There was nothing remarkable about my childhood. As an original baby boomer I grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s in West Los Angeles. Years later I realized that as children of a single mother, my brother and I lived slightly below the poverty line. We always had food in our one-bedroom apartment, but little else. We were careful with the few clothes we had. My most important possessions were my baseball glove and my basketball. Sports were the most important thing in my life.

In 1958 two life-changing events happened. I was finally able to join a baseball team, and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. I purchased a transistor radio for ten dollars and hid under the covers with a flashlight to listen to and score Dodger games analyzed by the greatest announcer of all time, Vin Scully.

By 1960 I continued to look forward to baseball season, but my primary interest was now basketball. During my second year of high school, 1961, the Minneapolis Lakers moved to Los Angeles. They had drafted Jerry West, “Zeke from Cabin Creek,” in 1960. Along with legendary forward, Elgin Baylor, they became the most famous offensive duo in the league. I modeled my game, most importantly my jump shot, around Jerry West.

I was too skinny to play football, but while I was in high school I became more interested in the game. I played flag football, and was somewhat in demand because of my right arm. I could accurately throw the ball for a long distance.

You would think that I was a Los Angeles Ram fan; you would be mistaken. I tried, but they constantly dissapointed their supporters. When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Terry Bradshaw, I found my team. Although they have broken my heart often, I remain a fan today.

However, this could change. I am becoming less of a fan. Twenty years ago my wonderful wife purchased all of the equipment for DirecTv. They had the “NFL Sunday Ticket.” She was obviously tired of my complaining that because we lived in Reno, Nevada, I was seldom able to watch the Steeler’s games. We were fed games played by the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders. From that day on I never missed a Steeler’s game. This year I will not be paying for the NFL Sunday Ticket. A combination of bias and uninteresting announcers, along with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s dictatorship in favor of the owners has made the game less attractive.

This year civil rights groups are suggesting a boycott of the NFL. I tend to support them.

I no longer watch professional baseball or basketball. The label ‘team’ fails to apply to baseball. It’s difficult to root for a group of new players each year. The Dodgers of the 1960’s remained mostly intact, and I knew each player’s statistics. I couldn’t name five players on any team today.

Soon professional basketball followed baseball. In addition, dunking the basketball became more important than ‘team play.’ The arts of passing and dribbling beame a memory.

NFL teams remain more intact. Both offenses and defenses must work closely together in order to win games and championships. However, my complaint is about what has become ‘owners vs players.’

Colin Kaepernick is a great athlete. He graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. When it became his time to play, his arm and his legs created a new excitement for 49er fans. Because of poor coaching, and an effort to change Kaepernick’s ‘style,’ he is no longer playing in the NFL.

Two years ago Kaepernick began ‘taking a knee’ during the playing of the National Anthem. His protest was not related to our nation or our military; he was protesting racism and bigotry in America. Last year other primarily black players joined him.

The first owner to deny the first amendment rights of his players was Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys. He threatened to ‘bench’ any player who took a knee. This year most of the other owners joined him. The new rule requires a fine for any player ‘taking a knee.’ This rule is supported by your illegitimate president. Trump’s claim that taking a knee should require deportation is a violation of the constitutional rights of the players. It has become a battle between billionaires and millionaires.

The primary problem is a form of ‘fraudulent patriotism.’ Right wing extremists have forgotten that ‘protesting is patriotic.’ When a wrong needs to be righted, only the people will force change. As long as racism remains such an enormous problem in America, our nation will never be great.

I have always hoped that I would see the end of racism and bigotry in my lifetime. With Trump in the White House millions of those who had been hiding in the shadows have come forward as white supremacy has become fashionable. With a leader of this hate movement in the west wing, they have become emboldened; hate crimes have increased by 800 percent.

As our rights and freedoms are disappearing under the Trump administration, we must all fight to save the first amendment and democracy. The right wing is wrong for America.

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

My novels are available on Amazon; CLICK HERE