Stelio Mattheos’s start to the Western Hockey League season been? Lewis created numerous opportunities in the first two games against the Regina Pats and finished the weekend with two goals and five assists. Five of his assists were goals scored by Mattheos, who is showing an early finishing touch. Their point production may not be sustainable for 72 games, but hopefully their level of play can be maintained for that long and into the playoffs.

• The Wheat Kings’ power play production also seems unsustainable after they scored five goals on eight opportunities, but what a great start for that unit. If the team can cut down the number of penalties it takes then this could be a decent season for Brandon.

• Fans can get their first look at the Brandon University Bobcats men’s volleyball team this weekend as BU hosts a tournament from Friday to Sunday. Sherbrooke, Montreal, Winnipeg and Regina will also be here for the competition, which begins at 11 a.m. on Friday. The final is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.

Chris Jaster is the Brandon Sun’s sports editor.

» cjaster@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @jasterch