Players should mount their soapboxes - after the game

The right to protest has been paid for in blood by Americans in places such as Bunker Hill, Baltimore Harbor, Gettysburg, San Juan Hill, Meuse-Argonne, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Chosin Reservoir, La Drang, Gulf War and Kabul, to mention just a few. So the question is where is the appropriate place to exercise that right? Some, like the British, say, “When you feel the urge, get up on your soapbox in the park and have at it!” This allows those who applaud or want to hear the position to listen, while those who disagree or don’t care can pass on by.

This past weekend, an imbroglio was played out at the start of NFL games while the national anthem was being performed. Some players knelt while others stood; some teams stood arm-in-arm. One team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, except for one player, did not come on the field until after the anthem and that one player, a war veteran, came out and saluted while the anthem was performed. By the way, his jerseys are reported to be selling quickly. [He later said he simply got caught going back to the field when the anthem began so felt obligated to standstill, not to be separate from his team.]

Several years ago, Barbara Streisand gave a high-price concert during which she stopped singing and began making comments relative to her political beliefs. A man in the front row stood up and told her that he had not paid the price of his ticket to belabored by her political beliefs. This begs the question: Should people be expected to pay hard-earned money for an event where they expect to be entertained and then be forced to witness demonstrations of political preference?

Professional sports events are entertainment not unlike professional theater. At theater, the orchestra often plays an overture before the actors start the play. So, like the Steelers, why not keep the players off the field and out of sight until after the national anthem?

Maybe teams can set up a space somewhere after the games for protesting players to get on their soapbox.

This story was originally published October 1, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Players should mount their soapboxes - after the game."