Huntsville, Ala. – President Donald Trump once again took to the popular social media platform Twitter to express his thoughts and opinions on American society. This time, he took his anger out on the National Football League and the Golden State Warriors. Already this season, in continuation of the national anthem protest initiated by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, African-American NFL players are exercising their free rights to strongly take a stand against social injustices, by kneeling or sitting down during the National Anthem. When he heard that NBA superstar point guard Stephen Curry and his team, the Golden State Warriors, chose to decline the annual White House visit invitation,usually reserved for teams who have won professional championships, Trump quickly responded to this decision on Twitter: “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team. Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!” (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump).
This issue has raised controversy and questioning among sports analysts and sports journalists for nearly a year. The President was not about to let this topic blow by him, and he strongly criticized NFL owners for allowing this kind of behavior. During a political rally, Trump urged fans to boycott attending and watching the games. In an article from USA Today, Trump gave his passionate thoughts on anthem protesting: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a (expletive) off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!'(usatoday.com, 2017). He called out the NFL owners on this. However,NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Players Association came to the defense of the players. “The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture. "There is no better example than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we've experienced over the last month” (Goodell, quoted in businessinsider.com, 2017). In effect, the NFL commissioner attempted to diffuse the situation by diverting attention to another topic rather than address it.
In one sense, President Trump is saying what many of us are thinking, while the NFL is trying to be politically correct and ‘tolerant’ of all beliefs. But isn’t there a better way?
In a short time span, the elected leader of the United States of America has brutally reprimanded two of the world’s popular sports organizations, the NFL and the National Basketball Association. These organizations as well as the liberal media already are breeding and cultivating a strong dislike for the current administration and do not need additional fodder. Yet,at the risk of joining the anti -Trump feeding frenzy, advocating for limits on free speech and sounding sanctimonious, something must be done.
What is the President thinking by making these statements? Trump, in reacting to these topics the way he did, was not at all being rational or wise. Trump needs to clean up his act in a big way. It’s not too late for President Trump. Yes, he makes mistakes and comes up short, just like the rest of us. He just needs to take the high road, and do his job, as the 45th President of the United States of America, the most powerful office in the world, to the very best of his abilities. This writer still has confidence that he will get the job done, against severe opposition, however his explosive nature will need to be brought under control as well as his social media presence.
