Lance Bernard: How will players know when their protest succeeds?

Implicit in any protest is a definable and attainable goal. “No taxation without representation” implied the goals of the protest would be met if the British allow Colonial representation in Parliament. Martin Luther King’s protests implied the goals of the protesters would be met with the abolishment of segregation. UC Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement protests of the 1960s implied the goals would be met if students were allowed to express political views while on campus. The anti-Vietnam War protests implied the goals would be met if the U.S. withdrew from that country. The goals of all the aforementioned (and, I might add, successful) protests were clearly defined and attainable.

Today we see multimillion-dollar athletes kneeling during the national anthem protesting social injustice. The problem is, their protests don’t contain any inferred solution or defined goal. How in the world is everyone supposed to know when social justice has been achieved? So, having no implied solution or measurable goal, all these protests have done is exacerbate racial tensions and alienate a good portion of the country. Hopefully, the players will wake up and see the divisiveness they’re causing.

This story was originally published October 2, 2017 at 2:32 PM with the headline "Lance Bernard: How will players know when their protest succeeds?."