Before Kaepernick, there was Craig Hodges

[calamity]

What were the policies enacted by HWB to which Hodges objected?

I honestly have no idea. I liked Daddy Bush, voted for him twice.

The letter Hodges wrote is online somewhere. I didn't read it, suspect it is just grievances Bush had nothing to do with. But, I could be wrong about that. Remember this is around the Rodney King era of American politics. Lots of ugly in the air back then, from riots to police brutality.

 

[calamity]

It is a ***** private business. They can hire/fire whoever they want. Whatever is best for business. It is not that hard to understand.

Not true. I suggest reading up on Labor Law.

 

[calamity]

Very possible. The bottom line is that no team owner is going to welcome a media circus to town over a replacement level starter or backup.

Had a QB like Mahomes or Lamar Jackson knelt, the result would have been much different.

The juice has to be worth the squeeze.

Mahomes is too smart to **** in his Wheaties. He's a lot like Mike. Know your lane, stay in it. Make lots of money.

I read this Hodges stuff and think to myself, "OK, you made a point. But, it cost you $50 million. Meanwhile Jordan became the first Billionaire athlete."

Be like Mike.

 

[btthegreat]

There are going to be many examples of players with less skills and more birthdays than Kaepernick and Hodges who did find jobs in the NFL and NBA respectively. Had Hodges filed his lawsuit in a timely manner like Kaep did, he probably would have prevailed as well.

Anything can explain this. A reputation of abrasive personality, or being late to practice, or a couple of shoving matches in the locker room, to bad knees, or just being a jerk to the coach, is sufficient reason to discriminate . What I want to is either a 'smoking gun' email sent out or a pattern established of multiple players in the NBA who engage in political activity on their own time being discriminated against/blacklisted. With Kaepernick you could literally draw a line from his choices and statement to management statements about what he did, to threats of boycotts by the faux 'patriot brigade' , to disiplinary threats to other players who 'took a knee' by the NFL,to a President's remarks etc to his inability to get employment.

You have no similar quotes or statements by the NBA or coaches or owners, no proof anyone were ever pressured to blackball him, or a similar pattern in the treatment of other players who behaved the same. You can't prove the NBA ever even noticed about his African garb, or his meeting with Farrakhan, or his criticism of Jordan.


You have nothing here but his interpretation of why he was not hired.

 

[ecofarm]

I remember him doing an Anthem protest and wondered what happened to him. Thanks.

I hear him in the car on sports radio. He kicks ass.

 

[ecofarm]

My point is, other than a head coach wondering where some inquisitive phone calls were, the only source of all of this was 'the lawsuit claimed...' I have no doubt that Hodges sincerely believes this was some very effective blackballing for political speech, but Law 101: The brief or complaint serves its client. You don't have a lot more than a very litigious echo of that belief.

We know. When it comes to racism or Trump, no one is guilty until the second appeal fails. Everyone else is guilty. Lock her up.

 

[calamity]

I hear him in the car on sports radio. He kicks ass.

Local or network?

 

[ecofarm]

Local or network?

I think it's a network. South Florida 560 (possibly 740 or 960, a sister station iirc). We might not have real sports fans, but we have great sports radio.

Maybe only guest appearances.

 

[calamity]

OK, so I knew Craig and MJ weren't seeing eye to eye. After all, if you imply Mike is an Uncle Tom, you can expect bad things to happen with your relationship. But, Charles?

Charles Barkley doesn't see longtime rift with Michael Jordan ending

I did not know Michael held a grudge just because Charles called it like it was.

"The thing that bothered me the most about that whole thing, I don't think that I said anything that bad," Barkley said. "I'm pretty sure I said, 'As much as I love Michael, until he stops hiring them kiss-asses, and his best friends, he's never going to be successful as a general manager.' And I remember pretty much verbatim I said that. And the thing that really pissed me off about it later is Phil Jackson said the exact same thing."

 

[bluesmoke]

Look up Paul Robeson. He was not an athlete. He was a stage and screen actor with a great operatic bass voice. "Ol Man River... that Ol Man River.... he keeps on Rollin a long. Showboat was the musical. He was the black star who had joined the communist party and was blacklisted.

You look him up. I've been familiar with the life of Paul Robeson for many yrs. He was a star athlete before his singing and acting career.

 

[bluesmoke]

IMO, things have changed for the worse. Political activism in sports has been Kaepernized...or maybe we should say Hodgesized.

It could not have been "Kaepernized" without the help of those who responded as they did.

 

[calamity]

It could not have been "Kaepernized" without the help of those who responded as they did.

I saw it in music long before it became apparent in sports. What we have now is corporatization trumping activism. Sure, there are genres like Rap which still speak out against the powers that be, but for the most part everyone has become Brittany Spears. Can't be pissing off the paying customers.

In some ways that makes sense. But, it does change the game.

 

[bluesmoke]

I saw it in music long before it became apparent in sports. What we have now is corporatization trumping activism. Sure, there are genres like Rap which still speak out against the powers that be, but for the most part everyone has become Brittany Spears. Can't be pissing off the paying customers.

In some ways that makes sense. But, it does change the game.

Yup. Of course, the powers that be aren't watching rap concerts. They are watching and have an economic interest in sports.

