America: Home of the Brave
It has been a really tumultuous time in sports recently with the hot topic being the National Anthem and athletes kneeling while it’s being sang. Colin Kaepernick‘s decision to kneel because of the injustices done to African Americans was a decision that was made to bring awareness to these issues. The President of the United States has even chimed in and expressed his disdain for athletes who kneel for the anthem. I personally am for the peaceful protesting of these sporting events, but not because I want to be disrespectful to any veterans who served this country, or want to promote any racial divide. I simply respect Colin for using his voice to bring awareness to these huge issues plaguing America, and him appearing to be blackballed for using his voice to peacefully protest feels like a slap in the face. It’s not about him getting a job anymore, it’s about the fact that he would be blackballed from the league because of his beliefs.
There are many similarities between Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Colin Kaepernick. Photo courtesy of Forever Black Effusion.
This isn’t the first time that a player has been ostracized because of his peaceful protest to sit during the anthem. In the 90’s the Denver Nuggets star guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, formerly known as Chris Jackson, decided that he wouldn’t take part in the national anthem and remained seated while someone sang before the game. People really didn’t know what they were seeing. This was the first time that someone publicly protested in this manner. It started in the 1995-96 season when Rauf didn’t stand or acknowledge the anthem or American flag. A few reporters noticed and it wasn’t until March of that season that reports surfaced. At first it was an isolated Nuggets issue then it turned into a nationalized circus with it being the main story at most games.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf denounced the National Anthem in the 1990’s. The NBA comprised with him and instead of sitting he was able to look down and recite a prayer. Photo courtesy of TheHoopDoctors.com
NBA commissioner David Stern passed down a one game suspension to Mahmoud for his refusal to stand during the anthem. Two days later the NBA came up with a compromise, forcing him to stand but allowing him to close his eyes and look downward. Rauf took this time to say a Muslim prayer during the anthem. Rauf even fasted for Ramadan, where he didn’t eat until sundown for sake of mental clarity. He was seen as selfish for this decision. He took his religious beliefs seriously and at that time those beliefs happened to clash with the NBA. Around this time he also had a sneaker deal with Nike. When the deal wasn’t renewed, Rauf covered the logos of his sneakers with tape in attempts to send a message. While traveling to away games Rauf went into low income black neighborhoods and educated fathers to take better care of their families. Today, people would have praised him for his stance but at this time few people were sympathetic. People at this time took this as being defiant and he was eventually traded then exiled from the league.
Craig Hodges studied all religions and idioms. He was very well educated and outspoken with regard to black issues and helped the black community when the cameras weren’t rolling. Photo courtesy of theodyssey.com
The other player that fell into this category was Craig Hodges. Hodges was a shooting guard for the Michael Jordan led, NBA Champion Chicago Bulls. He played a key role on the successful team as a three point specialist. Hodges was known to be very vocal about his beliefs of the plight of the African American in society. He was very opinionated earned a reputation for having informed opinions on virtually any subject. He frequently had intense debates with coaches and teammates about religion, race and politics. These controversial topics were shunned in the locker room. Hodges would often urge his wealthy teammates to invest in black businesses in low income neighborhoods in order to strengthen the black community, but few listened. After winning the NBA championship, Hodges crafted a letter detailing what was plaguing the black community and some possible resolutions to the issues that were crippling. He intended to hand the letter directly to President Bush but got as far as to give the letter to one of the presidents advisors. It is unknown whether or not the President actually seen the letter or not.
Hodges approached Jordan about boycotting the 1991 NBA Finals to bring awareness to racial issues in America. Photo courtesy of theodyssey.com
In the 1991 NBA finals the Chicago Bulls took on the Los Angeles Lakers. The highly televised event featured Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, two of the most famous athletes ever. Hodges approached the two during game one and recommended that they boycott the finals and not play in order to generate some attention to some of the issues, like racism and inequality for the African Americans in our country. It would be a move that the world would be watching. “Michael said I was crazy” Hodges said. “And Magic thought the move was too extreme”.
These two players stood strong to their beliefs and this ultimately led to an early departure from the league. Not much has changed in the years since they were playing basketball in the league. These issues still plague our community. The outspokenness of Hodges and Abdul-Rauf are believed to be the reason why they were removed from the league and eventually blackballed. At the time people say these guys were crazy. In retrospect I can say these guys were very brave. To hold to their beliefs and feel so strongly about them that their livelihood was at stake is very honorable. Like Colin Kaepernick, these guys should be honored an respected. We as people need to start paying attention to these issues that are occurring right in our back yard. Enough is enough. We are at a critical time in our history and something needs to happen. The change will not happen overnight. Nor will it be a tangible change that we could see right away. We need unity to cripple these old thoughts that are dividing our people. Will it happen in my lifetime? I’m not sure about that, but my hopes are that my son can grow up in a time where he won’t have to worry about these things. Only time will tell.
Check out Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s story on Outside The Lines below: