One of the most beautiful things about Americans is the First Amendment, and our duty to protect it for others, even when we completely and utterly disagree with them.
Our right to argue with one another, to express our opinions, is such a profound and provocative piece of the American puzzle that we can only believe makes us better in the long run. It sharpens our reasoning and our deduction skill.
But there are times when the First Amendment doesn’t need to be declared, or played like a card. And there’s never really a reason to wrap it up and lights and make a spectacle out of it. This inalienable right just is – no pageantry needed.
That’s why some were a little put-off by the latest social justice gesture out of the MLB.
As team after team announced they would refuse to play games in protest of Jacob Blake’s shooting, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins still decided to take the field on Thursday.
And then they walked off.
After rumblings of a potential player protest, the Mets took their places on the field as scheduled. However, starting pitcher Michael Wacha did not throw a warm-up pitch, and the teams did not exchange lineup cards.
Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson stepped into the box and both teams seemed in position to start playing, but only 42 seconds of silence, likely in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, followed. Both teams then exited the field, with Brinson leaving a “Black Lives Matter” shirt at home plate.
The moment looked choreographed, but by a cut rate choreographer.
After a moment of silence, the Mets and the Marlins have left the field.
The only thing remaining on the field is a Black Lives Matter shirt. pic.twitter.com/t7QfWwofOS
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2020
These teams are just the latest in a long line of major league clubs, spanning all of the professional sports leagues in the nation, who have abandoned games in a protest for racial equality.
