Athletes & Trump

This is the first of my opinion posts on my new sports blog. I will be looking at issues in sports that impact us all. I will not spare anyone or anything from my sharp opinions whether pro or con. No one gets a Hall Pass including Black athletes or HBCUs.

The attached photo is a metaphor for my goal of this series of opinion pieces. I am handing off my ideas to my readers and viewers. I want to stimulate minds and to inform people of issues they might not be cognizant of in the world of sports.

I was sitting here watching CNN report on trump (not a typo; a small t for a small man) threatening to send troops to Chicago, building a wall on the border, hiring a village idiot to be Education Secretary, and instructing the Department of Justice to investigate voter fraud when I wondered how the nation’s athletes will respond to his policies.

Since his election, athletes have been in play with trump in a variety of ways.

Tiger Woods played golf with trump in December on one of his courses. LeBron James and his teammates refused to stay at a trump branded hotel in New York. The Chicago Cubs pushed up their White House appearance so they could do it with President Obama rather than trump. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are friends of the 45th President. Ray Lewis and Jim Brown shuffled up to trump tower to have a seat at the table and serve as Black Props for trump Photo Ops. Now the two former stars are pariahs in the Black community.

Clearly his relationship with athletes and their teams will be a complicated one; particularly for minority and female athletes.

Some of the sports public policy issues I’m marinating on in the age of trump are:

Should athletes and their teams consider shunning invitations to the White House? How will speaking for or against trump affect the public’s perception of an athlete or a team? Should athletes boycott playing golf on one of trump’s golf courses? Will female athletes participate in the emerging women’s protest movement? How should Black athletes respond to trump’s Marshall Plan to send troops to Chicago? Will the trump administration’s anachronistic views on women result in gutting Title IX. Will the new education secretary impact HBCU athletic programs by reducing aid to struggling Black Colleges? Will trump’s controversial policies spur more athletes to register to vote and get more engaged in the Democratic process?

Many sports fans believe athletes shouldn’t involve themselves in public policy or political issues. I vehemently disagree. Being adept on the football field, basketball court, soccer pitch, or gymnastics arena is not a disqualifier for an athlete being an activist. Quite frankly, I like my athletes showing they are critical thinkers off the field of play and not just athletic mannequins. To paraphrase Fredo in the Godfather, "They are smart. They have ideas."

We shall see how things shake out over the next four years. trump’s policies may force many of our best athletes to take a stand on his administration. I respect the office, but not the man. I will not be his Negro. As Malcolm X said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”

Peace Out,

JRP