Why I am still watching sports
I have always been a big sports fan. I always will be. I am not going to let them ruin it for me just because I disagree with them. I know a lot of people who agree with my worldview have chosen, at least publicly, to boycott sports leagues because of their stances on the Black Lives Matter domestic terrorist organization. Not all sports leagues are bowing the knee to BLM. The ones that have already started modifying their behavior based on drops in the ratings (except the NBA because they are particularly awful). Major League Baseball no longer has a BLM logo on their pitching mounds. The social justice stuff seemed to be toned down in week 2 of the NFL season. I am not sure about the NHL because I am not a hockey fan. In general, though, things seem to have gotten better.
But one of the things I’ve started doing more and more is asking the opposite of something. Many conservatives have said they are not watching sports, especially professional sports, because it has gotten too politicized. I’m not here to debate whether or not sports have been politicized. That much is obvious. But I wonder how many of my fellow conservatives would complain of sports becoming too politicized if they took a knee for the national anthem because of abortion? I wonder how many would complain of over-politicized sports if players spoke out against gay marriage after the Obergfell v. Hodges case legalized it nationwide in 2015? I’d be willing to bet that most of them would not be complaining. They would applaud the courage it took for players or leagues to take such a principled stand for righteousness in a country that has lost its way.
See, it’s not about sports being too political. It’s about the fact that conservatives, myself included, don’t like what the players stand for. But they are still Americans and still should be allowed to express their views. I said the same thing when Colin Kapernick began kneeling for the anthem. I think he is wrong, and as I have gotten to know more about him, I think he is even quite a terrible person. But I support his right to kneel for the anthem. I don’t have a problem with athletes or celebrities using their fame to get their views out there because I would do the same thing for the causes I just mentioned in my hypothetical scenario above. Most of us, in some way, at some time, try to influence the people around us. It’s just that some of us have a louder megaphone than others do to make their point.
What I am saying goes both ways. Fortunately, there is still enough of America left that if people choose not to subject themselves to athletes and sports leagues bowing to the pressure of Black Lives Matter, they are just as free to do so as anyone else. I have often said in conversations with others that people vote with their money. If something bothers you enough, don’t support it. It irritates me what professional sports leagues and many athletes have done to our sports. But I have made the conscious decision that I enjoy sports more than I have a distaste for the athletes' beliefs and actions. Could that change in the future? Possibly. But that’s where I am right now. I have complete respect for my fellow conservatives who choose not to watch sports. That’s why I haven’t engaged in a similar debate about this as I have about lockdowns and masks because, unlike with masks and lockdowns, no requirement attempts to force me to participate. I don’t have to pledge my allegiance to BLM to enjoy sports still. I have to find my mute button sometimes. So, at least for now, let’s kick-off, tip-off, and play ball!
