What We’re Thankful For on Thanksgiving – Doug Baldwin

2017 is the year that sports and politics became unequivocally intertwined. And they’ll remain that way for the foreseeable future. We actually like it that way though. So for this Thanksgiving, when we thought of what we were thankful for in the world of sports, the answer was readily apparent. We’re thankful for a human being who changes society for the better through his words and his actions. That Stanford educated human being just happens to be a professional athlete. His name is Doug Baldwin.

In a country that has devolved to covering Donald Trump vs. LaVar Ball, Doug Baldwin stands apart because of his well-thought out beliefs. But he also stands out for his not so well-publicized actions to move us all forward. Baldwin, as we noted, was one of the first people to take positive actions following the start of Colin Kaepernick’s protest. Doug Baldwin was someone to whom we pointed when we wrote about moving forward as one. And we will continue to point toward his example.

Here are Mr. Baldwin’s words when asked about why he protests:

I think the main thing for me is that we wanted to make sure that the message got across that in no way shape or form are we trying to protest against the flag or against the country. I think we have been very clear about our message and our point is that we are protesting inequality and injustice in America for people of color, and that’s what we are doing.

Mr. Baldwin and his teammate Michael Bennett were guests on CNN’s Town Hall two months ago to discuss systemic racism and injustice.

Did you catch Mr. Baldwin correcting the Reverend on the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre that pre-dated it? Go to the 40:31 mark and watch. Mr. Baldwin knows his history. He knows what he is up against. But he presses on. Because this is a fight worth fighting and he is up to the task.

Moreover, and more importantly, Mr. Baldwin, the son of a police officer and grandson of a man who spent most of his career in the Air Force, lets his actions speak for themselves. For instance, did you know that just last month Mr. Baldwin penned a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee with Commissioner Goodell? Yes, that Roger Goodell. Mr. Baldwin and the Commissioner sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee to lobby for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. Didn’t hear about that? Well that’s a shame. These are the sorts of actions that should be on the front pages of sports sections and websites.

Did you know that two months ago, Mr. Baldwin’s Foundation was presented $75,000 for its Family First Community Center by King County Councilmembers?

Did you know that a month before that presentation that Mr. Baldwin helped raise another $3 million for the community center from First Financial Northwest Foundation, a local bank? Did you know that the Family First Community Center was a joint venture by Mr. Baldwin’s Foundation and the Mayor and School Superintendent of the City of Renton?

How about Mr. Baldwin’s Building Bridges program that he started last year? This is a program that Mr. Baldwin started to build a bridge between the local community and the police department. Did you know that Mr. Baldwin continues to meet with local police to discuss community relations? Want to see a police officer moved to tears by Mr. Baldwin’s surprise appearance? Of course you do!

But Mr. Baldwin didn’t stop there. Mr. Baldwin and his Seahawks teammates created the Players Equality & Justice for All Action Fund as a response to Trump’s continued war against African American athletes who protest systemic racism. The goal of the fund is to to support education and leadership programs addressing equality and justice. That was just two months ago also. Mr. Baldwin has been a busy man off the field this season.

You see, every time the world presents Mr. Baldwin with a negative, he turns it into a positive. If you want to spend some time feeling good about our world, look no further than Doug Baldwin’s example. He has taken the drive, work ethic, and need to succeed that make him such a great football power and employed those attributes to better our world. For those reasons and many more, on this Thanksgiving, we are thankful for Doug Baldwin.