If You're Gonna Stiff the Man, Give a Reason

In a little noticed story yesterday, the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only perfect team in NFL history, received the welcome of President Obama at the White House.  Arguably one of the best teams in history, Miami didn’t have the chance to go to the White House in the early 70s.  The president at that time spent many of his waking hours covering up the stupidest political move in history (like George McGovern could have beaten Nixon anyway).  About 20 of the unbeaten team came, receiving the hero’s welcome that group so richly deserves.

A fun light moment occurred when the President mentioned that his beloved Bears lost only one game in 1985 to the Dolphins.  If you’ve never heard of that game, take a look for the recap.  It’s a modern classic.  Don Shula, touting an impeccable resume as Dolphins coach, made sure to remind the President that he coached that 1985 team.  Regardless, the pageantry was fantastic and enjoyable for everyone there.  Greatness deserves recognition and it’s too bad it took so long in this case.

But, an even smaller story around this trip came up yesterday.  Three of the original team, Jim Langer, Manny Fernandez, and Bob Kuechenberg, did not travel with their former teammates.  They refused to attend out of disagreement with the President’s politics and policies.

Those of you who know me personally know my agreement with the President rarely extends beyond “Something must be done” (and it might not even get there sometimes).  But, if he called me tomorrow to come to the White House for a chat, a basketball game, or an ice cream sundae I’d do everything I could to be there.  I suspect many Americans would.  How often do you get a chance to meet the sitting President?  And, when you do, do you know how long it will take to sit with him?  Do you know what he’ll talk about?  These are all good questions, and the answer is usually either “not really” or a flat “no.”

For the Three Stooges, they cited general differences.  Langer, a Hall of Famer, cited the “lack of a moral compass in Washington” as his reason for not attending.  Fernandez quipped his views are “diametrically opposed to those of the President.”  Kuechenberg, said he doesn’t “believe in this administration at all.  So I don’t belong.”  In essence, he saw hypocrisy in attending the gathering.

Every man can choose his path, of course.  But, this is ridiculous for a few reasons.

First, the hypocrisy charge makes no sense.  Simply by being on the stage with the President does not mean you support him in any way shape or form, especially when he honors an athletic team.  By that logic, parents might not send their kids when the children’s choir sings at the White House.  There’s nothing hypocritical in taking a free trip to the White House, regardless of party in power.

While all three men kept their comments short, I would also suggest that a greater political statement could be made by them shedding their views in favor of camaraderie.  By not accepting the stage with the President, you are in essence giving credence to those who bemoan the lack of civility in politics.  These players started in the trenches and, at the end of each game, gave their respectful appreciation for opponents.  Why can’t that kind of sportsmanship extend to politics?  This is not a political gathering, the President said nothing about his policies or his plans for the country.  Do these guys truthfully find his views so repulsive that they are unwilling to speak with him, shake his hand, or sit through a nonpolitical speech?

It would appear so, and yet these guys stared diametric views in the face every Sunday.  Is there any view more polarizing than “I want you to win and I want you to lose”?  That view got the postgame pat on the back in the 70s, but a well-intentioned honoring of your team by the guy who happens to be in the White House right now isn’t worth your time?

My point being, this is petty.  What adds to the pettiness for me is that these guys are unwilling to give a certain policy position that keeps them from the event.  Matt Birk of the Baltimore Ravens did not attend the White House ceremony for the Super Bowl winners, mainly because he publicly does not support same-sex marriage.  I admit, that’s a little petty, but can anyone challenge his boldness?  He’s willing to forego an opportunity while publicly giving a substantive reason why (agree or disagree, I’d say an issue-based refusal is substantive).  Giving your point of disagreement is more admirable than a boilerplate “we disagree” or needlessly worrying about hypocrisy.  These guys could have given a much better reason for not attending. 

In the end, one White House ceremony doesn’t matter much (another reason for attending, by the way) and there’s no need to go down this road any further.  But, unless you’re willing to speak out on a matter you deem very important, a special team event deserves your attendance. 

Bit #1: The Quietest Grand Slam Ever

For the second week in a row, I have a Bit about a sport very few people watch: doubles tennis.  Very quietly, the Bryan brothers, the 35 year old American identical twins, need one more win at the U.S. Open to complete the Grand Slam.  They would be the second men’s doubles team to win the yearly Slam, the first team having accomplished it in the 1950s.  For all the discussion about American men’s tennis and its plight, the Bryan brothers are easily the best doubles group in tennis.  They are a whopping 7000 points ahead of their closest competition in the world rankings and, prior to the last major of the year, have wrapped up the top ranking in the world.  The brothers have won 92 titles in their career together and, while neither has made much headway during singles play, it certainly is an impressive accomplishment.  Not to mention, these guys won the gold medal last year in London, meaning there is a potential Golden Slam at play too.  Watch the coverage of this story increase as we continue towards Flushing.

Bit #2: Congressional Intervention

Representative Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, announced yesterday that Congress may feel compelled to intervene in the NFL for HGH testing.  The NFLPA and the NFL agreed to a pathway for testing back in 2011, but there has been no concrete agreement since those days.

The rumors of HGH use in the NFL are disturbing…almost every former player on record has claimed that players partake of human growth hormone.  It’s a problem that the NFL can conveniently brush under the rug.  Business is booming, so why get involved in a banned substance conversation?

While I agree that any kind of cheating should eradicated, Congress should not be holding public hearings meant to excoriate the members of a private business.  Football does not qualify as an essential service to citizens, meaning the rationale for Congressional “oversight” shouldn’t really go very far.  If the Committee wants to monitor the situation or make back-channel calls to the league offices, that sounds great.  But a hearing does absolutely nothing to bring the two sides closer to a deal.  We saw how well Congressional “intervention” worked for steroids in baseball.  The Mitchell Report, for all of its controversial revelations, did nothing to fully stem the tide of steroid use in the sport.  It’s time for governing bodies to concern themselves and their time with issues that actually affect the well-being of all citizens (aka anything that utilizes taxpayer dollars at the federal level).  I don’t think the NFL applies.

Bit #3: Ryan Braun Needs More to Heal His Rep

Yesterday, Ryan Braun, the Brewers slugger who has been suspended for the remainder of the season due to steroid use, released an apology.  He made sure to point out the fans and his team when directing his condolences.  But, Braun’s apology is very hollow.  A year ago, I wrote on this blog that Braun very likely used steroids and won his appeal on a technicality.  Well, his behavior yesterday could not be more different from the firm yet humble image Braun presented last year.  Back then, he said he would be the first one to say if he had done something wrong.

Yeah, well, he refused to put himself in front of the cameras.  He hid behind a statement that in effect reads like “I’m sorry I got caught.”  While I don’t want to unnecessarily whine about baseball any more than I already have, we all know Braun will be embraced again.  It happened to Andy Pettite and Jason Giambi after their admissions.  Mark McGwire admitted to cheating and is a hitting coach for the Dodgers.  Fans are the unwitting participant in all of this and until they hold these guys to a higher standard, the benefits of doing steroids may very well outweigh the costs.  If you ask me, Braun did what Lance Armstrong did.  He personally attacked those who doubted him (remember the test collector who lost his job after the Braun case?) and now comes back with his hat in hand.  It’s ridiculous and everyone should be sick and tired of this behavior.