Metro Spirit - 09.28.17

Anthem Protests Become the New ‘Third Rail’ in Politics
Austin Rhodes
AS A CONSERVATIVE CAUCASIAN, you know, one
of “us guys” who benefit from that ever-present “white
male privilege,” I have often wondered if there was any
phrase, or any issue, that would become our version
of “the N-word.” Was there any word or gesture that
was so verboten, so “off the table,” that no use of it, or
mention of it, would ever be accepted as tolerable or
even considered as “fair game” in political discussion or
debate?
I think we now have the answer, and it is YES:
“There can be no attack, or disrespect, real or imagined,
against the American flag, and the symbols connected
to it. That would include the National Anthem, and other
iconic trademarks of American patriotism.
There is to be no discussion, no debate, no
equivocation. It doesn’t matter if you are protesting
cancer, communism or child molestation, you are to do it
in a way that does not involve disrespect, destruction or
ridicule for the symbols of America.”
This topic is so hot right now, ordinarily sensible and
rational people are willing to believe just about anything
it takes to back up their fervor and attack those who
disagree. Sound like a recurring theme lately?
There is no doubt President Donald Trump inspired a
firestorm when he called out professional athletes who
dare to disrespect the flag and the National Anthem by
conducting “protests” at the specific time their respect
and solemn attention is in order. Those folks didn’t like
being called out by the controversial President, and
many of them let their defiance show.
What we saw this past weekend in NFL cities all over
America, and yes, even before an NFL game played
in London, was a bunch of angry young men taking a
huge cleaver to the neck of the goose that lays their
golden eggs. While they may have the excuse of youth
and immaturity to explain their total lack of common
sense in choosing the worst possible forum to voice
their concerns, the incredibly well-educated and aged
executives that run the National Football League damn
well should have known better.
Truth of the matter is that they did. I have no idea when
it was written, but one of their own rules, specifically
Rule 5, Article 8, bans all “personal messages,” conveyed
in any way, while players are performing team duties,
unless specifically cleared by the league.
The reason is pretty clear: No one needs, or wants
to see, 1,600+ professional athletes spewing individual
personal, religious or political views while they are
supposed to be doing their jobs.
Failure to enforce that rule when San Francisco
quarterback Colin Kaepernick made it clear that he was
taking a knee in uniform, during the National Anthem, to
make a political statement, is what brought us to where
we are now.
This is NOT a First Amendment issue; this is a
workplace issue. An NFL player has no more “right” to
express a controversial political or religious opinion, in
This is NOT a “cut and paste” summation, or a quote from social media. This is a screenshot from the league’s own
website, NFL.com. This is the rule that Kaepernick, and now many more players, have been violating since the “take a
knee” protest began.
uniform, than a mailman, a police officer, or any member
of the United States military. The same goes for school
teachers (who get in trouble every day all over the
country for doing so), McDonald’s cashiers, or Avon
ladies.
No company, or professional entity of any description,
wants their “on-duty” employees sharing opinions that
do not reflect the values of the organization. Since it is
impossible to know what the employer’s beliefs would be
in all such situations, the rule is pretty simple for most,
when it comes to expressing controversial opinions. It is
certainly the rule of the NFL, DON’T DO IT!
The League needs to embrace Rule 5, Section 8, and
broadcast its newly mandated enforcement as loudly
and clearly as they possibly can. If they do not, there
is no doubt we will see the NFL’s value and place in
American culture diminished to an incredible degree.
On a personal note, as many of you know, I was at
the game in Chicago on Sunday when the Pittsburgh
Steelers inadvertently became the face of the weekend
protest. I will say this as plainly as I possibly can, what
the team attempted to do and say, by staying off the
field as a unit during the playing of the anthem has been
turned about as upside down, and inside out, as any news
story I have ever seen disseminated to an international
audience. While I believe that making such a bold move
without a concise explanation in place beforehand is
folly, I completely agree with the sentiment they were
attempting to convey.
The myriad “fake news” stories that inaccurately
depicted their words and intentions were appalling, and
as a media veteran I am ashamed to say I share the same
profession as those responsible for the lies.
This is not hearsay, this is not an opinion, this was
what I heard with my own ears in the Steelers locker
room after the game, from a collection of players: They
do not want to be used as political pawns in other
people’s arguments. They resented being put on the
spot by the entire series of events, and this was their
way of saying “we refuse to participate.” They did not
boycott the anthem, they boycotted the argument, in
the only way they knew how.
Coach Mike Tomlin used a much more coarse but
completely appropriate assessment when he said this:
“We’ve got a group of men in there that come from
different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, creed,
ethnicities and religions, and so forth. That’s football.
That’s a lot of team sports. But because of our position,
we get drug into bullshit, to be quite honest with you.
And so, some have opinions, some don’t. We wanted to
protect those that don’t; we wanted to protect those
that do. We came here to play a football game today,
and that was our intention. Thank you.”
And finally this, from Steelers president Art Rooney ll:
“The intentions of Steelers players were to stay out
of the business of making political statements by not
taking the field. Unfortunately, that was interpreted as
a boycott of the anthem – which was never our players’
intention.”
AMEN.
AUSTIN RHODES A long-time radio talk show host who can be
heard weekdays on WGAC from 3-6 p.m. The views expressed
are the opinions of Austin Rhodes and do not necessarily
represent the views of the publisher.
28SEPTEMBER2017
AUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989 METROSPIRIT
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