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Editorials/Columns
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A Bad Look For NFL
guess we can say it’s offi-
cial now. The NFL truly is a company that doesn’t care what Black people think.
That is the conclusion that I couldn’t help but deduce after it was announced Wednesday that the league’s new rules stipulate that all of its players and personnel must stand for the National Anthem.
Those who don’t wish to participate in the pre-game ceremony have the choice to stay off the field and, most importantly, out of the view of cameras.
All of this, of course, was put in place for the specific purpose of appeasing the NFL’s Donald Trump sup- porting, “Make America Great Again” hat wearing, middle American fan base; a demographic that has shown zero patience with their en- tertainment being disturbed by the petty concerns and is- sues of the individuals who
are entertaining them.
I have to admit, it’s hard to watch what’s transpiring and not feel bad for the men who are employed by this corporation. That is mainly due to the fact that the NFL seems to be forcing them to sacrifice their principles and integrity just for the sake of
keeping their jobs.
I mean, playing the game
of football already takes a se- rious toll on these men phys- ically. And knowing that they’re risking their well be- ings for people who aren’t the least concerned for their lives off the field, probably makes the pain they endure sting even more.
The irony of it all is that the protests were originally about bringing attention to the injustices brought upon Black men, who were being killed unjustifiably, after having their civil and human rights violated.
Now, the freedom for
these players to express their discontent with such oppres- sion is being suppressed by individuals who want them to respect a symbol that is supposed to represent the very freedoms they’re being denied.
In a perfect world every Black NFL athlete would abruptly retire in an act of defiance that would cripple the NFL brand irreparably. But, since that’s unlikely to happen, I just hope that on Opening Day the players de- cide to show the NFL what they think about the new rule change by opting to stay in their locker rooms while the anthem is being played.
Their absence would, not only, be a huge embarrass- ment for the league, but it would also give the viewing public a glimpse of what the game would look like if they weren’t around.
Most of all though, it would let team owners know that when it comes to giving someone your ass to kiss, the sentiment can definitely go both ways.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bul- letin Publishing Com- pany. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbar- ronice@gmail.com.
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What Happens When History Is Forgotten
e shall begin our gratitude where gratitude is
due . . . at the beginning.
When a courageous young Black man by the name
of Clarence Fort, convinced 39 other bold teenagers in the 1960s to invade foreign soil at the downtown Woolworth Department Store counter, he and his colleagues planted the seed that would become the oak tree of our overwhelming thanks more than 50 years later.
But, we not only thank Clarence Fort and the equality-minded young people whose memories still live if only in barber shop conversations, but we give gratitude to local government who has finally found it not robbery to confess to the world that Tampa has been wrong and is now willing to make amends by placing a special marker in front of the now-vacant Woolworth building.
What if minds similar to that of misinformed Kanye West and others like him had prevailed with their misguided argument, “‘Let the dead bury the dead’ Therefore, forget the past?”
Indeed, we need not wonder what the present would look like. Fast-forward to Philadelphia and the Starbucks coffee shop where two young Black men were recently ejected and arrested by police simply for not buying anything.
So, what happens when history is forgotten? We’ll tell you: It’s repeated.
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