Sports and Politics Don't Mix

So I've seen the hilite. I've heard it debated on a number of different sports talk radio shows today. I saw it debated on Around the Horn and PTI. Everyone is talking about Denver Broncos WR Brandon Marshall and his aborted attempt to make a statement last night in the win over the Cleveland Browns.

I've come to a couple of conclusions. First of all, don't buy Marshall's argument that he wanted to pay tribute to Barack Obama. Marshall wanted to call attention to himself. It would not have been the first time that Marshall had a 'look at me' moment during a game. He's been known to 'strut his stuff' on more than one occasion. He wanted another chance to show the world how good he is, and he wanted to try and pass it off as something honorable when all it really was was an attempt to call attention to himself.

Look, people should be happy about the election of this country's first African-American President. History was made on Tuesday, and will be made again when President-Elect Obama takes office on January 20th. But, a Thursday night football game is no place for some diva WR to pull that kind of stunt. In fact, no sporting event would be a place for something like that. Sports and politics should not be mixed.

Let me take it a step further. I am not one of those who wants to see athletes, coaches, or anyone connected to pro sports give their opinion on social or political issues. I do not believe that Tiger Woods or Lebron James need to take a stand on Darfur. I'm sure they all have opinions on various issues outside the athletic realm, but I don't need to hear them.

I know, it seems shallow for me to say that athletes should stick to what they do best. If you think that, fine. Consider me shallow. But, consider this.

Brandon Marshall's job is to play football. My job is to blog about sports and to host sports radio shows. If I were to crack open the microphone and give a fifteen minute monologue about presidential politics you'd email me and tell me to stick to sports (in fact I've gotten emails like that, when I've only cracked a one line joke about the subject). So, why should I treat Brandon Marshall any differently? His job is to play football. I'm not paying to see him make a political statement. I'm paying to watch him catch passes.

My biggest fear on this issue is this. Let's just say a superstar, any superstar in sports, comes out and says something on a social or political issue that I disagree with wholeheartedly. There's the chance that will change the way I look at said superstar.

Who really wants that? I'd prefer my memories of pro athletes to be limited to what they did on the court, not what they do off the court or what they believe in.

Brandon Marshall has a right to his opinion. What he doesn't have the right to do is make a spectacle of himself.