Showing Support for Ferguson

Whether you agree with the actions of five St. Louis Rams football players the team and the NFL were correct in not fining or disciplining the players.

For those who are unaware of the story the five players walked onto the field Sunday during pre-game introductions with their hands raised above their heads in the now famous “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” pose that has defined protests since the shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer last August. The five black players entered the field for the Rams game against Oakland before the rest of their teammates with their hands raised in the air.

As you might expect reactions were mixed but the St. Louis Police Officers Association went on the offensive in demanding apologies from the team and the NFL while at the same time insisting the players should be disciplined.  That is not going to happen although a Rams official reportedly expressed remorse about how the protest was received during a phone call to the St. Louis County Police Chief.

Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook, Kenny Britt and Chris Givens said they came up with the idea just before game time and wanted their actions to represent solidarity with the people of St. Louis and the surrounding communities. They have been applauded by some, especially those who feel athletes should be more involved in social issues instead of ignoring them.  Of course there is also the side that feels nothing good can be gained from symbolic moves like this and it can actually back fire by igniting tensions even more than they already are.

If the five players feel that strong then they should take their actions to another level and instead of just a symbolic gesture should get involved in a positive manner to try and make a difference.  In all likelihood that will not be the case but only time will tell.

In truth we will probably never know all the details of what took place on August 9^th in Ferguson, Missouri. We do know a young black man was killed by a white police officer and there have been far too many cases of that recently. It’s a problem but a much bigger one is the number of blacks being killed each day in gang violence across this country.  Taking a stand against that by all athletes, regardless of color could be more than just a gesture but a step in the right direction.