Sports and politics need a divorce

Sports and politics are a large part of American culture; I understand that, but I'm fed up with the marriage of the two. Wasn't there a time when we tuned into athletics to enjoy healthy competition, cheer for our favorite teams, and get away from the seriousness of life we're forced to confront every day? Not that we don't take our sports seriously. We do. But it's a different kind of serious.

Nowadays, we can't watch a sports contest or listen to sports analysts without being subjected to protests of White House invites, disinvites, and wouldn't-come-even if-President Trump-did-invites. It's ridiculous. It's to the point no one can discuss a series -- the NBA championship series, for example -- without someone decrying that he wouldn't watch those spoiled brats to save his life or blasting a fan with, "Why would you watch those players who dishonor President Trump?" Meanwhile, you're thinking, "I just want to watch the game!"

I do get it, though. In fact, no way was I going to cheer for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Why? Well, first, I don't cheer for any team LeBron James is on. As anyone who knows me knows, I'm straight-up #AnybodyButLeBron! I'm an unashamed, unapologetic, unrelenting LeBron "hatah." It's the source of many jokes and laughs. It's not personal. It's sports. And it is what it is. Second, I'm not happy that LeBron is using his platform to attack the president.

Then there's the Golden State Warriors, starting with Coach Steve Kerr, whom I loved along with the rest of the Chicago Bulls back in Michael Jordan's day. Kerr has taken to being a political commenter committed to giving his take on Trump, and some of his players have followed suit. So I really didn't want to root for Golden State, either. The team got my "support," however, because...well, #AnybodyButLeBron. Actually, they didn't get my support; they were just recipients of my anti-support -- of LeBron.

So I get it. I do.

But you see what I mean? Whereas it was all fun and games at one time -- my sentiment against one team and cheering-on of another -- it's become political. Player interviews are no longer just about what happened on the court or field or ice. They're about President Trump and the NFL. They're about kneeling during the national anthem. They're about who will attend the White House celebration if their team wins the series--even asking that question of an NBA player whose team was getting shellacked and went on to get swept in four consecutive games {{LeBron James and the Cavs cough, cough}}.

Why do I want to hear an NBA team's thoughts about the NFL? Why do I then want to hear the president or his adviser or his press secretary entertain questions about it -- about the Philadelphia Eagles? Why do I want to hear if LeBron's team, which was clearly not going to win the championship, will go to the White House if they did win? I don't -- and I dare say most don't. We want to watch the game. We want to talk smack about LeBron or talk about the marvel of Steph Curry's jump shot. In short, we want our sports back. Politics have a place, of course, and we want them to stay in their place. Sports have a place. Let them remain in their place.

And to add to the ridiculousness, hypocrisy rears its ugly head again. I actually saw sports reports (or were they political reports? I mean, who can tell which is which these days?) of outrage at the president's "disrespect for women," as evidenced by his not inviting the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx to the White House when they won the championship -- in October. It's taken more than eight months for folks to become faux-outraged at that perceived dis.

Now, I have no beef with being upset that the WNBA champions were not invited -- if that is, indeed, the case. I have a beef with these characters pretending they care. The same folks who won't even half-cover the WNBA all of a sudden care about the league and how its players are treated? Give me a break! I challenge them to name two players on the Lynx squad. One? Time's up, yet more than eight months after the team won its fourth title in seven years, it's, "Oh, my! They weren't invited. Mr. He's Not My President has no respect for women!" And the Emmy goes to...

I'm at the point I'm starting to wonder: should we just stop singing the anthem before games? Should no one be invited to the White House to celebrate a championship? Serious things are going down: Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, tariffs on the Chinese, employment at historic highs, the list goes on. So, honestly, when I'm focused on politics, I really don't want to hear a heated, agenda-riddled question posed to the president about the NFL's Eagles. And when I'm enjoying Stephen A. Smith's amazing sports talk on ESPN, I don't want to hear his take on a team's White House visit or see footage of an interview in which LeBron James or Kevin Durant discuss the same. Folks ruin everything!

So it's time that either sports or politics come home, looks the other square in the eyes, and says the words people have said for years: I want a divorce.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member. Contact her at aross@semissourian.com.