"Our Razorbacks don't just represent the University of Arkansas -- they are the pride of an entire state." -- University of Arkansas intercollegiate athletics webpage
The bandwagon has arrived at Bud Walton Arena.
Six University of Arkansas athletes, members of the women's basketball team, knelt last Thursday evening as the national anthem was sung and as members of what appeared to be the University of Arkansas ROTC program attentively displayed the nation's flag.
Naturally, the players' demonstration, fully backed by Coach Jimmy Dykes, sparked reaction. A lot of reaction.
The women -- Jordan Danberry of Conway; Tatiyna Smith of Plano, Texas; Kiara Williams of Little Rock; Jailyn Mason of Mason, Ohio; Yasmeen Ratliff of Alpharetta, Ga.; and Briunna Freeman of Pelham, Ga. -- said they declined to stand for the anthem because they wanted to draw attention to racial injustices in the United States.
"Recently you all know that there's been a lot of killings from police officers of African-Americans and other minorities," Danberry said after Thursday's game. "Me and my teammates took a kneel today during the national anthem to speak for those who are oppressed. As Razorback student-athletes we have a platform to do that."
Try as they might to focus attention on an important contemporary issue, the ensuing debate was about the latter part of that comment -- that the UA athletic program is a platform for athletes to address social issues -- and the easily anticipated view that their behavior disrespected the nation, the flag and even men and women of the military.
If these student-athletes were graded on whether their actions accomplished what they set out to do, Dykes might have to worry about their academic eligibility.
Practically none of the reactions advanced the narrative about racial injustice or the issue of officer-involved shootings involving minorities. Instead, social media comments raised such critically important issues as "If the Arkansas women's team didn't kneel during the anthem, would anybody have known they played tonight?" and "College basketball players who can't stand during the national anthem need their scholarships pulled. What an embarrassment to Arkansas."
One lawmaker pondered whether she should "take a knee" when it comes to the University of Arkansas' budget.
So, yes, there was plenty of reaction/overreaction to go around. Folks who found inspiration in the women's protest defended their constitutional right to express themselves, as though that's the end of the discussion. Of course they have the freedom to do what they did. But as with any free speech case, there's the issue of rights, then there's the issue of what's right. Their constitutional right does not grant them a pass on criticism, because all those other folks are Americans, too, and have strong opinions as well.
These six teammates did not do anything wrong, but they did do something deserving of comment, whether it's praise or condemnation. Welcome to the arena of free speech.
I didn't care for their protest. I accept that one person's free speech might involve burning the U.S. flag, but it disgusts me to see them carry that out. Likewise, there's usually one solemn moment at sporting events. It's when we collectively have the opportunity to appreciate the greatness of the principles and ideals of this nation, as flawed as it is. Our flag is worthy of respect and, in my view, there is no way to take a knee during that solemn moment without showing disrespect.
I agree with the players' basic premise, that minorities are sometimes unjustly treated in our country. I'm a white guy. They're black women. To suggest our experiences as Americans are the same would be laughable, so I do not question the sincerity of their concerns or the path they took to their conclusions.
But there's also a reason they chose to communicate in this way. An American declining an opportunity to pay respects to her nation is one of the most controversial and confrontational gestures one can make. It got people's attention, but I suggest it did little to advance debate on what matters to them.
The response of the UA athletics department leadership surprised me. In wanting to show respect for their players' rights and tiptoe gingerly around a sensitive issue, athletics director Jeff Long issued a mealy mouthed statement and Dykes declared he was proud of the players. Both responses shortchanged the program they're responsible for protecting. The players only have to worry about what impacts them and the program while they're here. The administrators should see the bigger picture. In this instance, they appeared tone deaf to the way many Arkansas fans would react to players using the fan-supported athletic program as their megaphone.
I'm guessing, but I suspect there may be only a handful of UA supporters who send their money to the program to create a platform for the players' demonstration on social issues. Most others want competitive teams. No, they want more than that. They want winning teams.
A winning coach can get away with a lot. A coach with a .484 winning percentage? Supporters probably would rather him stay focused on basketball and show an ability to keep his team that way, too.
UA Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz clearly grasped the need to keep institutional needs in mind as he responded. Unlike Long and Dykes, he realized he doesn't operate just in the insular atmosphere college campuses can become. "While I encourage people to stand during the playing of the national anthem, as I choose to do, I will respect others who exercise free speech guaranteed to them by our Constitution," Steinmetz said in a statement.
Perhaps it's a purely academic exercise, but I do wonder what the UA's reaction would be if these athletes, or some others, decided to exercise their free speech on subject matters the university community might not find appealing. If a golfer wore an emblem some see as offensive -- say, a Confederate flag as a proud symbol of Southern heritage -- would the UA be so ready to embrace free speech? What if athletes tried some kind of on-court demonstration to show their support for law enforcement officers? What if one of them wanted to find a way on court to protest abortion?
Yeah, this free speech stuff gets dicey pretty quickly. And those athletes have every right to express themselves on all of those issues. The Constitution says so, we've been assured repeatedly in the last three days.
Maybe, just maybe, people want an athletics program that can keep the focus on developing athletes to compete for the UA at the highest levels possible.
Commentary on 11/07/2016