With the COVID-19 virus putting major sports on hold, Sports Radio hosts and their callers have plenty of idle time on their hands to discuss ... well ... non sports topics. Enter the heightened racial tensions, demonstrations, and yes, rioting, triggered by the murder of George Floyd, and we've got clash of worlds.
let me qualify myself. I am a die hard NY Giants, Rangers, Knicks and Mets fan. I've been a raving mad Villanova basketball fan ever since my son got his acceptance letter from Nova some 17 years ago. I love the four golf majors and the occasional UFC fight. And I religiously listen to our local sports radio station: WFAN.
Here's the problem. There is nothing worse than listening to sports fans discuss social issues. These are my people, except when they start swerving way out of their lane. They are fish out of water. They are square pegs jamming into a round hole. They are out of their element. And it doesn't take much before the flood gates open with crazy conversations.
The latest catalyst is New Orleans Saints quarterback, Drew Brees. He seems like a nice guy, but he put a match to the gasoline tank earlier this week. Someone asked him during an interview what would he think if kneeling during the anthem started up again. His answer was short and tone deaf sweet. He views taking a knee during the National Anthem as disrespecting the flag and country and there is no argument to change his mind, which turned out not to be true, as he apologized for "getting it wrong" 24 hours later. But the gas tank had already exploded.
It became open season again on Colon Kaepernick, Black Lives Matter & White Privilege. And the arguments were, for the most part, hard to follow and in many cases actually intelligence-sapping madness. The latter is demonstrated below:
Joe (host): And on the line we have Benny from Islip. What's on your mind Benny?
Benny: Hi Joe. Long time listener. First time caller.
Joe: Great! Welcome to the show! So what's got ya calling in today?
Benny: Now Joe just hear me out. I'm a 53 year old white guy and I don't got no privilege. I worked 40 to 50 hours a week driving buses for 25 years now and haven't asked for nothin'. Understand? And this guy Kipernike--
Joe: It's Kaepernick, Benny. Kaepernick.
Benny: Kaepernick then. Whatever his name is. He comes along and puts his knee on the ground during our sacred anthem. And because I don't like it, I have privilege? Joe, I don't have privilege, I just love my country. Am I wrong?
Joe: Look, I understand where you are coming from but I don't think it's like that.
Benny: This guy makes millions of dollars playing a game. It's a game Joe! I wish I could play a game like that but I'm 5 foot four and have bad arches. So I drive buses. But he should be in love with this country for what he does but instead he disrespected it.
Joe: I understand but you have to admit Benny that maybe he wasn't wrong about some of this.
Benny: Why because that guy died, what's his name, George Flynn--
Joe: George Floyd. Floyd.
Benny: Yeah Floyd, that guy! Listen Joe, my nephew Alphonso is a cop and he tells me all the time that he never knows what a situation will bring. That's a lot of stress on these guys. You know he was resisting arrest Joe.
Joe: Who was? George Floyd?
Benny: Yeah, he was.
Joe: No he wasn't! Where'd ya hear that.
Benny: That's the part we didn't see. I mean of course the main stream media doesn't have that part. But listen, even if he wasn't, why do I got privilege? And why is this privilege, which I don't got, have anything to do with him taking a knee? I mean it's like Black Lives Matter. Why do their lives matter more than my life, and if I have privilege, than maybe my life does matter more, but since I don't, then we have equal lives. Joe, where am I wrong here?
Joe: I don't think you're wrong but it's not quite like that.
Benny: So ya agree?
Joe: No I don't, but hey do you have a sports question.
Benny: Yeah, actually I do. Why does the NFL make owners interview at least one black for a coaching job. I mean supposin' there aren't any qualified.
Joe: We're gonna move on. And now we got ... oh no ... Jimmy from Hohokus. How are you Jimmy? Long time no hear. What going on?
Jimmy: Hey Joe, been busy. My daughter got married two months ago and shortly after I got the COVID thing.
Joe: Sorry to hear that. I mean I'm happy for your daughter but the virus Bro. How bad?
Jimmy: Well I needed to go on a ventilator.
Joe: Wow bro, a ventilator?
Benny: Yeah, but that's only the half of it. While I was on the ventilator, the nurse, a real nice oriental gal, very sweet, comes in and tells me my wife just texted her station and asked, since she couldn't see me ya no because of the virus and what not, to pass along that she wanted a divorce. So I've been busy Joe.
Joe: Oh no! Really? A divorce? Wow that's cold Bro!
Jimmy: It's all right Joe. I'm okay. My girlfriend has been my rock.
Joe: Girlfriend? Already? That was quick.
Benny: Not really, I mean we've been off and on for a year or two.
Joe: Okay, I see. let's move on. Do you have a sports question Jimmy? \
Jimmy: Yeah, this has been bothering for awhile now, but it just happened again with the Drew Brees thing. So why does LeBron James always have to tell us what he thinks about this thing or that thing. Laura Ingraham was right. He should just play basketball and shut up. Am I right Joe?
That folks is going on all day long all over the nation. We need sports to come back so we can argue bad umpire and referee calls, terrible coaching decisions, trades and drafts. We need sports so we can stay in our lane. Please, for the sake of sports radio, let the games begin, albeit safely.
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