This story has legs.
When Christopher Johnson, acting CEO and president of the New York Jets announced that he would pay the fines for players who chose not to stand for the national anthem, politics and sports collided head-on. Though it seems that politics and sports have been colliding more lately, sports as a platform for protest has been common in America’s history from Muhammad Ali to Tommie Smith. The announcement of fines by owners, however, did not have the effect they intended and only now can the players truly declare victory.
Christopher Johnson Shows That the New York Jets Are a Standup Organization
“Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick, a shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow,” Lord Varys, the Game of Thrones diplomat once said, and it couldn’t be more applicable here. The players kneeling, which began with Colin Kaepernick, has caused billionaire NFL owners to act, wielding their power, and thus keeping the conversation of police brutality alive in the public consciousness. The signs of a political win brought on through protest.
Many might assume that Woody Johnson, who is now serving as Donald Trump’s ambassador to England, might have taken a different stance than his brother. Though politics are not absolute, our beliefs are complex and obvious as it may seem to stick us in an assigned Democrat or Republican box, I argue that not one of us completely fits this description. I offer Woody Johnson’s silence on the issue as evidence he may be unified with his kid brother’s decision to support free speech. The owners had previously stood by the players and their right to protest when President Trump attacked the character of the players choosing to kneel. Far away from the fray, Woody has the benefit of a 10,000-foot view of the situation, as his current role as a diplomat requires him topen-mindedinded to all perspectives.
By forcing the owners to show their power, names like Philando Castile will remain in the public consciousness that much longer. Service men and women who chose to take up arms to defend the policies of our country are also given a mega phone for their views. For everyone that is against the players anthem protest, there’s a decorated officer that shouts how these are the exact rights and freedoms they fought for.
The NFL has caused this PR nightmare to be awoken by trying to stomp out the protesters, but the opposite will now occur. It will open the door for more forms of protest in the upcoming NFL season. I predict we will see things we never thought of before, as avenues for players to express themselves and their political beliefs have been opened. It has also paved the way to create heroes like Chris Johnson of the Jets, who decided to step up against the status quo.
Owners may continue to cry about lost revenue, but that’s a difficult argument for billionaires to make. They may cry about desecrating our flag, but for a league that puts the flag emblem on merchandise, directly contradicting the guidelines put in place by our forefather’s against “wearing the flag,” that too becomes a difficult opinion to accept.
The Jets are a force to be reckoned with in the political arena. The tiny shadow that Kaepernick cast started a revolution that will only be ignited by this latest expression of power by elites. It’s up to you to ultimately decide if you agree with the player’s position or not. Luckily, our government allows us that freedom to choose.
