I just completed a ten day challenge on Facebook to name my top ten athletes of all time.  Not necessarily the greatest ten athletes, but my personal favorites.  Ones who inspired me at different stages in my life.  It was a fun trip through time remembering the feelings I had when I watched them play.  The exhilaration of their highs and the humility of their lows.  It was a process worth the effort.  

I posted about Tiger Woods and how he revolutionized the game of golf and created an entirely new generation of some of the best golfers ever.  I posted a picture of Eric Heiden and his unbelievable gold medal performances in the 1980 olympics – he made me aspire to be a speed skater when no one aspired to be a speed skater.  I remembered Paul Molitor and the ’82 Brewers and how they came so close to winning the world series.  I’ll never forget watching Dr. J fly high over everyone in the NBA.  And I’ll still remember my exhilaration watching Sidney Moncrief’s Arkansas Razorbacks beat defending champion Louisville Cardinals in the NCAA tournament with a last second half-court shot by U.S. Reed.  Sidney went on to become one of my favorite Milwaukee Bucks players.  

Those are moments that define and benchmark different era’s in our lives.  To me, sports are a way to get away from life’s every day problems.  A temporary departure from troubles.  And professional sports are our chance watch the best of the best.  They inspire us to achieve bigger and greater things.  They entertain us.   They bring us together.  

Lately it seems professional sports has taken a left hand turn.  Professional athletes want to paint all of us with a broad brush of racism when the farthest thing is actually true. 99% of fans aren’t the least bit racist.  In  fact, at least half of the athletes I chose as my favorite of all time were black.  Did I choose them because they were black?  No.  Nor did I choose any of my favorite white athletes because they were white.  I didn’t even consider their race when I selected them.  I chose them because they were great.  On their own merits.  And I loved them for that.  

Doc Rivers, L.A. Clippers head coach and another of my favorite players of all time, recently gave an impassioned speech stating that black athletes give and give. They love this country but this country doesn’t love them back.  Really?   We could hardly have loved you more? 

Pro sports owners knew they had to keep politics off the field when they put a stop to the first wave of flag-kneeling. Now they let it seep in even further and the thing they feared most could very well be upon them – they’ve offended lifelong fans who are abandoning sports and players they love.  Their brands are in jeopardy.  If they continue their current course, they may face ultimate bankruptcy of their leagues.  

As of the writing of this editorial, the heavily-favored Milwaukee Bucks are in a 3-0 deficit vs an inferior Miami Heat team. A team the Bucks should easily dispatch. But no, the Bucks are in danger of elimination from the playoffs. They recently boycotted a game in the name of social justice. That’s bold because, have they ever considered what would happen if a large portion of their fan base simply didn’t see things the same as they do? I contend the players, staff, and management of the Bucks lost their focus and they forgot what they’re paid to do. Should they lose the series in humiliating fashion, I hope some serious soul-searching commences. If they win, I’m glad they finally pulled it together and got their mojo back. No matter what, they let politics in where it doesn’t belong.

I do understand what athletes are protesting and the issues they are attempting to bring to awareness. And a conversation definitely needs to be had. But did the players in these leagues look seriously at who they’re attaching their credibility to before taking a stand? Get all the facts? Put a name on their helmet? When a professional team normally puts together a PR campaign centered around one person, they research, vet, and leave no stone unturned making sure that individual would be a solid representation of their brand. It doesn’t seem like any pre-vetting went into this most recent snap decision.

What athletes choose to do in their own time, off-season is fine with me. I applaud their efforts. If their philanthropy helps save one life or change one hardened heart, it’s worth it.  I want them to use their considerable influence to make the world a better, more humane place – use their access to the media to broadcast their message.  Just please keep it off the field.  Let us decide what to believe and what our children should be exposed to when we watch you perform.  

Athletes, we believed in you. Our dedication provided you with a luxurious lifestyle. And we were fine with that trade until you turned your stage into a soapbox. Now I choose to take my entertainment dollar elsewhere. I’m going to take a pro sports fast over the coming year and see if I miss it. College only. I may come back one day but not now. If you think you can do what you do without a loyal fan base, I guess we’ll wait and see.

I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment, but if I am, that’s perfectly fine. If there’s one thing this pandemic has taught me, sports can shut off entirely and my life can move forward without it. I’ll miss it. But the NFL and NBA has challenged me to believe what they’re projecting, exactly how they are projecting it, and for the same reasons – and I don’t. If being a fan means I have to support, condone, or cast a blind eye toward bad behavior, then I think that’s just too bitter of a pill to swallow.