Covid has effect student athletes, regardless of high school or college. For many of them, football is life. It keeps them out of trouble and gives them hope for a better life. For some it is the only difference between bagging groceries with a college degree to making six figures. So I have been pushing for college sports to resume.
I live in Rochester, NY. While we don't have the number of shootings as Memphis, St. Louis, or Chicago, we have a fair amount. It's to the point, I know my political leaders are going to say it's too soon and instead of acting, they call for thoughts and prayers. So I'm like meh, when I see it in the news.
Now We've also had at least one questionable police shooting over the eight years over off of locus street. Some kid was arguing with his mom, police showed up and he was shot. Law enforcement's story was he had a real looking bb gun on him but the community said the shooting was unjustified.
Tonight I went to cover the Toronto Blue Jays versus the Boston Red Sox. Toronto still has playoff Hope's, while Boston is pretty much done. The Blue Jays talked and were willing to play but the Red Sox's felt the need to use their platform and protest.
Earlier in the day, I saw seven NFL teams had protested instead of working on training camp. The WMBA, the NBA, and even several MLB teams have refused to play or taken some kind of protests. New England Patriots players are speechless on what to say and unsure what to do in this time of crisis.
Now, I have been talking about how important sports is to civilization, how important competition is. That Rome knew without it people would up rise and turn on not only the government but each other.
I mentioned that if people thought society was angry and aggressive over the covid protocols and restrictions with masks and social distancing, where they were harming others, take away sports for an extended period and watch what happens when billions of people lose their form of stress relief (sports).That doesn't mean I don't support the athletes.
One thing that humanity forgets is that our entertainers are people too. They are citizens, and role models, Parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. What happens in their neighborhoods, in their cities, states, and countries effects them also. They have a spotlight and the opportunity to help civilization in times of crisis. In fact one may say it's their duty.
Donald Trump said to get players off the field. Laura Ingraham said to shut up and dribble. People call the protests disrespect to our country and our flag. People turned their backs on sports as protests, social media groups have banned talking about it. They didn't want their players protesting for liberty and justice for all, because many of those who walked away don't believe in that kinda equality.
The players used their platform to bring these subjects to light. We have a duty to humanity to talk about them, to solve them. To those who walk away, you disgrace the team you once called yours. You disgrace your home town, your country and your flag. You disgrace the men and women who fought for that flag.
There are people who justify these shootings. They say, their parents should've taught them respect. Well if the officers' parents taught them respect, they wouldnt be harassing and killing civilians.
Then there's the excuse, well they should've cooperated. Sometimes cooperating means being caucasian. There is need for better relationships between police and their communities, I won't deny that. There are way too many scofflaws and anarchists but that doesn't give police the right to shoot someone in the back that they could've restrained. Jacob Blake should never of been shot.
There are those who call the black lives matter and antifa terrorists. There are some corrupt individuals hiding behind those groups but those groups message is pure. However most of the people who call these groups terrorists are okay with the KKK and neo nazis..
I have been stopped for walking through minority neighborhoods by police for being caucasian but I have never had the cops pull a gun on me. Too many minorities cannot say the same thing regardless of what neighborhood they walk in.
I have lived in New York my entire. I can tell you Rochester has a racial problem but I can tell you rural New York does too, especially Ontario and Wayne counties, areas I used to live in. But New York isn't alone, the bible belt still has sun down towns.
America and the world has issues with racism, including Israel which is supposed to be above world law according to the US Government. There is no place racism doesn't exist. Any where one goes, someone thinks they're superior to another.
We need conversations, we need actions instead of the constant thoughts and prayers that bring about more of the issues instead of less. We need to do what we can. Not everyone is gonna change. This will always be a problem.
Like Bill Belichick said you can implement all the policies and protocols but you cannot make someone believe it. The same is true about anything but doing nothing does more damage than making change.
The right wing calls civil and criminal justice reform and change, politically correct and cancel culture. Yes, racism and police corruption and brutality needs to end, it needs to no longer be tolerated, it needs to be canceled. Anyone can be the target of racism and prejudice but the African American people seem to suffer the most. The changes in the law and in society won't just benefit them, it will benefit everyone.
Our law makers need to step up, our leaders of faith need to stop hiding and step up. Especially those who make millions hiding in mega churches. Our citizens must step up and we must be willing to be educated and to unite. To look out for each other instead of being entitled and only worrying when it effects us or unless we can profit off of it.
Americans and the rest of the citizens around the world are self absorbed, we need more empathy, more humanity. We need a little globalism. The world did it for live aid, as we came together to take care of hungry children around the world and in Africa. We need to do it again to end inequality, injustice and suffering of the population of the earth.
To the athletes leading the way thank you. To the officers who actually do their jobs, thank you, and to my fellow citizens, You are not alone. We have been praying for you but God does not help those who do not help themselves. So i hope this gets the attention of someone with the power to change things, so that we may do just that. This isn't just an American problem but a global one, so maybe it needs a global solution.
