The sports world isn’t ‘sticking to sports’ anymore—and we all know why

Double standards become apparent when you realize where the people who run the teams stand.

By Carron J. Phillips

If San Francisco 49ers star and known MAGA member Nick Bosa had chosen to kneel during the national anthem because of the recent political violence in Orem, Utah, would the president of the United States have taken issue with the gesture—as he has in the past?

Would Bosa have been called a “son of a bitch” and told to get “off the field”?

Would pundits have instructed him to “shut up and tackle?” Would Bosa be blackballed from the NFL?

Absolutely not.

That treatment was reserved for Colin Kaepernick, not Bosa. As the urban poet Finesse2Tymes famously said, “It's cool when they do it. It's a problem when I do it.”

Over the weekend, the Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and Arizona Cardinals held pregame observances. Reportedly, the NFL decided to have the Packers participate because Commissioner Roger Goodell was present for the game that took place on 9/11.

In other sports, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Yankees, the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Louisiana State University Tigers, the Wyoming Cowboys, the UFC and NASCAR also paid tribute.

“There have been a variety of moments of silence and tributes in-stadium and on-air in all games or a game immediately following events that rise to a national level,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told USA TODAY Sports. “Clubs also often hold moments following a tragic event that affects their community.”

Interestingly, the tributes in New York and Chicago were the only places that weren’t in red states, which sheds light on the league’s statement about how the tragic event had affected “their communities.”

Given that the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies were on the road in Indianapolis and San Diego, respectively, it’s fair to wonder if they would have followed suit. If so, would their tributes have focused on the events in Utah or on the unfortunate incident that occurred in their state at Evergreen High School, where another school shooting left one person dead and multiple people injured and hospitalized?

We’ll never know. But what is certain is that the sports world is engaging in a tricky game by partaking in politics only when it’s convenient, especially during this administration.

In the lead-up to the 2024 Super Bowl, nearly four years after Black Lives Matter erupted and the presidential campaign in full swing, Goodell was asked whether players should just “stay out of” politics or whether he preferred “players to have voice.”

He replied, “I do prefer our players have voices. And I would tell you that I learned an awful lot from our players. Not just during that period of time, but every single day.”

In a post-Kaepernick world that included frequent criticisms from Trump’s White House and Goodell and the league blackballing the former 49ers quarterback for using his “voice”—later followed by an apology to Kaepernick—Goodell finally arrived at a place where he valued athlete activism, only for it to backfire. A few months later, Bosa was fined $11,255 for violating the league’s uniform and equipment rules when he wore a “MAGA” hat while interrupting his teammate’s postgame television interview. When asked about it, Bosa dodged the question, his “voice” gone.

Even though he’s supposed to be in mourning, Trump recently took to social media to attack the NFL just days after multiple team owners took part in a gesture likely intended to appease him. He wrote, "The NFL has to get rid of that ridiculous looking new Kickoff Rule," he wrote about rules that were established for player safety. "How can they make such a big and sweeping change so easily and quickly. It’s at least as dangerous as the 'normal' kickoff, and looks like hell. The ball is moving, and the players are not, the exact opposite of what football is all about. “Sissy' football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL! Who comes up with these ridiculous ideas? It’s like wanting to 'roll back' the golf ball so it doesn’t go (nearly!) as far. Fortunately, college football will remain the same, hopefully forever!!"

Since 2016, Trump and his followers have made their feelings clear about which athletes they grant permission to use their platforms to speak out about political and social issues. The “separation between church and state”—as football is played on Sunday and viewed by many as a religion—in this context is a case-by-case scenario determined by race, gender, and political affiliation.

As we approach the beginning of the busiest section of the sports calendar, with elected officials preferring to divide rather than unify, we can expect more situations in which folks won’t be “sticking to sports.” It’s a slippery slope, and the parties involved aren't known for having a good grip.

Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.

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