A funny thing took place at the outside the Rams game on Sunday. No, it was not the celebration of the win over the reigning Super Bowl champs. It was where the near perfect storm took place. Protestors who have a lot to say about the death of Michael Brown Jr. (and other improprieties that exist in St. Louis) met Rams fans who wanted no part of it on their Sabbath.
Not that it is a day to worship but to pay homage to the almighty in their eyes that is the NFL and all the good will it brings. You know, domestic assaults, sexual assaults, rampant drug use and a variety of things that are not mentioned in the pulpit on this Sunday.
In this case, both sides had a lot to say to the other and one thing led to … well, you know, it got out of hand as slurs were hurled along with some fists. Some feelings were hurt and a few heads, and when the dust settled everyone moved on with their day.
These protests have become more visible at venues that would not have been thought of as a place to demonstrate, but the issue is real and people want to be heard. The problem is those who need to hear the message have no interest in listening, as they feel it has nothing to do with them, that it’s not their problem. Like it or not, it is everyone’s problem.
Let’s start with the upside-down U.S. flag that some Ferguson protestors brandish. It’s an international symbol of citizen in distress that was embraced before Ferguson, for very different reasons, by Tea Party members. But to the average Joe six-pack it looks like desecration. Countless people have died defending that flag and the right for people to say what is on their mind. They died for the principles the American flag stands for. For many, the flag is off-limits.
So, for many of those same Americans, is football. “How dare you?” is their response. How dare protestors interrupt their day of peace and football chanting slogans and bearing an upside-down American flag? These are the same people who have yet to ask why things are as they are in Ferguson and other communities. Instead they continue to move further west or south, where it will not affect them directly. It is a non-factor to them, and when they get tired of it they just turn off the news and move on to something else that takes their mind off of it all – say, football?
For those who want nothing to do with the protestors, this Sunday was their time to issue some payback. A little throw-down got started when a drunken white male Rams fan tried to grab the upside-down American flag from a black woman protestor. I say be careful for what you wish for, as both sides have yet to understand that we are all in this together, like it or not.
During my travels, I have learned that St. Louis has been tabbed as a racist city by both black and white people. That is more than a notion. We as a community in all parts of town have not done a good job in taking the time to understand each other and the issues we have with each other. The lines of communications have to be broader like they have been in the world of sports.
Over the years, as color barriers have been broken down in sports, it has solely been done on the whims of winning. Pick a sport and I will give you a reason why integration was integral to the success of that sport as it gave the teams who wanted to break barriers a better chance of winning. Some of the greatest personal interracial relationships were spawned on baseball diamonds, football fields and basketball courts. Sports has always galvanized this country, even more so when the Olympics come around, as the only colors that matter then are red, white and blue (and, of course, gold).
Dialogue and the desire to understand teammates, no matter the color of their skin, was always at the forefront as it comes down to winning. While the issues in our community should not be equated to a homecoming game, nor should we liken this to “winning this one for the Gipper,” people do need to talk.
The protestors want all of St. Louis to understand just what the hell is going on. And for those who have elected to bury their heads in the sand and not take part in the discussion and hopefully the eventual solution, sports is the last refuge. Politics and sports have worked hard at avoiding each other over the years, but when the two cross paths, it can lead both sides to dialogue. And that is what the right-thinking sorts on both sides want: a conversation, not a fight.
Like or not, sports will be the next stop for those who have an insightful, objective message about our community and what needs to be done to right an age-old wrong. If it’s peaceful on both sides, why not? There was a time when athletes would get involved. Today activism is frowned upon by leagues, teams and agents alike. Some athletes have bucked the trend, but not enough. While they are part of the community in so many ways, few will take this one on for fear of the potential pushback.
The protestors will not go away anytime soon, and as long as they remain peacefully vigilant in their actions, more will gravitate to what their message is all about. That will take time, for sure, but in sports as in struggle, winning never comes easy.
