Sports & Politics Intersect: NFL owners still playing patriot games over anthem
"It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case." - Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner
On Wednesday, the NFL announced a new policy that would require players to "stand and show respect" during the playing of the national anthem. The rules all but ensure that the protests over police brutality and racial inequality will remain at the forefront of conversation, much to the chagrin of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and others like him who wished everybody would "just zero in on football."
The decision was applauded by Vice President Mike Pence — he took to Twitter and channeled his best chaste Charlie Sheen impersonation — and at least seemed to appease President Donald Trump, who supported the decision but wish it was harsher (he wants to expel offending players not just from the league but from the country altogether), and who yet again took jabs at the NFL on Monday during NASCAR driver Martin Truex, Jr.'s White House visit.
The same can't be said about the players. The NFLPA has already said it will do everything it can to challenge the new policy, noting that neither the players nor the union were present when the decision was made. Chris Long, Super Bowl champion and one of the many players lending their platform to this social justice cause, accused the NFL of making this decision solely to protect their bottom line. So did the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times and the readers of the New York Times, while other major news outlets devoted part of their opinion sections to blasting the NFL for being un-American.
These accusations that the NFL's rule changes had more to do with their bottom line are at least substantiated by the fact that league is quite literally profiting from Colin Kaepernick's name and likeness — you can still purchase his jersey (and other memorabilia) on the league's online store, albeit at discounted prices (meanwhile, Kap is still out of a job, and so is Eric Reid, his former teammate and fellow protester). It's also not a good look that the league paid to have a public opinion poll on Kaepernick and the national anthem protests (as well as other topics like legalized gambling) — something the former quarterback will likely use in his collusion lawsuit.
To be fair to the NFL, the new rules did come just days after the league announced it would commit to spending at least $90 million for social justice programs, and just the day after, the league also revealed it would expand its military veteran outreach program. It's still unclear if the league will use some of the money it gets from the Department of Defense for the latter.
This issue is not going away and it'll likely get messier. It hasn't even been a week yet and stories have surfaced about the discord among the NFL owners, who supposedly voted unanimously for this policy but in actuality didn't vote at all. The 49ers' Jed York abstained from the so-called vote, saying that he's considering banning the sale of concessions during the national anthem. Similarly, New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson, whose brother Woody is Trump's ambassador to the U.K., has said he'd pay for any fines incurred by players who choose to protest. There's more than a hundred days between now and the start of the 2018-19 season. Rest assured that we'll be talking about this once again in that span.
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This week in sports and politics history: U.S. Supreme Court affirms African-American boxer Joe Dorsey's right to fight white opponents
"Joe Dorsey as a name is just ordinary, only a step removed from the tens of thousands of John Joneses and Bill Browns and Tom Smiths on the American scene. Yet this obscure light heavyweight from New Orleans, Louisiana, has earned the gratitude of athletes everywhere through his fighting heart." - The Washington Afro-American, 1959
Not all heroes wear capes, but some have worn boxing gloves in their fight for racial equality. Joseph Dorsey, a talented young boxer in 1950s New Orleans, fought his way through a suit against the Louisiana State Athletic Commission and the State of Louisiana concerning a law that made it illegal for him to fight against white opponents in the state.
The city of New Orleans had been segregated since 1892, and extended that segregation to the boxing ring when George Dixon beat the Irish Jack Skelly. By 1950, the entire state prevented black boxers from fighting their white counterparts, which in turn, took from their ability to make a living in the ring.
In 1956, a law was passed that banned "dancing, social functions, entertainments, athletic training, games, sports or contests and other such activities involving personal and social contacts in which the participants or contestants are members of the white and Negro races."
In 1957, Dorsey challenged the law in court and in 1958, the law was ruled unconstitutional by The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. After appeals from the state of Louisiana, the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court in May of 1959.
Dorsey would never receive the fame or recognition he deserved for his talents in the ring or his courage to challenge a law that prevented him from showcasing those talents at the highest possible levels. However, Dorsey deciding to fight for what he believed in didn’t just help other athletes, but black entertainers who were not allowed to act, sing, or play music in one of the country’s largest cultural hubs.
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