The NFL Players versus Donald Trump

The NFL Players versus Donald Trump

Donald Trump knew he was stepping into the “culture wars” that are at the heart of our political polarization. He has benefitted greatly from taking the right-wing side in these wars since he began questioning President Obama’s citizenship several years ago. His call for the border wall and the Muslim ban are the foremost of many examples of how Trump has consciously to divide our country and forged a conservative majority that does things their way without compromise with the millions of Americans who don’t agree with them.

But when Trump referred to NFL players protesting police brutality as “sons of bitches,” he unknowingly stepped into a quagmire, because he doesn’t possess the social capital to know how that would play among a workforce which is 70% African American. Many African American players grow up in communities that are predominantly Black, in which single-female-headed households are prominent. Though I don’t know the number of NFL players themselves who are from such households, I’m guessing many are. And even those who aren’t are familiar with the phenomenon.

Black youngsters on the streets in those communities play a word game we used to called “the Dozens.” It is a contest of insults waged between two people and continues until one is left speechless. When it gets intense, frequently one person will turn the insult toward the other’s mother. “Your mama is so (this or that) that she can’t even (whatever).” You fill in the blanks!

Sometimes when one goes down that “your mama” path, it ends in good humor, but it can go badly, if the loser is particularly stung by an insult. Sometime fistfights can result, or those watching have to intervene to keep the two parties from fighting. 

In any event African American mothers are especially revered in communities where fathers may not be consistently present in young people’s lives. So when Trump called the players “sons of bitches,” he was calling their mothers bitches. I recall in the day or two after his remark a couple of players tweeted things like “my mother isn’t a bitch. She’s a queen!” From the anecdotal evidence out there, we know that large numbers, if not most African American pro athletes don’t like President Trump. I’m sure they think he’s a racist. But most of them aren’t political activist either. Some are, and the protest that began with Colin Kaepernick last season had continued, but with only a handful of players participating. Some of the most serious ones, like Malcolm Jenkins of the Eagles and Michael Bennett of the Seahawks had begun talks with the league over how to build racial justice work into the community service that all NFL players are required to do.  

Then Trump opened his mouth, and in doing so created a legion of players ready to go to the wall out of a sense of personal injury. Although Jerry Jones of the Cowboys has said he’d fire any players who continue to protest, a unified team could force him to backdown. After all, does anyone want to watch an NFL, with no Black players? I believe the league and the players should continue their negotiation around community service and ignore the President. If the league can come up with a worthwhile program, the tit for tat might involve the players once again standing for the anthem.