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Sports & Politics Intersect: White House looms large over sports world for another week
Mark Henle/USA Today Images

Sports & Politics Intersect: White House looms large over sports world for another week

Front Five: The top stories that shaped both sports & politics this week

“Until he can prove that he’s been an avid Colts fan and comes to games on a regular basis – this is a PR play.”  - Niners safety Eric Reid on Mike Pence leaving last Sunday’s Colts v. 49ers game 

More news featuring the NFL and the White House entered mainstream discourse when Vice President Mike Pence left a Colts home game after players on the San Francisco 49ers knelt during the national anthem. 

Following his exit from Lucas Oil Stadium, Pence tweeted a statement. “I left today’s game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” the statement began. “While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don’t think it’s too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem.”

Pence, the former Governor of Indiana, was reportedly in attendance to honor former quarterback Peyton Manning as the Colts were retiring his jersey. However, Pence’s visit is seen by many as a planned PR stunt. A White House staffer reportedly told the pool of journalists traveling with the vice president to stay in the van because “there may be an early departure from the game” without any details as to why. 

Furthermore, President Donald Trump tweeted that he asked Pence to leave the stadium if any players kneeled during the national anthem, applauding Pence and his wife for what transpired.

Following the game, 49ers safety Eric Reid told reporters that he believed that Pence is “trying to confuse the message that we’re trying to put out there.” Reid then said, “I would like to believe that he’s such a busy man that he hasn’t had the time to hear our message, but this has been going on for over a year now, so I know that’s not the case.” 

PR stunt or not, Pence’s trip on Air Force 2 from Vegas to Indianapolis to Los Angeles cost taxpayers nearly $250,000. 

Following this weekend’s action, Adam Schefter reported that NFL owners will consider a rule change “that would require players to stand for national anthem.” The NFL and NFLPA released a joint statement saying that player and NFL leadership will meet next week as a “continuation of how to make progress on the important social issues that players have vocalized.” 

As the war wages between the White House and NFL players protesting during the national anthem, continue to see if President Trump’s willingness to consistently put pressure on the league forces policy change. 

- Phillip Barnett


Geoff Burke/USA Today Images

“By the way everybody wanted to be here today. And I know why.” President Donald Trump’s first words in his remarks about the Pittsburgh Penguins White House visit 

On October 10, the Pittsburgh Penguins visited the White House to celebrate winning the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive season. 

Their visit comes on the heels of President Donald Trump rescinding his invitation to the Golden State Warriors following point guard Stephen Curry saying that he would vote against a visit to the White House. 

For the Penguins, they made it an effort to make their visit as apolitical as possible, but may have made a political statement in their efforts not to. Captain Sidney Crosby told reporters, “From my side of things, there’s absolutely no politics involved. Hopefully it stays that way. It’s a visit we’ve done in the past. It’s been a good experience. It’s not about politics, that’s for sure.”

Despite the team not wanting the visit to be about politics, the Penguins did not present the president with a ceremonial jersey with Trump’s name on it nor did they publicize the trip on social media. For comparison’s sake, the team gave President Barack Obama a jersey with the number 44 on the back and the Penguins’ social media team posted more than a dozen times on Twitter and created a Snapchat story for the visit. 

Furthermore, the NHL did not post about the visit on any of its social media channels, either. There is a single story on NHL.com that glosses over the visit in fewer than 150 words. The only mention of President Trump comes when the article lists the three presidents who have hosted the team after winning championships. 

The idea that the Penguins visit was a relative non-news story became a story in itself, rendering it much more political than what the team intended. 

- Phillip Barnett


Joe Camporeale/USA Today Images

"CB Orlando Scandrick said 'no comment' 7 times. When talk turned to Breast Cancer Awareness, he did say 'We're allowed to support that.'" David Moore, Dallas Morning News Cowboys beat reporter, via Twitter 

Jerry Jones, in an effort to appease both sides, has complicated the conversation even further over players dissenting during the national anthem – protests held to highlight racial inequality and police brutality.

