What do college football and politics have to do with each other? Usually, not much. But the recent discussion regarding the displaying of the Confederate battle flag at public institutions in the South got me thinking about how football in this region – such a revered institution – can and should shape our thinking on a socially important issue. Many people, including South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, have already weighed in on the issue. So, how does the Confederate flag and sports intersect here?
First, please understand that I am a southerner with all the bona-fides. I grew up in a small, country town in Tennessee. I drove a Chevy. I played football. When I was growing up the “Stars and Bars” represented (to me) southern culture, a pride in that culture, and a way of life. Think pick-up trucks, NASCAR, and deep-fried food. I was a proud American and proud to be from the South. Neither of those have changed.
It’s dawned on me that people like myself who grew up in the South and are proud Americans own this discussion and need to do what’s right. The football teams we cheer for in the south are public institutions. They are almost all land-grant institutions that represent a state, its people, and to a certain extent its culture. The Gamecocks, the Crimson Tide, the Volunteers, the Gators, the Aggies, and, yes, even the Rebels, are one of the most recognizable and marketable brands for each of our states. That’s why this is a discussion that we need to have.
In my reflection, it occurred to me that I have to make a decision. Am I an American or do I support violent separation from America?
You can say whatever you want about the Confederate battle flag and it can mean whatever you want it to mean for you. If it isn’t a symbol of racism and rebellion to you; then fine. It’s not my place to judge what’s in your mind and in your heart.
But the historical record is clear: this is the flag that flew at the front of the formation that killed more U.S. soldiers than any other enemy battle flag in the history of time. And it’s not even close. To the historical record this flag represents the policies and politics of the armies and nation it symbolized. And let’s be clear: center among this was secession, rebellion and the right of the thirteen southern states to preserve the institution of slavery.
The Civil War is the defining moment of our nation’s history; more so than the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was an instrument externally focused. It was a letter to a King meant to be read by all peoples of the world. The Civil War was our struggle, our fight with each other. It was a struggle to make right what the founding fathers left to future generations. The founding fathers, in their infinite wisdom, gave us the framework and philosophy for democracy, but left the execution of that democracy up to each generation. Of the many things they left for that generation – fiscal and banking issues, defense issues, expansion issues, and slavery – only one was important enough to fight a war over. In our continued efforts to form a more perfect union, we had to almost destroy the less perfect union.
I will not delve into relativism. I will not judge the actions of those who came before me. Not even the generation immediately before me. I am not a product of that time and cannot, with absolute certainty, claim that I would have done any better. The Confederate Battle Flag is, however, a product of that time. No matter what it personally means to you, it is a historical symbol of secession and rebellion against the United States and of the institution of slavery. Any argument that does not acknowledge or recognize this is an intellectually bankrupt argument.
The southern men who fought under that flag – sometimes brothers of the men who fought under the stars and stripes – returned to the Union after the war was over. They were Americans, and then abdicated and fought against America, and then became citizens again. The states seceded and then re-entered. We became one nation, again. Healing had to occur. Change had to occur. The southern culture had to change; it had to accept that being “American” meant no more slavery. But the Confederate battle flag is not a person. It’s not a culture. It doesn’t change. The Armies of Virginia and of Tennessee and of Mississippi, and the Confederate States of America that they represented, ceased to exist. That flag represents the defeated policies and politics of these institutions. It’s time that I change, and recognize this flag for what it really is and recognize its place in museums, not football stadiums or public places.
The Confederate battle flag doesn’t represent the south today, it represents the policies and politics of the southern states of secession from 1861-1865. That is the historical record. I am a proud southerner. But I am not a Confederate. I do not wish for my state to secede from the Union. Southerners – football fans and NASCAR fans and non-sports fans – ought to recognize that being a southerner and being a Confederate are two different things; two different things entirely.
As engrained as our own American flag is, so too are the rights that it represents. One of these rights is the right to free speech. If you want to fly the Confederate battle flag on your vehicle and in your yard or in your house because it means something different to you then that is your right. You are free to exercise that right as you wish. But know that whatever it means to you, it is a historical symbol of secession, rebellion, dissolution of the United States. It is a flag whose historical context is undeniable. And for those American families who can relate and have a history of slavery and oppression then yes, it represents slavery to them. Just as it can mean something different to you, it can mean something different to them.
Recognize that exercising your rights of free speech speaks volumes about what you think of others and what you think of the nation that provides you that right.
A flag with this historical context should not be displayed in places of honor in our American public institutions. To have the Confederate battle flag on a flag pole is a direct challenge to the American flag. These two flags fought each other for four years. They are antithetical to one another.
Ideally, sports represents the best of our society. Places and events where men and women from all walks of life come together to enjoy grand spectacles. White and black, rich and poor, city folk and country folk, men and women. The realities may be different, but ideally sports is the egalitarian meeting place for our wonderfully heterogeneous society. Our athletes come from every background. You have Johnny Manziels and Michael Ohers. It’s irresponsible to allow football in the South to be used to mask such an important historical lesson. More irresponsible is using football in the south to subtly advance the failed politics of an outdated era. Inexcusable is allowing football in the south to pass along these mistakes to yet another generation of fans and players.
I fly my state flag with pride. The tri-star flag of Tennessee represents my southern culture and my upbringing just fine. It also had history that needed to be fixed, but it represents Tennesseans and their values today, not the values of Tennesseans from 150 years ago. The Confederate battle flag doesn’t have that ability. Its ability to represent values is limited to the period and institutions it represented: the Confederate armies and Confederate States of America and their values from 1861 to 1865.
I’m a southerner and I am proud. And while I recognize what I am (a southerner) I also recognize what I am not (a Confederate). I will recognize the Confederate battle flag for what it is – a historical symbol of the Confederate armies during the civil war, a representative extension of the Confederate States of America, and all of the politics and policies for which those two entities fought for. I will recognize it as a piece of our history. One that should evoke honest and frank dialogue about the work we had to do to make more perfect our maturing democracy. But I will not revere, nor will I defend this flag. I will not fly it at tailgates or display it.
So as another season of football in the South draws near, I only ask this: think about what the Confederate Battle Flag means to you and how that aligns with the historical record. I would ask that you consider the possibility that there is another symbol that more aptly reflects the values and culture of today, and you, better.
For me, the Confederate Battle Flag belongs in museums and in history books, not on flag poles or stadiums or uniforms or as team names or mascots. We almost destroyed America a century and half ago, as southern football fans do our part to move the ball down the field with a “more perfect Union”-style offense.
Main Photo:
