By Alex Kurtz, Sports Editor
Sept. 23 was a normal day for most Americans, but for Stephen Curry and the reigning NBA-champion Golden State Warriors, their decision that day inadvertently put forward the chain of events that would eventually lead to the death of “shut up and play” in sports.
President Donald Trump revoked his invitation for the team to come to the White House after Curry expressed his hesitancy to go.
The visit to the White House in past years has been an honor, but with the controversy surrounding the Trump presidency, many athletes have expressed frustrations with the president.
That weekend, different NFL teams united in an almost league wide showing of unity during the national anthem.
The Jacksonville Jaguars locked arms in London. The Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the locker room aside from offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former army ranger, who stood alone with his hand over his heart during the anthem.
Football fans around the country were in outrage on how nobody should kneel for the anthem as it dis- respects Americans who fought for our freedom. That statement could not be farther from the truth. These Americans fought for all of our freedoms, including our right to protest and the right to free speech. Trump later came out on Thursday in an interview to state that “NFL owners are scared of their players.”
He must have not been watching the games though because most NFL owners were in complete supports of their players. Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones kneeled with his team during the anthem. Jaguars’ owner Shahid Khan stood with his players on the sideline, arms locked. This list goes on and on.
Fans in years prior did not want see politics during their hours of disconnect, even if it was already there to an extent, i.e. the national anthem, which was only made mandatory for players to stand on the sidelines in 2009.
Nowadays, fans are more active in the political spectrum, and the fight against social injustices has escalated to the most extreme it has been since the civil rights movement in the ‘60’s. In a political era where social media is so prominent, having a disconnect from sports and politics is impossible.
While there is NFL policy stating that one must stand for the anthem, and players could receive fines or suspensions for their actions, this showing of protest from almost the entire league shows that “shut up and play” no longer exists in sports, and if Trump continues on his current path during his tenure as the leader of the free world, this is only the beginning, whether you like it or not.
