Athletes Responding to Trump

If you turned off your TV/phone/tablet/etc., you missed Trump last night calling for NFL owners to respond to an NFL player who peacefully protests racial inequality by saying “get the son of a bitch off of the field. Out. He’s fired.” Really, you can watch it if you don’t believe us. Trump went on to call for NFL to be less safe for players. Then Roger Goodell gave a vanilla rebuttal, but we digress.

Trump wasn’t done. This morning, he tweeted the following:

Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

There’s something we have to confront as Americans. We have a President who gets more infuriated by influential people of color like Colin Kaepernick peacefully protesting racial inequality than he does by white supremacists and neo-Nazis spreading their hate or even murdering people. Even if one wants to play semantic games with Trump’s “many sides” speech or blame antifa, one cannot deny that the venom Trump displayed in addressing the NFL player protests was nowhere to be seen when talking about white supremacists or neo-Nazis. Trump’s disdain for the players outweighs his disdain for white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Simple and plain as Ice Cube says.

What makes the current state of affairs even worse is that our country, and others like Mexico, are reeling from the devastation unleashed by recent hurricanes and earthquakes. We need energy directed at helping people. We need a leader to remind us that we will help our fellow citizens, rebuild, and recover as one. We need Abraham Lincoln. We’re stuck with George Wallace.

Now it’s the athletes’ turn to respond. LeBron already did so this morning.

U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain’t going! So therefore ain’t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017

Here’s the problem, Trump wants this. He wants people debating whether it is he or professional athletes who are in the right. The racists in Trump’s base LOVE this stuff. Making the statements about player protests is Trump’s version of a rope-a-dope. Get people riled up about socially conscious African American athletes. Take the focus off of the Russia probe. Take the focus off of Betsy DeVos rescinding Obama-era policies on campus sexual assault investigations. Take the focus off of . . . you get the picture.

Not that anyone is asking, but here are our suggestions to athletes for responding to Trump:

1. Take a knee this weekend and every weekend. As many of you as possible. Do it silently. Put your hand over your heart if you want, but take a knee. People talked about protecting 1st Amendment rights against NFL owners when Kaepernick took his knee, but they were misguided. NFL owners aren’t state actors and therefore can restrict speech if they want. The President of the United States? No. He’s trying to quell peaceful protest. That violates the 1st Amendment and warrants a response. We understand that NFL players’ taking a knee bothers many military veterans. As we’ve been told by one such veteran whom we respect greatly, that flag is the one that comes home with their friends who were killed in action. Therefore . . .

2. Remind fans and all Americans that you respect and support our military and those who serve. They give us the ability to protest by volunteering to protect our nation and our ideals. Thank them profusely.

3. Heed Michelle Obama’s call: They go low. We go high. Keep the conversation respectful on your end. Reiterate that you are protesting against systemic racism, which has now been embodied in the highest office we have.

4. We said it here, and we’ll say it again. Advocating for specific changes. Gerrymandering and the undoing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were and are barriers to racial justice. If people of color cannot vote in the people who regulate society, who prosecute murderous police officers, who dictate how money is spent, how can we have a fairly represented society?

5. End every comment to the press with: “We’re counting on you Robert Mueller.”

What Trump said requires a response but we can’t lose sight of what Trump is trying to do when he makes these hateful statements. We need to keep our eyes on the ball and not fall for Trump’s schtick. The NFL and NBA players heeding the call for social justice are in a tough spot. But they made to where they are at for a reason. They are filled with exceptional amounts of drive and determination. It’s great to see them directing so much of that energy toward helping make our society one of equality. A hateful President is no match for them.