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byufan4everThis article is a really good read:
http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/mizzou-player-strike-raises-fascinating-questions-110815
Some great quotes:
Some great quotes:
The football team's protest is a natural outgrowth of social media trends on college campuses. These days it's very popular to protest things that everyone is already opposed to. ("Bro, your micro aggressions against my anti-slavery petition will not stand.") But the protest really takes off when you find a villain and charge him with the root cause of the issues at hand. Enter President Wolfe, an aloof middle-aged white man who is the perfect villain for a campus crusade against racism. Even if, you know, he isn't racist or involved in any of the actions on campus that people are protesting.
Because it's not a real bona fide campus protest unless someone gets fired. The mob needs a head to parade around. "You know how much we fought racism at Mizzou? We replaced one middle-aged white dude with another middle aged white dude.
Everyone's afraid of being called racist -- especially if you're a white male sportswriter, which is like 90% of all sportswriters in the country -- so the easiest thing to do is write a boilerplate column praising the courage of the players.
Look, if not playing football games cured racism, I'd be the first to say don't play football. But this is an absurd protest with absurd demands. The simple truth is this -- the sports media is overwhelmingly liberal white guys. It's easier to praise players than point out that this is the Kony of college football, a millennial-fueled uproar lacking in cogent goals or actionable claims.
The biggest issue is that this Mizzou story doesn't stand alone, it's just part of a larger campus narrative -- we live in a time when many students believe they have a right not to be offended. I disagree, completely. I think the entire purpose of college is to challenge your opinions and examine ideas and beliefs that you may find repugnant. After all, how can you be sure of your own beliefs if you haven't studied the beliefs of others? Also, and this may be shocking to some of you youngsters reading this, but -- TRIGGER WARNING -- sometimes people are going to say mean things to you in life. I know, I know, if you need a safe place to rest after reading that menacing sentence I'd suggest going elsewhere. Outkick will always represent the free speech wing of the free speech party.