When you live as long as l have, you will, from time to time, see something you can’t believe or even remotely understand.
For the record, l’m not talking about Indiana University’s improbable run to win the College Football Playoff Championship, but rather the blatant disregard of Martin Luther King Jr. on the day we pause as a nation to honor his accomplishments and legacy.
I guess it was a no-brainer type assumption on my part that the Championship Game Organizing Committee knew what day the game was being played on and would honor the legendary man accordingly with a segment dedicated to both King and his family, in a manner that would be fitting for the greatest Civil Rights activist in U.S. history.
The real question is how this could have happened, and please allow me the opportunity to share my opinion with you.
It was because no one cared enough to pay tribute to this great man by simply including a few minutes of his incredible accomplishments in the scripted pregame prompt and pageantry that occurs before every marquee sporting event.
Think about it, showcasing that on national television should’ve been a natural occurrence, one that goes hand in hand with the respect that both King and his family deserved for the vast contributions he made to society.
Then again, l’m really not surprised, nor should you be, considering the focus is on the gigantic amounts of money from corporate sponsorship. It’s obviously more important to show the signage and logos of those who finance it all over and over until we remember the name of the little celebrity duck who’s peddling health insurance.
Sadly, no one is talking about this, as after all, it was a competitive, entertaining football game, and that is more important than paying tribute to a man who impacted all our lives in a profound and dynamic manner.
I’m of the opinion that a 20-second blurb coming back from a commercial was not nearly enough and falls dramatically short of what King deserved.
It’s bad enough that the game was played on the exact date that we have dedicated to his memory, thereby providing Americans with yet another frivolous excuse to concentrate on sports and overlook the sacrifices he made so others wouldn’t have to make compromises. That’s the world we live in, and not the one King waged battle in for equality.
Many feel the excitement of crowning a new National College Football Champion was indeed the focal point, and, while I congratulate both universities that participated, I couldn’t disagree more. It was totally wrong not to honor King in a spectacular fashion, and l’m still wondering why America didn’t care enough to insist upon it.
Danny Bridges, who still can remember his mother crying the day Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
