Athletes must step up for justice
There’s little danger that Don Cherry is going to call Wally Buono a tree-hugging milquetoast anytime soon.
Buono’s macho cred is very much intact, thank you. The barrel-chested former Alouette is the winningest coach in CFL history. Before that, he was one of the toughest of the Alouettes and before that he was known for doling out the hardest hits in minor football in Montreal.
So when you see Buono prowling the sidelines for the B.C. Lions wearing a “Diversity is Strength” T-shirt, you know the league is serious in its efforts to get the message out — and its most distinguished individuals are very much on board.
It’s one thing to have an admittedly liberal, tree-hugging journalist say that diversity is one of the pillars of our society, but it’s quite another to hear it from the likes of CFL players and coaches. Boys and young men in particular idolize athletes and are willing to listen to them when they will listen to no one else.
The CFL campaign is evidence that newly minted commissioner Randy Ambrosie is capable of leading the league in new and important directions in line with the times. This is a case of a sports league getting on the right side of a crucially important issue at a critical time, leading in an area where leagues fear to tread.
In the wake of remarks made by the president of the United States effectively endorsing the actions of American Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen during disturbances in Charlottesville, Va., it is difficult to remain on the sidelines. Athletes, from Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long to basketball legend LeBron James, have spoken out — as they should.
The days when Michael Jordan could refuse to denounce racist senator Jesse Helms because racists buy Nikes are mercifully behind us. Athletes are speaking out, led by James, arguably the most recognizable American athlete of his time, as Jordan was in his. In the wake of the events that have triggered continent-wide protests, James tweeted: “It’s sad what’s going on in Charlottesville. Is this the direction our country is heading? Make America Great Again huh?! He said that.”
It’s especially important for white athletes such as Long to stand up and be counted. A CSNPhilly.com story quoted Long deftly turning away the first objection made to outspoken athletes that they should stay away from politics: “Everybody is trying to turn this political,” Long said. “This isn’t a political issue. This is right or wrong. I believe you’re on one side or the other.
“For me, being from Charlottesville, no one wants to watch you sit idly by and watch something happen and not say anything.”
Between Muhammad Ali and James, a generation of star athletes like Jordan and Tiger Woods refused to get involved for fear of alienating potential customers and losing lucrative contracts. No more. In the face of the most frightening political leadership in American history, James has taken the lead for some time now, using his position as the most recognizable name in basketball to fight for diversity and racial tolerance.
Given that the whole situation in the U.S. is likely to get much worse before it gets better, it’s vital for athletes to speak out. You know they are having their own issues: it has to be difficult to have a person like Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (who was responsible for some of the most vile tweets in the wake of the election) in the same clubhouse with black and Latino players.
But diversity is at the very core of our professional sports and has been at least since Jackie Robinson broke the colour line in baseball. Teams in many sports are a virtual United Nations with athletes of every race and religion in their ranks.
The NFL, regrettably, is still steeped in racism at the ownership level, where billionaire team owners have so far successfully blackballed former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for leading the takea-knee movement during the national anthem, while the NBA, MLB and NHL have refrained from bold public statements — although the Detroit Red Wings did forcibly object to the use of their logo by racists in Charlottesville.
This is not a time to be timid. The neo-Nazis in Charlottesville idolize the German Nazis who murdered six million Jews, while the Klansmen bow to a southern society that whipped, sold, raped and murdered slaves kidnapped in Africa.
It’s a horrifying legacy. The time to speak out is now before it gets any worse. With the quiet dignity of its “Diversity is Strength” campaign, the CFL has shown the way. There’s no need for a sports league to climb up on a soap box and berate its fans: better to take a quiet stance, as the CFL has done, and simply ask people to think.
It’s time the other leagues on this continent followed suit because our diversity is our strength.