Ghost

September 2nd, 2018

Statement 1: “If there’s anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play,” Jones said (via ESPN). “We will not … if we are disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period.”

Statement 2: “”I think we’ve made that very clear that what we are demonstrating about has nothing to do with the flag but everything to do with social injustice, racial inequality and the things that, you know, Jerry Jones and other owners who are making statements have yet to address.” (Jenkins Via NBC Sports)

Two statements, two worlds, one issue, and though it is easy to figure out who is the owner and who is the player based off these comments, the perspectives on kneeling for the anthem aren’t as simple as black and white…

Before we dive into “the flag” topic, let’s set up some context. Apparently there are advantages to standing up for the national anthem. In 2015, The Washington Post, along with other major news outlets, reported that 50 American sports teams received at least $50 million for military tributes such as the national anthem in a “paid patriotism” campaign to incite support and promote enlistments for our nation’s military. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the 50 teams, Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys included, received a million dollars each annually to showcase patriotism and military support before every respective sport event. Getting money to listen to someone sing? Sounds like a good deal. Now we know that there is money at stake in this matter.

Welcome to Jerry’s World, also known as the Dallas Cowboys, a multi-billion dollar cash cow more valuable than Manchester United and more well known than 80% of the rest of the NFL. Now if you’re Jerry Jones, business is always booming. However, business is bad when you give room for division and controversy from within. This means that you need to shut down any type of noise before it gets too loud. Now if you’re Jerry Jones, a wealthy NFL owner receiving million dollar checks to stand for about 2 minutes every home game, you won’t pay mind to social injustice because it pales in comparison to your American dream, the almighty dollar.

Let’s give a player a name…like Malcom. Now Malcolm is Black and lives with a history that ties deeper than his name. For Malcolm, he embodies the American dream for millions of disenfranchised black peoples in America: the ability to reach the apex of both financial stability and (even more importantly) social acceptance. Yet, for Malcolm and all black peoples in America, social acceptance does not exist when one stands idly by as “owners” like Jerry, reap their American dream at the expense of Black people being swept under the American flag as a collective. So Malcolm selflessly chooses to kneels like many others and embody the resistance against prejudice and hate. Obtaining social acceptance for all his people is his American Dream.

Whose American Dream should we validate? The one after the almighty dollar or the one after social acceptance for all? The reality is that in America standing up for what you believe in is priceless, but there are some people, like Jerry, who fail to see that in order to open up a check. Meanwhile Malcolm kneels as our people have to close another casket…