Professional sports are essential to San Antonio’s culture. They are a pastime that many families enjoy, ultimately connecting many people. However, there has been a shift in what is acceptable for athletes to express politically. To the dismay of many fans, politics is becoming quickly and readily discussed in the sports industry. Whether it is the Colin Kaepernick protest or Nick Bosa promoting presidential candidate Donald Trump there is a societal leniency that allows athletes to express their political beliefs on the field to thousands of viewers. Some of whom are children who lack the proper understanding of what political expression even means.
Athletes expressing their political affiliations live on television is dangerous as it creates an environment that does not rely on educating the populace and instead provides people an easy and misinformed way to start supporting politics that their favorite player or role model supports. It exposes the youth to politics in the wrong way through a role model whose job is just to play sports for an organization.
For example, on week nine of the 2024 NFL season, Nick Bosa interrupted an NBC interview and pointed to a MAGA hat before quickly leaving the screen. The problem does not stem from Bosa having political opinions and expressing his First Amendment rights, but in his disregard for his position as an employee of the NFL. Bosa promoted something that was not sanctioned or allowed by the NFL per their bylaws.
Suppose an athlete wishes to express themselves politically. In that case, they should keep it on platforms that encourage that type of speech, excluding the official media created by their employer, which actively avoids becoming political. It is up to the parents to monitor their children and ensure they are consuming acceptable content. So when family-friendly nonpartisan sports networks are compromised by political opinions — off trademark to what they represent through an organization employee — it should concern the average viewer.
Sports networks are not perfect: they often advertise sports betting, another can of worms that plague the viewers. As sports entertainment consumers, it is the public’s responsibility to hold these networks and players accountable for how they portray themselves on the air under their organizations.
Politics has no place in organized sports and should keep its distance from associating with any non-political organizations. The players can do as they wish and support their political beliefs by other means, disconnected from their employers. Still, they should be kept from preaching their political values at officially partnered events with their team, where they can abuse their influence on a large, unprepared scale.
