Football and Politics

Football and politics collide. As a Seahawks fan I have this to say: Disliking Matt Hasselbeck and Mack Strong for their action, even criticizing them heavily for it, is fine. Harrassing them personally is not. There's a line. Free speech is important, but from the sounds of it, some of the anti-Bush crowd went over the line. That's wrong.

I loved Steve Largent as a player, but was horribly disappointed in his actions as a politician after he left the game. But at least Largent kept politics and football apart (mostly). Hasselbeck and Strong made a starkly political presentation to a traitor who was in town for no other reason than to raise money for a lackey. And they pulled the hometown team into the mud with them. For that, I really don't like either man anymore. But I would never harrass them personally. They are entitled to their opinions, just as I'm entitled to mine.

I just watched Shut Up and Sing last night. As the Dixie Chicks made clear, they had no problem with people not liking them for that single comment. What was wrong was the death threats, harrassment, and the way that people who were still fans weren't allowed to express their opinions at all. This is the same sort of situation. Hasselbeck and Strong are allowed to be stupid, but only a complete moron would harrass them for it.