MORE: Cincinnati prep football players raise fists in protest during anthem
The Ohio High School Athletic Association last week issued a statement to officials of athletic contests directing them not to pass judgment on players, coaches or teams that adopt Kaepernick's silent protest during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner.
That was a proactive move by the OHSAA to diffuse potential confrontations between officials and those who kneel, raise two arms to simulate “don’t shoot” or clinch a raised fist to acknowledge the Black Lives Matter movement during the pregame tradition.
“We had one official who asked us if they could throw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct to start the game,” OHSAA director of media relations Tim Stried said. “We were getting questions like that.”
No other single event has moved an entire nation’s collective conscience quite like Kaepernick’s did on Aug. 26. In less than 90 seconds, he turned an otherwise meaningless preseason NFL game against the Green Bay Packers into a polarizing historic moment that transcends sports.
The OHSAA mandate said, in part: “It is not within the purview of officials to make judgments on personal, social, or political opinions of any player or coach. It is neither proper nor warranted for officials to express their pleasure or displeasure with how players act during the national anthem.”
That became an issue when an Ohio soccer official, who also was a military veteran, threatened to leave a contest rather than work a game because all players weren’t at attention during the anthem. Other officials sought guidance by the OHSAA on how to react to pregame protests.
The topic has made headlines locally, with players at Withrow High School, a predominantly black school, raising their right fists before a recent game. A few uniformed players and injured players took a knee, and three or four players appeared to not participate in the protest.
But Butler County athletic directors and football coaches said they haven’t seen protests like what was experienced at the Cincinnati high school.
Lance Engleka, first-year head coach at Middletown High School, said the “blue collar community” is home to many veterans and the district supports numerous veteran programs.
None of his football players, many African-Americans, have “expressed any desire” to protest during the national anthem, either by kneeling or placing their right fist in the air, he told the Journal-News.
If a player indicated they wanted to protest, he said the student would be asked to talk to him and school administrators, not to discourage them, but to figure out their motives.
Everyone, regardless of whether they’re high school athletes, has the “right to express themselves” as long as their actions aren’t violent or disrespectful, Dora Bronston, president of the Middletown chapter of the NAACP, told the Journal-News.
“It’s a good thing” that Americans are allowed to express themselves without consequences said Pastor Michael Bailey from Faith United Church in Middletown.
“I really believe in the free-thinking process where we don’t control a person’s thinking,” he said. “We are living in a time that allows themselves to express what they are feeling inside.”
These expressions can lead to discussions that can make people “feel uncomfortable,” he said, but they open a much-needed dialogue.
“It provides an opportunity to engage others,” Bailey said. “You never know some peoples’ stories.”
Fairfield High School’s Harden agreed.
“For us, I think more than anything, some good has come out of it,” he said. “It has given our coaches a chance to have discussions with the kids.”
He hopes those who protest are doing it “for all the right reasons and not to draw attention to themselves.”
Geoff Melzer, in his fourth year as athletic director at Badin High School, said young athletes tend to emulate what they see at the professional and collegiate levels.
Football players at Lakota Local Schools, the eighth-largest school district in the state, aren’t on the field during pre-game ceremonies, including the playing of the national anthem by the marching band, said Lauren Boettcher, spokeswoman for the district. She said the players are in the locker room.
If a player wanted to protest before a game, the district’s policy would mirror that of the classroom, she said. Protests are permitted as long as they’re performed in a “non-disruptive manner,” Boettcher said.
Staff Writer Marc Pendleton contributed to this report.
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