Pro athletes are leading cultural shift; will politicians follow?

This post was published in the Wilson Times Sept. 18, 2020

The collegiate and professional football leagues started their delayed seasons last weekend, and, if it means anything, I was glad to see the new seasons begin. But the Saturday and Sunday games were eerie and unlike any previous season opening weekend.

            Games were played in nearly empty stadiums following guidelines for preventing further spread of the COVID-19 virus. The roar of the crowd was a subdued whimper of a pre-recorded audio that sounded as bogus as it was.

            College and pro teams have adopted calls for racial equality and restraints on police violence. Banners and slogans on players’ uniforms and helmets repeated the sentiments of worldwide protests. The enlistment of college and pro athletes, most of whom have been silent as calls for justice, equality and fair treatment reverberated across the country, are now taking the lead. Widely admired athletes could be the catalyst that finally creates a reckoning on topics such as white supremacy and racial justice.

            Nationwide protests have brought these issues before the public, but in a democracy it takes legislation to change laws and to enforce the ideals in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Now that burly NFL players have gotten our attention, who will craft the legislation to actually change America for the better?

            It’s obvious that this election season is as divisive as any on record. The violence that erupted in some protest cities has repulsed voters on the right and the left, and political strategists have not hesitated in presenting those flames as the certain result of electing the “wrong candidate.”

            Each year, voters tell pollsters they hate the televised political ads they see every election year. When I was a newspaper editor, I attempted to make the case that candidates should be spending their advertising dollars on newspapers, not TV. Polls showed that newspaper readers were far more likely to vote than those getting their news from TV. But that argument went nowhere. TV ads are unlikely to spark meaningful political discussion, but they do grab attention.

            As these TV ads grow more strident, political rhetoric more apocalyptic, our democracy gets weaker. Russian misinformation and other mischief are intended to sow distrust among voters.

            President Trump has shared in the implied criticism of democratic processes. He seems to want an election that is in as much disarray as his administration. He has ridiculed problems in primary voting. He has proclaimed voting by mail a fraud (although he does it himself). He has said if he loses the election must be fraudulent. Twice in North Carolina, Trump has urged people to vote twice, which is a felony.

            Attorney General Josh Stein has warned voters that voting twice is illegal. Inciting people to violate voting laws is illegal. Stein or a county prosecutor could charge Trump with encouraging fraudulent voting.