By John Ross
For the past few weeks, casual Sunday afternoons spent watching football games have become the prime venue for a heated political tornado surrounding free speech and forms of protest. Prominent NFL teams and players have been seen “taking a knee” during the national anthem before games in protest of the police brutality and blatant inequality that minorities experience in our country today. Many have praised this move, while many others abhor it.
This past Sunday, a new development was thrown into the national anthem protest narrative by none other than our Mulan-hating Vice President Mike Pence (Pence once called the Disney classic Mulan liberal propaganda promoting women to serve in the military… has he not heard “I’ll Make a Man Out of You!?”). Vice President Pence was in attendance at the Colts-49er’s game on Oct. 8 in his home state of Indiana, but he did not stay long enough for kick-off. No, he did not forget his phone in the car or take an extended bathroom break. After some players knelt during the national anthem, Pence left the game, later using his boss’s favorite social media app to state, “… I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our flag or our national anthem.” It’s a shame he missed such an exciting game just because he misunderstood the meaning and goal of a peaceful protest.
The irony of Pence’s decision to leave the stadium in protest of the NFL players’ actions is almost painful. While Mike Pence and Donald Trump are opposed to NFL player’s using their platform and freedom of speech to protest, Pence decided that the smartest response was to do the exact same thing. Donald Trump may believe that coaches should get “that son of a b**** off the field” if any of their players kneel, but Trump and Pence should both consider how this right is reserved under the First Amendment, which both Pence and players in the NFL made use of in their demonstrations, even if they had opposite intentions.
Something I wish I could politely tell Mike Pence through a megaphone is that the American flag and national anthem are not solely reserved for the military. Yes, honoring the military is an integral and important part of our national anthem, but it does not end there. The national anthem also represents American unity, diversity and democracy. If one of these ideals is compromised and a protest like the one in the NFL is being used to bring awareness to that issue, it does not mean those individuals believe there is a problem with another, like the military.
Although he does not realize it, Mike Pence’s condemnation of NFL protesters is in fact neglecting the accomplishments of those serving in the military. Thanks to our service men and women protecting the freedoms we are endowed with as Americans, NFL players have the right to make a political statement. If Mike Pence wishes protesters would stop fighting for change, or thinks it is unnecessary, then the work of the military would be going to waste. Military members are not sacrificing so much in their own lives for us to be complacent and allow atrocities like police brutality and inequality to continue while we sit silently watching. Of course, Mike Pence is convinced his form of protest is totally justified while those of the NFL players are not, but he is not the person to decide how and when citizens can exercise their right to free speech. He is allowed to disagree with the sentiments of the protest, but pushing the idea that NFL players should be vilified for protesting is an attack on American freedoms by one of our most prominent leaders.
If Mike Pence’s intention of walking out of the Colts-49er’s game was to start a counter-protest movement, he is going to be severely disappointed with the amount of people who won’t follow him to the exits. An NFL ticket can cost a couple hundred dollars, and the average fan likely will not be willing to throw away that much money just to leave the game. While politicians like Mike Pence and Donald Trump believe “spoiled” NFL players should just focus on the game, only an elite and wealthy politician would go to an NFL game just to walk out, and will probably be the only instance of this behavior that catches any attention.
Vice President Pence cannot expect people to believe he stumbled into an NFL game after weeks of protest not expecting kneelers and impulsively decided to walk out. This was clearly a publicity stunt by the Trump Administration to give a cheer to those against the NFL protesters. After all, our President is an expert in reality TV, so this type of drama and feuding should come as no surprise.
As fewer players kneel and the weeks drag on, I hope the protest’s message does not fade and remains in the minds of Americans who agree or disagree with it. In doing so, the conversation (or in some cases, the argument) is one to be had, which is important in making any sort of change. Hopefully, the next Colts game Mike Pence attends will be one where kneeling is no longer necessary, and he can sit comfortably in his game suite.
John Ross, GSB ’21, is a business administration major from Freehold, New Jersey.
