In the immortal words of Wooderson, "Alright, Alright, Alright."MNM: Why did we start mixing politics into sports? Why can't we just celebrate when our team scores on the last play to win the game without having to hear about racism or who voted for who in an election?
Instead, we've made it about race, sexual orientation and pretty much every other political issue, taking the sport out of sports.
We talk way too much about who's sitting or raising a fist during the national anthem. Society is so sensitive that instead of being able to enjoy the World Series, people are more focused on that "offensive" logo of the Cleveland Indians.
We hear too much about making someone a hero for announcing his or her sexual orientation.
I'm all for athletes having an opinion and freedom of speech, but I think there are better ways of voicing your opinions than protesting during our national anthem like Colin Kaepernick and others have done, or having a reality TV show about it, like Michael Sam intended to do.
If you do choose to go that route, don't be offended when people speak up against you, because they too have the freedom of speech.
I want what's best for my country, state and city, but the game of politics is a dirty one. While watching a game, I don't need to hear about why a particular athlete endorsed a particular candidate and what their stances are on certain political issues.
In my experience, sports often serve as a temporary escape from a busy schedule, hardships and even politics. If I can help someone do just that, I am honored.
In the weeks and months after Sept. 11, 2001, we saw horrific images and videos of the terrorist attacks, and it got to be way too much. I remember needing that temporary escape, and I found it through sports. Practically every TV station was focused on the attacks. I needed something different.
Watching then President George W. Bush throw out the first pitch was an amazing time. It didn't matter what team you were rooting for or what political party you were affiliated with, what mattered at that moment was we were Americans, uniting around this great game which gave us some separation from such tragic events.
Sage Steele of ESPN nailed it. While on the Dan Patrick Show, she said, "Why do people tune into SportsCenter? In my opinion, it's not to hear about Charlottesville."
I couldn't agree more. If I wanted to hear Donald Trump's tweets, I'll go look up his Twitter account. If I want to hear political reporters react to those tweets, there are endless websites and TV stations to do just that.
If I want to enjoy sports, I should be able to go turn on sports channels and click on sports websites to enjoy just that without having all this political mumbo jumbo mixed in with it.
Plus, I think we've muddied the waters when it comes to what's a sports story and what isn't. Just because an athlete or a coach is involved doesn't make it a sports story, and we do it a disservice when trying to sell it as one.
If somebody is confused about their gender or sexual orientation, that has nothing to do with sports. Just because Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky were football coaches, the things that happened at Penn State had nothing to with sports. It's about the kids who were wronged.
The day we can look at people of other races and political beliefs as a teammate or opponent on the field or court only, and not be way overly sensitive and offended by everything, that's the day we can all celebrate a win.
Related links: Separation of sports and politics
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"Ratings Are Going to TANK!" Ben Shapiro NAILS the NFL Anthem Protest Controversy