 

[Tigerace117]

You look him up. I've been familiar with the life of Paul Robeson for many yrs. He was a star athlete before his singing and acting career.

...and again, he defended Stalin’s Soviet Union whole heartedly.

 

[bluesmoke]

.....Paul Robeson defended the USSR for decades, to the point of talking about Stalin’s “deep humanity” and “wise understanding.”

“ Robeson is often criticized for continuing to support the Soviet Union after he became aware (according to his son Paul Robeson, Jr.) of state sponsored intimidation and murder of Jews.[28] Robeson would state continually in speeches and essays that having experienced firsthand for himself during the 1930s a climate in Russia that he perceived as free from racial prejudice, he saw no western country or superpower actively attempt any comparable commitment. Robeson thus refused any pressure to publicly censure the Soviet experiment.[28”

“ In 1952, Robeson was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. In April 1953, shortly after Joseph Stalin's death he wrote a eulogy entitled To You Beloved Comrade,[31] in the New World Review, in which he praised Stalin's "deep humanity," "wise understanding," and dedication to peaceful co-existence with all peoples of the world calling him "wise and good." He also praised Stalin as a man that the world was fortunate to have for daily guidance: "Through his [Stalin's] deep humanity, by his wise understanding, he leaves us a rich and monumental heritage."[32]”

Political views of Paul Robeson - Wikipedia

His claims that there wasn’t racial prejudice in Soviet Russia were particularly silly, as any of the African students who were invited to study there could tell you.

Nothing you say changes the truth of Robeson's fight against racism in America. Are you saying the HUAC was right in doing what they did because of a person's politics?

BTW, Jackie Robinson spoke not a word in defense of Robeson. He did not like the man.

 

[Tigerace117]

Nothing you say changes the truth of Robeson's fight against racism in America. Are you saying the HUAC was right in doing what they did because of a person's politics?

BTW, Jackie Robinson spoke not a word in defense of Robeson. He did not like the man.

Being an apologist for Stalin, despite knowing the sort of atrocities being committed in the USSR, is despicable.

There’s no way around it.

In a case of a stopped clock being right twice a day, HUAC did indeed find an anti American.

All Robeson did was make it easy for the white supremacist assholes to scream about how civil rights was a “red plot”.

 

[bluesmoke]

...and again, he defended Stalin’s Soviet Union whole heartedly.

So what? That makes it OK to practice racism against somebody? Because they're communist? Jackie Robinson did not say a single word in defense of Robeson. He did not like Robeson.

 

[calamity]

So what? That makes it OK to practice racism against somebody? Because they're communist? Jackie Robinson did not say a single word in defense of Robeson. He did not like Robeson.

Often the bull**** spewing of "Communist!" is really just a cloak by which to rant racist views. Hitler was good at it. Ask any one of the 6 million dead Jews.

 

[bluesmoke]

Being an apologist for Stalin, despite knowing the sort of atrocities being committed in the USSR, is despicable.

There’s no way around it.

In a case of a stopped clock being right twice a day, HUAC did indeed find an anti American.

All Robeson did was make it easy for the white supremacist assholes to scream about how civil rights was a “red plot”.

What did Robeson do that was illegal?

 

[calamity]

What did Robeson do that was illegal?

Apparently, for some, free speech is conditional. Far Right whites advocating for the overthrow of the US government is A-OK. Blacks complaining about police brutality or the inherent unfairness of the systemic racism built into our capitalist system not so much.

 

[Tigerace117]

So what? That makes it OK to practice racism against somebody? Because they're communist? Jackie Robinson did not say a single word in defense of Robeson. He did not like Robeson.

“So what”? Stalin murdered millions upon millions of innocent people. Robeson knew about it and still defended him. That’s despicable.

 

[Tigerace117]

What did Robeson do that was illegal?

Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.

Would you give the same slack to somebody who unapologetically defended Adolf Hitler?

 

[Tigerace117]

Often the bull**** spewing of "Communist!" is really just a cloak by which to rant racist views. Hitler was good at it. Ask any one of the 6 million dead Jews.

“Robeson is often criticized for continuing to support the Soviet Union after he became aware (according to his son Paul Robeson, Jr.) of state sponsored intimidation and murder of Jews.[28] Robeson would state continually in speeches and essays that having experienced firsthand for himself during the 1930s a climate in Russia that he perceived as free from racial prejudice, he saw no western country or superpower actively attempt any comparable commitment. Robeson thus refused any pressure to publicly censure the Soviet experiment.[28”

“ In 1952, Robeson was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize. In April 1953, shortly after Joseph Stalin's death he wrote a eulogy entitled To You Beloved Comrade,[31] in the New World Review, in which he praised Stalin's "deep humanity," "wise understanding," and dedication to peaceful co-existence with all peoples of the world calling him "wise and good." He also praised Stalin as a man that the world was fortunate to have for daily guidance: "Through his [Stalin's] deep humanity, by his wise understanding, he leaves us a rich and monumental heritage."[32]”

From previous source.

 

[calamity]

“So what”? Stalin murdered millions upon millions of innocent people. Robeson knew about it and still defended him. That’s despicable.

The truth about Stalin was not really made clear until the 80's. You are aware of that, correct?

 

[calamity]

Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.

Would you give the same slack to somebody who unapologetically defended Adolf Hitler?

Henry Ford. Do you see him reviled?