On Sunday, following his Dallas Cowboys' home defeat against the Green Bay Packers in the final minute of the game, Jones intimated that any Cowboys player that did not stand for the national anthem would be benched. The comments came just weeks after the entire Cowboys team and personnel, led by Jones himself, interlocked arms and took a collective knee prior to their game against the Arizona Cardinals. On Monday, Trump tweeted out praise for Jones and his ultimatum

Predictably, his players did not share their sentiment. On Wednesday, Jones met privately with his players in an attempt to clarify his stance, allegedly claiming that he made his statements to be the "bad guy" and to deflect attention from the team – the Cowboys are 2-3 and could lose star player Ezekiel Elliott for six weeks to suspension. Jones also supposedly tried to make an economic argument, telling players that the protests  – again, they're about racial inequality – were bad for business. To Jones's credit, there is some validity to this; a new poll published by The New York Times' Upshot blog found that the NFL's favorability amongst Trump supporters fell significantly since he first started going after the league. Though no Cowboys player said anything about the meeting, team captain Orlando Scandrick reportedly blasted the anti-Trump anthem "FDT" by YG from his locker room, which speaks volumes over how that meeting went. 

If Jones wants this issue to go away, he's out of luck. The subject of whether teams can and/or should force their players to stand during the national anthem will be discussed next week at the NFL owners' yearly meeting. Several players will also be present to provide input, and the NFLPA has issued a statement in defense of its union members. Whatever is decided at that meeting might not have any impact, however. Just today, Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Russell Okung issued a call to his fellow players against any attempt by the owners to silence them. 

“We can either wait until we receive our respective marching orders, speak up individually, or find a way to collaborate, and exercise our agency as the lifeblood of the league,” Okung wrote in The Players’ Tribune.

“As Kap’s message has now been distorted, co-opted and used to further divide us along the very racial lines he was highlighting, we as players have a responsibility to come together and respond collectively.”

- Fidel Martinez 


Bruce Yeung/Getty Images

"Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives." - Jemele Hill, ESPN anchor, via Twitter 

On Monday, ESPN announced via a statement that the company had suspended anchor Jemele Hill over a string of tweets concerning Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The sports broadcaster alleged that Hill's statements violated their social media guidelines.

In her tweets, Hill noted that Jerry Jones had put his players in a precarious spot after announcing that anyone who didn't stand for the national anthem would not play. In her Twitter thread, Hill lamented that the onus to stand up to injustice shouldn't just be on athletes, and that fans had a say in the matter.

"Don't ask Dak, Dez & other players to protest," Hill tweeted. "A more powerful statement is if you stop watching and buying their merchandise." 

Hill then issued a clarifying statement, noting that she by no means was orchestrating a boycott against Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, the National Football League, and by extension, ESPN. It didn't matter. Her employer suspended her anyway.

It's unclear what, if any, policies Hill violated. What is clear is that ESPN is on the losing side of this incident when it comes to public perception. Several athletes and celebrities have taken to Twitter – the very platform that started this whole mess in the first place – to show their support for Hill. Internet hot takes and op-eds have also been critical of ESPN, saying that trying to appease a big partner like the NFL at the expense of Hill will not end well for the worldwide leader in sports.  Even Jim Brady, the ESPN ombudsman who had a meltdown a month ago over yet another Jemele Hill tweet-storm where she accused Donald Trump of being a white supremacist, isn't entirely sure that ESPN was in the right.

"[It's] not the job of Hill – or any other ESPN journalist, for that matter – to concern herself with the network's business relationships," Brady wrote in his response to the suspension. "In fact, separation of 'church and state' is a longstanding core concept in any news organization worth its salt. So it shouldn't matter whether Hill's comments put ESPN in a bad position with the NFL, any more than with the network's excellent reporting on concussions that has done the same." 

But perhaps the most insightful take over this issue came from ESPN personality Dan LeBatard, who has been suspended multiple times by the sports giant and other outlets. "This suspension is not bad for the career of Jemele Hill. That suspension was not bad for me," he said on his radio show, referencing the time the Miami Herald suspended him for calling for a Miami Marlins boycott. 

