Jared Odrick on the National Anthem Controversy

[KenFSU]

Amazing piece by Jared Odrick today on MMQB. Totally want to buy his jersey now. Love the line, "ignoring our value is a prerequisite for turning pro."

Football, the Flag and the Right to Speak Our Minds

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/09/12/jared-odrick-colin-kaepernick-national-anthem

by Jared Odrick, Jacksonville Jaguars



NFL players are more than the warriors you see on Sunday, and like all Americans we should be free to express ourselves and challenge the status quo without being vilified

I was reminded this month of James Baldwin's enduring words from a 1965 televised debate with William F. Buckley Jr., the conservative author who opposed the civil rights movement and denied the existence of systemic racism. Baldwin described the mind-set of those empowered by the system, saying, "The Mississippi or Alabama sheriff, who really does believe, when he's facing a Negro boy or girl, that this woman, this man, this child must be insane to attack the system to which he owes his entire identity."

For a black child in America, Baldwin continued, "it comes as a great shock around the age of five, or six, or seven, to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you."

I thought of this when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat, and then knelt, during the national anthem to protest racial oppression. He was soon joined by teammate Eric Reid, the Seahawks' Jeremy Lane, the Broncos' Brandon Marshall and several others. What most fascinated me was the backlash. Beyond the vitriol—Twitter users wished a concussion upon Marshall—many pointed to the wealth these men have accrued as football players and thought them insane for challenging the system. But consider what we have seen on our paths.

We are handpicked from an unpaid labor pool that purports to provide an education in exchange for services rendered, though the value of that education pales drastically to overall football revenue for institutions of higher learning. Ignoring our value is a prerequisite for turning pro, so we pledge allegiance to the sport in lieu of a free market and keep our heads down.

As an NFL player, I've asked myself on multiple occasions, Do I want to speak the truth or do I want to make money? (Marshall lost an endorsement deal for protesting.) The league pays lip service to the notion that its athletes are valued as conscientious community members. Our platform is wasted if media relations staffers constantly nudge us to stay within the confines of "we gave 110% and we have to get better." I can do a franchise-friendly interview in my sleep, but when we step outside the bounds of our third-down efficiency, we are vilified and told to keep quiet.

This offseason I told myself I would pursue interests beyond the game and explore avenues of expression that had been closed off as I fought to make it in the NFL. Social injustices can't be ignored.

As Americans we've forgotten that we're supposed to loathe falling in line. So-called renegades shouldn't be embraced only after decades have passed and their causes deemed by historians to be acceptable or inevitable. Muhammad Ali challenged our country in fundamental ways while captivating audiences with his skill in the ring. He is viewed now as a cultural warrior, when in reality he lived as a pariah in his prime.

Many weren't willing to embrace a black man who lived on his own terms and rejected the status quo. He was supposed to be grateful for his celebrity and be an example for all the little black boys and girls to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, make no excuses and ask no questions about their condition. Our nation was one of the last first-world powers to abandon traditional chattel slavery, and we are likely to be the last to overcome its consequences.

Colin Kaepernick's motives are genuine and truthful but, for the most part, have been rejected on the basis of his method. Exercising a First Amendment right isn't an affront to our military. The notion that the flag is sacred and untouchable—or that it has pledged the same allegiance to everyone—is one of the great hypocrisies of our time.

Millions of fans tie their identities to our teams' successes, but they don't know the men behind the face masks. When Kaepernick bucked the system, he forced people to reflect on the constructs they've accepted or, worse, had never considered.

[Adam White]

No one has any choice about where he's born. It's down to accident or luck or whatever you want to call it. You have to play by certain rules - laws, taxes, etc. But you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance or stand for the national anthem, etc. You have just as much right as anyone else to do what you want. People can boycott you if they want to, but to act as if failing to do one of those things has anything to do with anyone other than the person who isn't standing or reciting the Pledge is ludicrous.

[Snufflee]

I served 21 years in the US Navy before retiring and moving on to the next phase of my life. I am appalled and embarrassed by the vitriol that these young men are receiving via social/professional media. They are fully with in their rights to protest and should be commended for not just falling in line and being a good "company" man on game day. I served and fought for my country for those who feel that the Flag isn't representing inclusion or social justice to be free to protest. I didn't sacrifice 21 years of my life for everyone to sing God Bless America and wow the public with fake patriotism, no i served so that those who suffer needlessly are free to express themselves and when their voices aren't heard for those whose voices can be heard are free to do it in there place.

[KenFSU]

^Snufflee, thanks for your service. And thanks for that great reply. It's nice to hear individual reactions from veterans, rather than the catch-all, "disrespectful to our troops" argument that you often hear in response to protests.

[thelakelander]

Good letter.

[JeffreyS]

I didn't sacrifice 21 years of my life for everyone to sing God Bless America and wow the public with fake patriotism, no i served so that those who suffer needlessly are free to express themselves and when their voices aren't heard for those whose voices can be heard are free to do it in there place.

Nicely said.  I can't help but feel uncomfortable with the flag protest but that is probably why it works. 

[Spitfire]

I served 21 years in the US Navy before retiring and moving on to the next phase of my life. I am appalled and embarrassed by the vitriol that these young men are receiving via social/professional media. They are fully with in their rights to protest and should be commended for not just falling in line and being a good "company" man on game day. I served and fought for my country for those who feel that the Flag isn't representing inclusion or social justice to be free to protest. I didn't sacrifice 21 years of my life for everyone to sing God Bless America and wow the public with fake patriotism, no i served so that those who suffer needlessly are free to express themselves and when their voices aren't heard for those whose voices can be heard are free to do it in there place.

+1

I'm a Veteran as well, and one of the most challenging parts of this protest is watching other Veterans, who don't understand the oath they undertook, or the non-Veterans, who feel like they should speak for Veterans, when they say the protest is disrespectful or un-American. The action, itself, is completely American and it's what many of us raised our right hand to defend.

[ben says]

Great letter by Odrick, and even better remarks by Snufflee and Spitfire!