Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett is pushing the envelope with his new book called “How to Make White People Uncomfortable.” The book will talk about the racial barriers that Bennett has seen through his eyes over the years that he has played in the league.
The NFL is no stranger to racial barriers and players that have been silenced for actions that were not in the right eyes within the NFL. Look at how the Colin Kaepernick situation has played out. He was criticized, staked and burned for his protest about the injustice in America. Debates with pro and anti-Kaepernick fans were at a high, and America was divided between what was right and the “American way ” within his protest.
Ratings dipped at 14 percent and only an average of 15.5 million viewers watched last season games. Bennett has been an advocate for voicing his opinion and he has agreed that certain individuals do not want to let Kaepernick talk and has silenced him.
“There is no logical explanation,” Bennett said. “There’s the elephant in the room why Kaepernick isn’t signed, and I think most people know why. I’ve said this several times, and I’m not afraid to say it: I think race and politics in sports is something people don’t want to hear about, nor do people want to be a part of. I think if you bring the issue of oppressed people onto a stage where there’s millions of fans watching, you bring up dirty little secrets, and I think a lot of people don’t want to hear that. People just want to see people score touchdowns and make big hits. They don’t want to hear about people getting killed by the police, gentrification, women’s issues, nobody wants to hear about that, Standing Rock, nobody wants to hear about that. People just want to hear about athletes playing sports.”
Bennett might be on to something. Kaepernick has not been signed yet and it seems like the league might be afraid to touch him, because of his beliefs. It is very sad if that is true, because America was built on freedom and saying how we felt in a polite manner.
Michael Bennett will create a lot of different emotions when his book comes out. Some people will like it others will feel that he has no right to say these things. However, it will be interesting to see how many players will come out and agree that this book tells the tale of silent injustice in the NFL.
