* I like the take of Rays’ pitcher Chris Archer on the race-based protests of some prominent athletes. “We could all pick and choose something that we don’t like about America,” said Archer. “I choose to pick the things that I do like. That’s how I look at America. … I look at the half-full while addressing the half empty.”
Professional athletes, by virtue of the forum they have in American society, are uniquely positioned to speak out against racism and police brutality. They are also well positioned to speak to meaningful, racial context. How do you take a knee to protest the policing in Baltimore without taking a stand to denounce frightful, black-on-black murder rates in Chicago?
I also like the take of Lightning forward J.T. Brown, one of about 30 African-Americans in the NHL. “While I don’t plan on sitting during the National Anthem,” said Brown, “I will look for more opportunities to positively impact my community and bring awareness to racial issues.”
A shout-out to Colin Kaepernick, the 49er’s QB who has been the catalyst behind these National Anthem protest gestures. He has now called an audible–and pledged to give $1 million to communities “underserved” by law enforcement. Figuratively standing up for justice is symbolically important; literally stepping up for justice is game-changing.
* It’s mid-September, and both the Bulls and the Bucs are undefeated. We’ll take it.
* It’s hard to watch an entire NFL game on TV even when you have partisan interest. It’s the optics. Network cameras are directed to follow play-concluding players after every whistle. They know it. They act it. But home crowds love it.