I wrote “It’s OK to Leave the Plantation” to highlight how success comes from work, dedication and accepting challenges. Why does the NFL and NBA sports industry fail to understand who we are – and stand up?
You guys are just entertainers and not performing surgery on me, sending my child to war or affecting my income. You don’t raise my taxes, run my schools or regulate my life. You are entertainers, only! Your skill level, dedication and hard work has elevated you to the heights of your industry. But that industry is merely for “Entertainment Purposes Only!”
I don’t care if you see a “right” to give your opinion. I don’t have to speculate on your oppression. I just have to decide if I am entertained by you when I turn on the show. If I am entertained enough, I will keep my eyeballs on your program. Your advertisers will get to show me their products, and you will get more endorsements.
When we do not watch your program our lives will not be affected much. But your lives will be greatly affected if we don’t watch your program. Don’t think the applause reflects our worship of you. Our cheering is not us recognizing your leadership. While we do enjoy watching your athletic abilities, they do not allow you any input into what we like or will accept.
Stand for our national anthem, with respect, honor and reflection, or we will not stand with you! Keep your political, social feelings to yourself. Respect this country and stop insulting us, or we will choose another form of entertainment and continue to amuse ourselves elsewhere.
I hope, for your sake, you do not think marketing can change our views of America. You may be wise enough to change our buying habits, but not wise enough to change our views of America.
This is not a civic problem; it is a programming problem. No one has a constitutional right to express himself at work. The Constitution only restricts government, not civilians. Go ahead and speak your mind, but you will be doing it in a half empty stadium. You will show respect for my flag because “I” demand it! You will stand in respect of our country, whether you believe in it or not, because we, your customers, will insist on it.
We are not going to debate. We don’t want you to work around it, and you don’t have a say on this. We will not tolerate even a discussion on this. You have two choices: “Honor America, or play at the city park.”
It is just a game. There is no loyalty from your end – we know you are not “my” team. You, Mr. Owner, will move the team, trade our favorite players, tax our money to build your Palaces and offer extremely high ticket prices. Go ahead and have fun, collect your money, but you will respect us!
America is not oppressive; you are oppressive. America helps nations all over the world. America protects the world. America is great because Americans are great. We don’t have hyphenated Americans we have Americans. This is not an American-produced struggle – but there are folks refusing to participate in the American dream who blame those who did participate.
There is a culture of success and a culture of failure. You get more of the one you feed the most. Many of you athletics came out of poverty. You survived, went to college and earned the right to play at the highest level of your profession. You did it all coming out of unproductive public schools and neighborhoods that produces more drug dealers than high school graduates.
We are not going to compromise on this. We will not accept you staying in the locker room. Don’t placate us. We will not accept your kneeling over standing for the anthem. Stand in respect with no compromise. We will not accept any display that dishonors us, and we will decide what that is.
Some of you always argue falsely that there is a separation of state and church. While that does not exist, there is a separation of sports and politics. The repercussions from violating that all fall on the sport, not the fan.
I stood and raised my right hand to be sworn into the military. I served for your right to be free, but I don’t have to like it or support your actions. Stand up or stay home – or keep kneeling and play alone.
You did it all by hard work, long hours and dedication to a goal. Why aren’t you telling the youngsters how you did it? And how others wanted your jobs and others did not want you to succeed. Was it oppression or competition?
Your success came from hard work and taking advantage of the opportunities in America. Does anyone owe you a position? Are you assign to a team, or do you compete for a place on a team? Be honest, proclaim your path to success, hard work and preparation to compete. Stop bending your knees and lowering your head. Stand up straight and proclaim what you all know is true: Competition works, and America works for those working. You are not special; you are hardworking. You are not a victim; you are victorious.
Prepare yourselves to compete in America – that is where success comes from. None of you guys won your position without preparation. Every day you must be prepared to defend your position on the field from someone trying to take what you have. Competition and the preparation for it is what Makes America Great Again! It is not White Privilege, it is the American Privilege.
All you have you get from fans watching the exhibition of your talent and hard work. You got yours from dedication and sacrifice. We respect that and cheer you on. However, you will also respect our dedication and hard work. If not, we will spend Sundays on our lawnmowers with cool jazz playing in our earphones. Now, let’s play ball.