Kneeling, knowledge and news: political television
After a long and tiring day of school, it is finally time to go home, relax and watch some television. As you channel surf and look through the plethora of biased news, you finally hit a station where you know there won’t be any politics involved: ESPN. Unfortunately sports meant for entertainment have also become political.
It’s impossible to avoid politics. With growing governmental issues stemming from the presidency of Donald Trump, late night talk show hosts like Stephen Colbert are taking full advantage of our ironically weak leader, as Trump continues to conduct himself unprofessionally.
Colbert has evolved from his normal stand-up monologues of joke telling to crude, and at times controversial, skits of our current President. While some enjoy his humor, others are aggravated by the shift in Colbert’s performances.
Another late night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, had no other choice but to get involved with the current political climate. Kimmels son, who had recently had an open heart surgery as an infant, took a stance against the GOP’s Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill, as it would have put the states in a situation to decide whether or not it will cover pre-existing conditions.
Knowing a majority of the US would not be able to afford the treatment his son received, Kimmel has been highly involved with the topic of healthcare, putting his show, like Colbert’s in a highly political state. The audience for both Colbert and Kimmel evolved to a political crowd, as both shows have changed their comedic form into a political splurge.
Why not just watch a different show? Well, modern politics have grown like a bad disease; once it is relevant to the average citizen, everyone jumps on the bandwagon of political talk.
When has it crossed the limits? It is probably safe to say it has gone too far when you have one of the greatest sports content publishers, ESPN, grow political.
The recent controversy is football players kneeling during the national anthem. Players began protesting last season against police brutality and racism by kneeling during the anthem. This has evolved as a sign protesting Trump, as he made the unpresidential remark that “any player that kneels should be fired.”
The stem of protests intensified due to Trump’s comment, resulting in over 100 players kneeling during week three of the NFL season. The protest ceased to stand for the movement started a year ago and evolved towards ideas for equality for all citizens in America.
While kneeling may be deemed disrespectful, it dignifies what the United States stands for: freedom. The first amendment of the United States Constitution clearly states that Congress shall not pass any law preventing citizens from expressing their freedom of speech.
On the contrary, a vast majority of sports fans who wake up Sunday morning to watch football, do not want to be bombarded with negativity and political news. Football, being a timeless sport had been sucked into the web of political news and nobody is to blame but the President, but fans are not satisfied with the current events.
The United States has reached the tipping point of politics; people cannot sit down to watch a football game without hearing the latest from Donald Trump and the GOP. NFL ratings are at a critical low due to their focus on controversial politics, which has resulted in a splurge of hideous sports-politics.
The two do not work hand-in-hand kindly, people are aggravated and want to escape the treacherous world of politics, yet whether you like it or not, politics fuel society. It is both the light and the darkness of the United States and although the current Commander-in-Chief is contradicting all forms of unity, people should not try and avoid today’s political climate.