"It was good for my career. But it’s not good for the company to have it look like they’re squashing creativity and free thought when I KNOW I was insubordinate in private. … I’m telling you that what’s happening here is not clearly black and white, even as people with agendas will make it clearly black and white.”

- Fidel Martinez 


Bill Clark/Getty Images

"I'm proud not to stay in Trump hotels. I don't support someone who endorses hate on other people. He ran his campaign on hate. He's attacked everything that I am and believe." - Jabari Parker, forward for the Milwaukee Bucks.

A new report by the Washington Post has revealed that professional sports teams are no longer using Trump-owned hotels and properties whenever they travel for away games.

According to David Fahrenthold, who wrote the piece and has been covering Trump's businesses since before the 2016 election (earlier this year, he won the Pulitzer for national reporting because of it), of the 123 teams in the four major sports league, 106 did not confirm that they're staying at Trump-owned hotels and properties. Fahrenthold adds that of the 17 teams that have booked rooms in Trump properties in recent years, 16 of them have confirmed that they've stopped patronizing said establishments. He also notes that teams gave him various reasons for why they've discontinued the practice; not all of them were political. 

Some coaches and athletes have made no secret about what motivated their decision. 

"The president has seemingly made a point of dividing us as best he can," Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told the Washington Post. "He continually offends people, and so people don't want to stay at his hotel. It's pretty simple."

Dropping Trump properties isn't exactly a new development. During last year's NLCS series against the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Adrian Gonzalez, who's proudly Mexican-American, famously refused to stay at the Trump hotel the team had been using in Chicago. The team followed suit shortly thereafter. 

Teams staying away from Trump – it's worth noting that the NBA has been leading the charge here – follows a larger trend of organizations wanting to not be associated with such a divisive figure. Earlier this year, Fahrenthold reported that charities had cancelled events held at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's luxurious private club in south Florida. It's not just stateside, either. Trump's golf courses in Scotland have been bleeding money

For his part, Trump has decided to make this about patriotism. 

"The president has repeatedly said he doesn't care about his business, he cares about the country," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the Washington Post in an emailed statement. "The president's position on athletes standing for the National Anthem is about respecting the flag and the men and women of the military who sacrifice to defend it and nothing else."

This, of course, has nothing to with the flag.

- Fidel Martinez 

Of Note: 

  • In the aftermath of recent scandals, NCAA president Mark Emmert recruited former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to chair the newly formed Commission on College Basketball. Rice, who served as Secretary of State as well as National Security Advisor under President George W. Bush, was one of the original members of the College Football Playoff committee. The new basketball commission also features former hoops stars Grant Hill and David Robinson.

  • In Scotland, Gordon Strachan pinned failures of the Scottish men’s soccer team – one he actually manages – to make the World Cup on genetics. The manager opined that the Scots are genetically “behind,” adding that “maybe we get big women and men together and see what we can do.” 

  • The owner of the New York Islanders ’ has his eyes set on a new arena in Belmont Park, making a return to Long Island after departing Nassau Coliseum in 2015. John Ledecky said that the Isles will continue to play at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as the team works with officials to develop a venue near the Belmont Racetrack. The Islanders signed a 25-year lease with Barclays Center, but there is an opt-out clause that can be triggered by January 2018.

  • Local officials are trying to determine how much  former Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria owes the city and state. Miami-Dade County hired an auditor to examine documents provided by the team to determine the dollar amount Loria – who sold the team to a group headlined by Derek Jeter – should repay for the construction of Marlins Park.

  • New England Patriots and Revolution owner Robert Kraft is still interested in making a play for a Premier League club. The billionaire, who owns one of Major League Soccer’s founding clubs, was in consideration to buy Liverpool in 2005, but he expresses concerns about the Premiership’s lack of a salary cap when it comes to building a winning team.

  • Peter O’Malley, whose family owned the Los Angeles Dodgers for over fifty years, is  interested in taking control of Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida. O’Malley is in talks with Major League Baseball to fully own and operate the former spring training facility for the franchise, which has remained a training facility for youth, high school, college and pro baseball players.

