Athlete’s statement disrespectful to America
COMMENTARY
Patrick Jennings

SIf you haven’t heard of Manhattanville College in New York or its Division III women’s basketball program, don’t feel too bad. Division III sports teams and their universities almost never get national recognition. However, one player on the Manhattanville team has sparked a national debate.

All this season, guard Toni Smith has turned her back to the American flag during the national anthem. The sociology major is staging her own personal protest against the looming war in Iraq.

I’m not going to argue whether her opinion is right or wrong, because plenty of people, myself included, have already done that. Rather, the question is whether this form of protest is appropriate. On a larger scale, people are debating whether it’s appropriate for athletes to use their arena as a political soapbox.

Argument is great — differences are key to American democracy — but in an argument, there’s a level of respect you have to maintain for the other side. Toni Smith is angry with America and has shown a large amount of disrespect toward the country that bore her.

I could write an entire other column about the role of the American flag, but I’ll sum it up real quick. The flag is the most recognizable symbol of the United States. Turning your back on the American flag — or burning it, using it as a handkerchief or whatever — is a conscious slight on America. If the flag was just a piece of cloth, no one would bother doing anything to it because it would have no meaning.

Smith released a statement to the press about why she was protesting America and the war. Polite words can not describe my opinion of those three paragraphs. Dan Patrick, as part of ESPN’s coverage and debate, summed it up rather well, “(I) can’t ignore the ignorance and naiveté of her stance.” Smith’s statement is on ESPN’s Web site too, and I suggest you give it a look.

I have little tolerance for people who take the United States for granted. This is a country so wealthy that it has to worry about it’s poor people becoming overweight. It’s a nation where you don’t need to worry about a warlord burning down your house in the middle of the night. You don’t have to like what the government is saying. You don’t have to like what the media is saying. You do have to like that they’re able to say it.

This is, of course, not the first time an athlete has used a sporting event as a sounding board for his or her views. One of the most famous is Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who used the medal platform at the 1968 Olympic games to protest race relations in the United States. During the national anthem, they each raised a black-gloved fist as a symbol of black power, dignity and pride. They were subsequently excluded from future track and field competitions.

The difference between the 1968 and 2003 incident is one of respect. Tommie Smith and John Carlos didn’t walk off the platform or extend a middle finger at the stars and stripes; they just made their feelings known without insulting anyone or anything. Antagonizing those whose opinions differ from your own weakens your argument and makes you easier to dismiss as a loud wahoo.

Indeed, athletes shouldn’t have to hide their opinions for fear of reprisal. However, it doesn’t give you free reign to do whatever you please.

At the end of the day, Toni Smith will still enjoy the amenities of being an American. She’ll still be allowed to voice her opinion. She’ll have the opportunity to live in a place where the biggest concern is not whether you can find enough to eat.

Patrick Jennings is a freshman economics major from Melbourne, Fla.