NFL has championed the wrong cause

The NFL anthem protests continue without an end in sight. It’s time somebody says what needs to be said so this country can heal and move on. If you’re ready for it, this is it.

In order to understand the protests we must understand what’s being protested. Too many owners, too many Americans are willing to blindly go along under the banner of free speech. Free speech is not the issue. What’s at issue is a perception that America is fundamentally a racist society. Colin Kaepernick said as much when he started all of this. He said he didn’t want to stand for an anthem that represented a country that oppressed black people. To understand where he’s coming from is to get at the root of the problem.

We’ve been over the statistics. Kaepernick believes black people are being indiscriminately gunned down by police. The fact is white people are twice as likely to be killed by police as black people. The liberal media would have you believe that’s proof of racism just because there are more than four times as many white folks as there are black folks in this country. As I’ve explained in a prior column, the racial makeup of the country has nothing to do with it. Were that the case, one could argue that the NFL itself is racist since it’s 80 percent black.

The sad fact is black people commit crimes at far above their representation in the population. For example, 52 percent of the murders are committed by black people. It’s not racist to point that out. It’s just a sad reality. Instead of looking at the number of blacks in prison or those killed by police and assuming racism, we should dig down and try to figure out why those crime stats are so out of kilter. 

That’s what leads us to the crux of the problem. Roughly 72 percent of black children born today will be born out of wedlock. That means, in all likelihood, there’s not a father in their day-to-day lives. Ninety percent of all homeless children are from fatherless homes. Same for runaway children. Eighty-five percent of children with behavior disorders come from fatherless homes. Seventy-one percent of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. Of the kids in rehab centers, 75 percent come from fatherless homes. And the statistic that should hit us all between the eyes, 85 percent of all youths who end up in prison come from fatherless homes. This all according to research by The Fatherless Generation.

That, my friends, is the problem. Not that America is a racist country. Not that America is oppressing black people. Fatherlessness. That is the problem. And this is something the NFL is in the perfect position to help solve. These men are role models for millions of American boys, especially black boys.

The irony is Colin Kaepernick’s father left his mother before he was born. He ended up being adopted by white parents. Some kinda racist society he grew up in, huh? Many in the NFL who kneel know exactly what the problem is. Marshawn Lynch’s father has been convicted six times and is serving a 24-year prison sentence for burglary. He could be a shining example of how to overcome such odds. Michael Bennett of the Seahawks is raising three girls. Why not highlight that instead of protesting the anthem?

Instead of taking a knee, how about take a stand. Use your influence to end fatherless households. That’s how you can help heal this country instead of tearing it apart.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

Hey, NFL, the customer's always right

When I first decided to write about the NFL/National Anthem issue it was before President Trump got involved with his opinion. Now, according to the left-wing media, it’s all his fault. He’s also been accused of making this a racial issue. It was Colin Kaepernick who made this a racial issue. Remember, he first sat for the National Anthem because he refused to stand “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” 

It’s instructive to examine why he was protesting, other than trying to bring attention to himself as his career waned. He believes black people are being indiscriminately gunned down in the streets because of racist cops. The fact is twice as many white folks are killed by police than blacks. Now, the Washington Post and other liberally biased institutions say you have to adjust for population. That’s intellectually dishonest. If we used the same logic for the NFL we would have to determine that it’s a racist institution since blacks only make up 13 percent of the population but 70 percent of the NFL is black.

A fair analysis of the issue is to look at the percentage of whites and blacks who commit crimes. Whites make up about 61 percent of the population. Blacks make up about 13 percent. According to the FBI, blacks commit 52.2 percent of the murders. That’s a disturbing statistic. Well over 90 percent of the victims of those murders are black, so if Black Lives Matter had its way and we made the prison population look like America those murderers would be turned loose on the black community.

In every major category, blacks are way above their population percentage. Blacks commit 28 percent of total crimes, over double their representation in the population. That is the problem. Not racist cops. Not because of “a country that oppresses black people” as Kaepernick claims. Whites commit crimes at about their population percentage. That means twice as many crimes are committed by whites. And, ironically, we find that whites are twice as likely to be shot by cops. Makes sense now, doesn’t it? 

Don’t get me wrong. There are some trigger-happy cops and cops with anger management problems. Those bad seeds need to be weeded out. But obviously that affects both races equally.

My contention about the kneeling during the National Anthem is it’s bad for business. Know your customer. The NFL is dropping in the ratings all the while multi-million-dollar athletes claim it’s their right to express themselves. They do have that right, but not on the bosses dime. They’re harming the NFL brand and pretty soon the owners won’t be able to afford those multi-million-dollar salaries. When they get their pay cut I’m sure it’ll be racism.

I heard a commentator on CNN say that sports has enjoyed “social justice” protests dating back to Jackie Robinson. Robinson didn’t protest. He simply became the first black man to play Major League Baseball. You didn’t see Robinson taking a knee for the anthem, and if anyone had an excuse to it would be him. Jackie didn’t play the victim, and because of it he became the hero.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took a knee with the team prior to the National Anthem on Monday Night Football. I’m sure he’s trying to make the players and the fans happy. I get that. The question is has the damage already been done. The customer doesn’t care if your colors are gray or orange or purple, theirs are red, white, and blue.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.