Much has happened over the last week.
Among the events was the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team earning their second consecutive world championship and fourth overall. And, Nike pulling their new sneakers with an image of the 13-starred Revolutionary War era United States Flag on them, off the market at the request of former NFL quarterback and Nike endorser Colin Kaepernick.
The accomplishment of the soccer team is something the team and everyone can, and should, be proud of. The accolades they are receiving are deserved for their competiveness and play on the field. The overemphasis of after-game and after-goal celebrations is just that – overemphasis. We see it in nearly every professional sport. If you think it improper, than you should think it so during after-touchdown antics in the end zone.
Individually, we don't know much about the personal lives of the players and coaches but we celebrate and congratulate the team on what they accomplished – not who they are. In the future, something may emerge that could put a dent in their armor – that's true of any of us. But it will never remove what they accomplished in this tournament. As it should be.
Kaepernick complained that the Revolutionary War era flag on the Independence Day themed Nike shoe was a symbol of the slave era. Nike pulled the sneaker from the market, offering the excuse that they did it because it featured an old version of the American flag.
Yes, slavery existed in many states before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. It took a Civil War to begin the process of ending slavery and move the United States away from the stain of discrimination – though, so many years later, there is still work to be done.
But, every Independence Day in the United States most people celebrate the beginning of a new country. We know that there were some slave owners who signed their name on the Declaration of Independence. On Independence Day we celebrate what they did – not who they were. The divisiveness in the United States today has caused hatred to blanket many when disgust and disapproval should be targeted to the truly deserving. Hatred, generalizations, and uninformed opinions generate hits on social media.
We should know that some of those signers were slave-owners, and we do acknowledge that and the stain that will always remain on that part of our history. But, that doesn't diminish what they did in 1776. Just like the soccer team, we celebrate what the team did – not who they may become in the future.
Bestowing accolades on someone for what they did today, before we know what they'll become tomorrow, is not wrong.
Looking into the past can be done, but who can see into the future and be certain of the outcome?