  • Speaking of the Dodgers, in a sport with diversity concerns on the field and in the front office, the team shows a diverse makeup that mirrors the demographics of Los Angeles. Kevin Baxter spoke with various fans, players and broadcasters about the ethnic mix of the team, and what it means to the city.

  • The return of the NBA to the city of Seattle may have a second player in the game. While entrepreneur Chris Hansen is still pushing for a new privately-funded arena in the city’s SoDo District, he’s open to the redevelopment of KeyArena by a separate group as long as his plans are still honored by city officials.

  • WNBA players Emma Cannon (Phoenix Mercury) and  Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun) were denied visas into Turkey to play with their Russian basketball team. With increased tensions between Turkey and the United States, the president of their Russian team, Nadezhda, informed the players that they would not be able to pass through the Moscow airport to travel with the team.

  • The San Antonio Stars will be sold and relocated , according to multiple reports as well as the San Antonio Spurs. The Stars were originally the Utah Starzz, a founding franchise of the WNBA that played in Salt Lake City from 1997-2002. The Spurs purchased and relocated the franchise to San Antonio, where it played for 15 seasons.

  • In his first press conference as the new owner of the Houston Rockets, Tilman Fertitta revealed that he would love to bring a NHL franchise to the city

  • The raised fist of Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Brown was commended by Bill Riley , who was the league’s third black player. Riley, who skated with the Washington Capitals in 1974-75,  spoke with The Color of Hockey about Brown’s action as well as his hopes that Brown doesn’t pay the price for taking a stand.

  • Derek Jeter said that he would not have a problem if a player took a knee during the national anthem. Now speaking as the CEO and part owner of the Marlins, the future Hall of Famer added “the thing that I think is probably frustrating with this whole rhetoric that’s going back and forth is people lose sight of why someone was kneeling.”

  • The New York Times profiled the Howard University cheerleaders, who have been holding their own protests during the national anthem since last season. Where college football players are typically in the locker room as the anthem is played, the cheerleaders have been able to make their own statements if they choose to. No one has declined.

For the record books: This week in sports politics history


Focus On Sport/Getty Images

 “I don't believe the color of my skin entered into this decision. I was chosen because Al Davis felt I was the right person at the right time.”  - Art Shell on becoming the NFL’s first black head coach of the modern era 

Twenty-five years ago, Art Shell became the first black head coach the NFL’s modern era, becoming a pioneer that would lead to men like Dennis Green, Tony Dungy and Mike Tomlin earning head coaching gigs in the years that followed. 

After Mike Shanahan finished 7-9 in his first year as head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders, he was fired by Al Davis after a 1-3 start the next season. Davis, always one to give chances to those who least expect it, called Shell in the middle of the night and told him he was thinking about making him the head coach of the only team that he played for during his career. 

"You understand the Raider way," Davis began. "You're a leader. You're smart. You work hard. Everyone respects you, so you're the perfect choice. Think about it and get some sleep." And then Davis hung up the phone. 

During his playing years, Shell told his good friend Gene Upshaw that he dreamed of becoming a head coach in the NFL. Shell played under another head coaching pioneer, Tom Flores, the second Latino head coach in NFL history, and the first minority head coach to win a Super Bowl. Shell asked Flores what it took to become a head coach, and took that advice to the head coaching ranks. 

Shell’s hiring proved to be the right move. The team finished 7-5 in the final four games of the season and went 12-4 the next season, losing in the AFC Championship to a Buffalo Bills team that dominated the conference during the era. In his five full seasons as the Raiders head coach in the 1990s, Shell took the Raiders to three playoff appearances and finished less than .500 only once. 

Because of Art Shell, black coaches are offered many more opportunities than had been presented in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but there is still a long ways to go. Tony Dungy and Mike Tomlin were the first two black coaches to win a Super Bowl. There have never been more black head coaches on sidelines than there are in 2017, but they still only hold a quarter of all jobs (there were eight black head coaches in 2011, too). However, the eight today is still better than what there was before Shell was hired. 

- Phillip Barnett

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