There has to be a much greater force behind all of the racial animus which, to most, began with a second string quarterback sitting for the national anthem in his words, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color…” while wearing a Fidel Castro T-shirt.
As crazy as the conversations have gotten, from police brutality to disrespect for the flag, we have reached the point where fans are demanding a boycott from the NFL and its sponsors because of the disrespect for our flag while, at the same time, Colin Kaepernick is asking for a boycott of the NFL accusing the owners of colluding against hiring him. Who’s on first?
Let’s remind ourselves of the root of this crisis, and ask why none of this was an issue during the Obama administration:
- Need I say any more than Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson?
- We, then, endured the race baiting by President Obama in Connecticut, Sanford, Ferguson, St. Louis, Baltimore, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and other cities involving police shootings where he was on the wrong side of justice while giving credibility to Black Lives Matter and their calls for police assassinations. In some of those cities he had his own Justice Department declare the police departments “Racist Organizations” while turning a blind eye to riots, looting and burning buildings.
- Hillary, deciding not to let a crisis go to waste, piled on with her declaration of “white privilege” and “systemic racial bias” and blaming Putin.
- Then along came Kaepernick and the players all wanting to discuss their anecdotal experience with racial and social injustices. If you are looking for any more clarity, perhaps this quote from a player when asked why he was protesting, “We are displaying our right to stand up by kneeling for our beliefs.” Clear?
- We have expanded this one-way conversation to include blaming Trump; hip-hoppers seeking an all-black league; players declaring that they will raise their fist to demonstrate “black power” every time they tackle a white player; and Louis Farrakhan calling, again, for an all-black nation…not to mention “…all white people need to die.” How is this supposed to encourage dialogue? Am I expected to be an interested participant?
Roger Goodell, trying to salvage a public relations nightmare, flip-flops each time he talks, but stated, “Our players are men of great character, and they have a deep understanding and tremendous knowledge of the issues going on in our communities.”
- Sorry, Roger but “great character” gets a little stretched here when, on average, 38.5 NFL players get arrested each year…real pillars of the community. The NBA is no better. Actually the word “professional” has no meaning in sports anymore.
- But, what can you expect? 25% of all football player admitted to Division One football schools already have a record.
- Some of the players agreed to ride with cops to get a firsthand view of the problems…as if to reinforce the false narrative that it is a police problem. Why aren’t they walking the streets where the crime problem is? I think they prefer a policemen with a gun to protect them. How many players could offer a “…rational, well-considered opinion on civil asset forfeiture, criminal justice reform, or the complex legalities behind the use of lethal force by police? Joe Theisman responded, “…nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.”
- As far as having a tremendous knowledge of the issues, one player responded, “Myself is kneeling to show that just because I’m American don’t mean I got to act like one.”
- And the NFL social flip-flops? Tim Tebow was not allowed to kneel in prayer. Robert Griffen was prohibited from wearing a religious tee-shirt in a press conference…but Kaepernick was allowed his Castro shirt. Dallas was not allowed to a decal in honor of five police officers killed in the line of duty. Yet, Roger you are allowing the “black power” salute and the many disgusting celebrations that only black players can present.
- Finally, a little known fact is that the Department of Defense and the National Guard had to pay the NFL $12.5M for pre-game patriotic performances of our national anthem and a field sized flag from 2011-2015. What??? Are these protests just a ploy to return the monies to your coffers?
Here are some facts that deflate the police brutality argument and the systemic racism and bias which many have so readily accepted as fact:
- As reported in the Harvard Review, NY Times and Mother Jones, African-American Professor Roland Freyer, after a ten year study of police shootings in Houston, reported “…no racial bias could be found.” In fact, Professor Freyer found that, in tense situations, officers in Houston were 20% less likely to shoot black suspects.
- The Washington Post reported that in 2015, 990 persons were shot and killed by police officers in the entire country. 740 of those were in defense of themselves or someone else who was under attack.
- Racially, 50% were white who were shot, 26% black and 20% were Hispanic. Hardly evidence of a bias.
- The Chicago Tribune and Sun Times reported that in 2015, there were a total of 2988 shootings resulting in 468 homicides. Eighty percent of the shootings are caused by gangs which represent 7% of the population. Police shootings totaled 22 involving 8 deaths. For this, Obama’s DOJ declared the police a racist organization.
- And there are too many well documented self-imposed social issues that only the black community can address.
Is there a silver lining?
There is clearly some need to improve the criminal justice system and civil asset forfeiture…but don’t expect your football player to offer any meaningful dialogue.
But consider Chicago, in 2015 of the 2988 shootings, there were 2520 lives saved by some colorblind police, EMT’s, Paramedics, Doctors and Nurses often at the risk of their own lives at a cost to colorblind taxpayers of $2.5B. Who was absent? The NFL, the players, Black Lives Matter and President Obama…and the mainstream media that dislikes closure on any issue they can milk.
And for the NFL, let’s stop the “pre-game performances” and return to a simple flag in the end zone with the announcer saying, “Would you please rise and remove your hat as we honor America with our national anthem.”
Let’s return the conversation where it belongs. I am tired of counting the few white players on the teams. I want to return to cheering for the jersey.
Richard Sobieray is a resident of The Villages and a frequent contributor to Villages-News.com
