John from Homer, Alaska asks, “*I have loved the Hawks since 1980, I am frustrated that the front office and leadership has become politically active and proactive with ads for DEI and LGBTQ+ and Black lives matter. All lives matter and I don’t want to be told who matters more. As a dedicated fan, I pay many dollars entertained by my favorite team, I don’t want indoctrination or to be subjected to an outside agenda that has nothing to do with the performance of the players or how they ‘feel.’ I don’t push my lifestyle or opinions on others and don’t want sports to be doing that to me. I am frustrated and tempted to not watch just because of that. Please share your thoughts on this. GO! HAWKS!”*
A: John, first off, thanks for being a longtime fan and for writing—and lest there be any doubt of John’s fandom, know that “Seahawk” is included in his email address.
I understand the desire to see sports as entertainment and a place to escape anything controversial or political—though there’s also a discussion to be had about why sticking up for human rights is political or controversial, or why things like diversity, equity and inclusion are considered bad by some—but to tell athletes or teams to “stick to sports” is to ignore the humanity of those people creating the product that entertains you.
When athletes in predominantly Black leagues like the NFL, NBA and WNBA protested after the extrajudicial killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery in 2020, or when NFL players protested in 2017 after a sitting U.S. President referred to protesting players as “sons of bitches,” they weren’t taking part in some abstract movement. This was personal, real-life shi… sorry, stuff… to them and to those who support them, including, ideally, the teams that employ them.
And you’re correct, all lives do matter, but we still need to say things like Black Lives Matter and Trans Lives Matter because, for most of the history of this country, they have not mattered equally in the eyes of the law or to those who historically have held the most power. The default in this country has always been that white, straight, male lives matter. Our country was literally set up this way. No one is saying Black lives or any other lives matter more than others, they’re just saying, hey, let’s maybe strive to get to a place where they matter on the same level. Systemic racism still affects everything from the legal system to education to…
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