Over the last few weeks I have watched professional athletes protest black oppression after Colin Kaepernik started the movement by refusing to stand during the national anthem. Okay, I understand and support the rights of all individuals to express themselves and their grievances. As a military veteran I defended our flag and our country so that people could protest. By the way, I was on active duty during the late sixties and early seventies, a time of major unrest and protest in our country.
However, I am more than a little confused by the hypocrisy of many of these black athletes who protest about black oppression. Let’s have a little reality check here. Sixty-seven percent of the athletes in the NFL are black and the average salary is $1.9 million. In the NBA black players make up almost 75 percent of the teams and have an average salary of $2.5 million. Many athletes make well more than the average and most of them are black.
For example, in the NFL the highest salaries in the League are paid to black athletes. Halati Ngata of the Baltimore Ravens makes $37 million per year. Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals makes over $35 million per year and Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions makes $36 million a year and the list goes on.
To be sure, there have been situations around the country where there may have been abuses, but I wonder if the players who are protesting can actually site examples of those transgressions. And what about black men killing white and black police officers? Does that not require some sort of acknowledgement? Guess not.
The real question for these mega-wealthy athletes is, what are you doing to solve the problem? If you believe so fervently that there is a problem in black communities, then do something about it. Volunteer your time and your money to help black kids get away from gangs and drugs. Spend your time and money supporting schools that will educate kids in poverty stricken communities and help them get an education so they can get out of that environment. High school dropout rates in some black communities are as high as 70 percent.
Protest in and of itself is worth nothing more than the gratification of the moment unless you are doing something to solve the problems you are protesting. It is time for professional athletes to face reality and step up to help the very communities from which many of the came.
Yes, there may be problems that need to be fixed in our country. But to all the pampered and whiny athletes who feel it is necessary to make a statement during the national anthem, wake up and grow up. You are privileged beyond measure because of your physical abilities. Your income level, not to mention your endorsements and lifestyles, clearly put you in the “one percent” category. If you really want to address the problem put your money and your time in the communities that need you as role models and mentors. Enough said.
John Bevilaqua