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Yesterday, Major League Baseball took a chainsaw to its cornerstones of tradition and patriotism by openly supporting kneeling during the National Anthem by players and/or coaching staff that choose to do so. My experience with the game is admittedly anecdotal, but not exclusive.
Baseball, like all facets of American life, has had its problems with race, obviously. It also has made more positive strides on race perhaps even better than others enterprises in the entertainment industry. It is a game now played in a country that will reward you with millions
of dollars based on pure talent, regardless of the color of your skin. Is the game free of racism? No. But it's largely a game based on merit and talent, not race. So when a player, and especially when a manager kneels during the Anthem, it's not just about ingratitude shown.
It's insulting to fans of baseball when a player in a country that has provided the opportunity for them to wear that uniform disrespects that opportunity provided them. But there's a more important reason why this is so disturbing and disillusioning to me. They're role models.
I have umpired Little League baseball games for 35 years at the 11-12 year old Major level. Kids still look up to players as heroes. Always have. Now we have players, and at least one manager, kneeling. Think some kids are going to emulate that next season? I fear they will.
I've been asked on Twitter when I will finally give up the game. Here's when that will happen. Next season, hopefully post-COVID, we'll get back to normal baseball. Assuming that happens, the pre-game festivities will resume. Both teams line up on each baseline, take off caps.
Unlike MLB, most of the time, we just do the Pledge of Allegiance and the Little League Pledge. But the Anthem usually plays on opening day & in tournaments. The first kid or coach that takes a knee during any of those, I will eject them immediately for unsportsmanlike conduct.
I expect when I do that, there will be blowback from parents, and probably from the league, and most definitely from the district. I sincerely hope I don't, but I'm fairly confident there are enough snowflakes around that I will be reprimanded for doing that.
That will be the day I will be done with baseball, because the game as I've always known it, will have left me. I realize I'm 53 now, and I'm probably a relic. But I won't be a party to the brainwashing of kids into believing we're a racist nation when we're not.
