Black ESPN Columnist claims cops and military singing the national Anthem at sporting events is racist

ESPN Magazine columnist Howard Bryant most certainly does not approve of cops singing the anthem before pro sporting events.

The biweekly sports magazine comes with a bonus dose of dubious liberal piety from “The Truth” columnist, the mag’s moral authority/scold on social issues, especially what he sees as systemic American racism. His latest column in the June 6 issue, “The Unspoken Truth” (not online) is on a familiar topic: the scourge of “authoritarian” patriotism and militarism infecting the ballpark. The subhead: “Why don’t more athletes speak out on behalf of their communities? Perhaps more of them would if there wasn’t a chilling force looming over them.” A chilling force preventing multi-millionaires from speaking their minds?

Bryant summarized police brutality anecdotal evidence from Chicago, Baltimore, New York City and Cleveland before diving in.

"Policing is clearly one of the most divisive issues in the country – except in the sports arena, where the post-9/11 hero narrative has been so deeply embedded within its game-day fabric that policing is seen as clean, heroic, uncomplicated. Following the marketing strategy of the military, police advocacy organizations have partnered with teams from all four major leagues to host ‘Law Enforcement Appreciation’ nights, or similar events."