Kudos to Coaches Who Defend Athletes That Don't Stand for the Athem

A Professor, Johnathon Zimmerman, published a piece (may have a pay wall) on the local paper's editorial page praising coaches who encourage players to make their own choice about standing, sitting or leaving the basketball court for the National Anthem. The professor teaches humanities at the University of Pennsylvania and referred also to nearby Vilanova University. 

He explained the policies of both coaches. It is to allow each player the opportunity to explain his personal reaction to standing for the Athem. The rule is that all players respect all other players' point of view on this.

At Penn, only three players and the head coach stand for the Anthem. All other players and two assistant coaches sit. At Vilanova, as many as half the players leave the arena. 

As Professor Zimmerman points out, nearly every university has on its promotional brochure the institution is all about personal growth. It may say it advocates critical thinking. No university says it encourages students to fit in and do what everyone else does or avoid any criticism by anyone else. In humanity courses students are required to review books and other written material for bias and inconsistency. Except for perhaps very religious places students are there to learn to think for themselves. 

The choice of how to react in public to the National Anthem becomes a teaching moment. Student athletes have the opportunity to develop their own views as to what the Anthem represents and make public statements about their reaction to it. 

I'm sure most of us don't pay much attention to the lyrics of the National Anthem. If we did we might wonder why such music is expected to instill patriotism. If ever there was music depicting killing others as heroic the Anthem is it. In addition, the Anthem tells a story of bombs resulting in victory. This notion military action will result in victory for the U.S. is repeated so often people like Tom Brokaw (Greatest Generation) see it as inevitable. We know from the facts of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq victory is elusive and war is often a mistake but our mythology never hints at this.

Those who don't want athletes making political statements with gestures before events can take away the opportunity. No National Anthem. They don't like this option because they want to make their own political statement, they just don't want to allow anyone else to do the same thing.