Andrew L. Urban.
Instead of taking the knee, as they call it in America when rock star sportsmen go down on one knee instead of standing tall for the national anthem, these earnest looking sportsmen turned social justice warriors should get off their butts and do something positive. If their protests are indeed against what they see as racist cultures in law enforcement, they should go ahead and ask not what their country can do for them but what they can do for their country. Here are a couple of suggestions, seeing they don’t seem to have a clue:
Form dozens of small, mixed race groups of say 2 or 3 fellow sportsmen and do a tour – in their own time – of those police stations across the country that are perceived to have a racist culture; high profile black and white football stars, say, would make excellent ambassadors for the message that Martin Luther King Jr espoused. Meet and greet the police officers, talk about their sport and their personal backgrounds as individuals. Connect with them. Laugh with them.
Invite black and white youngsters to training sessions which are followed by picnics where everyone mixes, talks and all of it done without an agenda.
Share personal histories: never mind the professional profiles, share private histories with the public, revealing how black and white players all have their own unique stories that make them who they are – not the colour of their skin.