Main Stand Musings
At Main Stand Musings, we believe that you can’t separate sport from political and social issues.
In this comment article, Billy Brake argues that NFL star Drew Brees’ comments about the United States flag in the wake of George Floyd’s death encapsulates the sport’s problem with race.
Justice for George Floyd. Black Lives Matter.
New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees’ comments are as unsurprising as the protests themselves, given the NFL’s history of failing to understand the intricacies beyond sport and its role in the vanguard of change.
In the wake of the George Floyd killing and the ensuing protests across America, the quarterback said in an interview: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country”, in the process becoming another blotch on the NFL’s questionable record.
Regardless of your inclination towards sports, upon whatever field or arena you fix your focus, within or without most nations, sports’ ability to transcend its would-be confines and seep into popular culture is irrefutable.
There’s no need to go in-depth on the examples, but briefly think of South Africa at the Rugby World Cup in 1995 or AFCON 1996. Muhammed Ali’s activism against the Vietnam War. Billie Jean King’s push for gender equality in tennis. Jesse Owens and his triumph against the ‘master race’ in 1936.
The history of sports as a vehicle for commentary upon the faults of their milieus is richly intertwined, at times inextricably so, right up to where we find ourselves in modernity. Just two years ago, Pep Guardiola was charged by the FA for wearing a Catalan independence ribbon, which was a “political message.”
And just as the dynamic between sports and politics is so useful as a tool against oppression and discrimination, providing a global platform for issues which is often otherwise inaccessible, the reversal can be catastrophic – when sports refuse to denounce systemic inequality.
Teams, leagues and players become culprits of issues that remain covert until made painfully obvious, issues perplexing as to how they weren’t challenged much sooner. Except they were, and populism hid them once again, and you realise they’re only covert because of who is affected or who empathises with the affected.
There are very few things that have the ability to portray privilege to the extent of professional sports, and fewer operations still that find themselves as guilt-ridden as the NFL, a hallmark of American sporting culture and capitalist reach.
Too often comfortable behind a veil of inclusion and outreach, the National Football League has repeatedly proven itself a damaged and bigoted institution which refuses to humanise or empathise with its fans.
Akin to many organisations and corporations, the NFL announced proposed plans to promote minority hiring by teams in the league. One allows coaches to interview for positions even if they’re already employed, another allows them to improve their draft position.
The league partnered with Jay-Z and RocNation to strengthen communities through its ‘Inspire Change’ initiative, created in the aftermath of the Colin Kaepernick protest, which pledged owners donating to causes players care about.
But the insipid attempts of the powers-at-be of the NFL to preach activism are nothing more than a vague attempt at slapping tape over the cracks of a ship flailing in waters of equality, waters which it has no intent of navigating.
The pattern of false activism emerged again after the death of George Floyd, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement read: “As current events dramatically underscore, there remains much more to do as a country and as a league. These tragedies inform the NFL’s commitment and our ongoing efforts.
“There remains an urgent need for action. We recognize the power of our platform in communities and as part of the fabric of American society.”
Despite the supposed ‘good intentions’ of Goodell and the League, its treatment of those who refuse to subscribe to the same policies renders the entire process a farce.
Kaepernick took the knee in 2016 in a statement against police brutality. A grievance against the NFL, which accused league owners of colluding to keep him out the league, ended in with a confidential settlement. He hasn’t played since 2016.
The NFL’s actions against Kaepernick rendered the entire body as passive or actively against the Black Lives Matter movement, both complicit in sustaining institutional racism.
Two years later, the NFL would announce a short-lived policy to fine players that didn’t stand during the national anthem – which was unsurprisingly supported by President Trump.
So within the NFL, a league with 70% black players, and billionaire owners who support Trump, does it come as a surprise when another white quarterback says he will never agree with somebody challenging the most foul aspects of American patriotism.
Brees unashamedly goes on to state the anthem often makes him cry, partially out of memory of the sacrifices of the civil rights movement. He also evokes the rhetoric of wartime glories, a staple of anti-protest language across the United States.
But his refusal to recognise Kaepernick’s protest as legitimate is a stain of disrespect on Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr, the victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, and the suffering of every African-American.
Unsurprisingly, his statement has been met with condemnation. New Orleans Saints teammate and wide receiver Michael Thomas told Brees to “shut the fuck up” in a now-deleted video.
Another teammate, Malcolm Jenkins, posted a video in which he said “Drew Brees, if you don’t understand how hurtful and insensitive your comments are, you are part of the problem.”
Although perhaps the best response was from Journalist Jamele Hill: “Drew Brees is why people shouldn’t assume that just because someone white is around black people that they understand black issues.”
Brees has since apologised for his comments, stating they were ‘insensitive’ and ‘missed the mark’, and reiterated his position of support for the African-American community.
While Brees’ apology is a crucial example in the distinction of the player’s stance and the NFL’s, it only underscores the failing of the league.
The NFL now has put itself in a position where it is simultaneously unable to provide genuine support in the wake of these protests without submitting itself to gross contradiction.
But just as we have seen sports motivating radical change, we cannot hope to see this change while one of the most recognisable sporting institutions in the world remains anchored in the past.
To protest a body like the NFL is next to impossible – its fan base is far too broad and the extent of its borders reaches on controlling. But players, specific teams, owners, they can all be held to account. And have to be.
If change is ever to be seen, sport cannot fight against it.
Header picture: Twitter – @CNNPolitics
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