Graham: Trump hit for ‘sportswashing’ at NFL game
In a recent article, Washington Post columnist Barry Svrluga criticized former President Donald Trump’s presence at a Washington Commanders game, labeling it as “sportswashing.” Following the Commanders’ defeat by the Detroit Lions, Svrluga argued that Trump’s appearance in the luxury box, alongside team owner Josh Harris, served as a distraction from pressing issues, particularly the ongoing government shutdown that left many in Washington, D.C., struggling. He emphasized that Trump’s attendance at the game was emblematic of his presidency, suggesting that it was an attempt to divert attention from significant societal problems, including the fallout from the Black Lives Matter movement and police reform discussions.
Svrluga’s critique extended to the broader implications of Trump’s relationship with American sports, particularly in the context of the NFL. He lamented that many had seemingly forgotten Trump’s controversial stance during the 2020 protests, where players kneeled during the national anthem to highlight social injustices. This sentiment was echoed by Michael Rosenberg from Sports Illustrated, who noted that while Trump may still have the support of some NFL owners, the league itself appears to be distancing itself from him. Rosenberg highlighted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s commitment to diversity within the league, contrasting it with Trump’s divisive rhetoric.
The article raises questions about the intersection of politics and sports, particularly how public figures leverage sporting events for political gain. While Svrluga and Rosenberg criticize Trump’s motives, the discourse also reflects a broader pattern of partisan interpretations of public figures’ actions in sports. If a Democrat were to engage in similar activities, the narrative might be framed more favorably, illustrating the inherent bias that can color media coverage. Ultimately, this situation underscores the complexities of how sports can serve as a backdrop for political commentary and the differing perspectives that emerge from it.
Even the sports pages can be a platform for anti-Trump editorializing. After the Washington Commanders were drubbed by the Detroit Lions, the front page of The Washington Post sports section carried a piece by columnist Barry Svrluga trashing Trump’s appearance at the game, and in the Fox broadcast booth. He called it “sportswashing.”
“What played out Sunday was a microcosm of Trump’s presidency and his relationship with American sport. It’s sportswashing, using these games to distract from the important matters of our times,” he wrote. There was “something rich about Trump sitting and smiling in the box of Commanders owner Josh Harris and his partners … while the District and so many of its citizens struggled with the shutdown.”
This Democrat rag can’t acknowledge that the shutdown was created and dragged out by recalcitrant Democrats. They aren’t factored into the plight of those struggling D.C. denizens. Who was holding out, keeping them from getting their food stamps and paychecks?
Svrluga was angry that people had forgotten how Trump was on the wrong side of the culture war in 2020 when NFL players knelt in protest during the National Anthem against “social injustices” like police brutality. Liberals still can’t imagine that many NFL fans didn’t appreciate what felt like a double-middle-finger salute to the flag, or that many didn’t like quarterback Colin Kaepernick wearing pig socks to mock the cops.
Riots and murders after George Floyd’s death in police custody were blended into a “reckoning” by Svrluga: “Five years after the country endured what was framed in the moment as a racial reckoning — in which police practices were questioned, scrutinized and in some cases overhauled — the city that the Commanders represent is being monitored by National Guard soldiers, the American military overseeing American citizens at Trump’s behest.”
Somehow, this columnist can’t abide the president noticing that the nation’s capital has long had a violent-crime problem.
He wasn’t alone. Michael Rosenberg at Sports Illustrated proclaimed, “Trump can’t quit the NFL, but the NFL has quit him.” Really? “Yes, most owners will still support him, as most billionaires do. But the NFL itself is providing a blueprint for how to tussle with the President: Don’t.”
Rosenberg gushed over how NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not dismiss his chief diversity officer Jonathan Beane.
Trump has visited a pile of recent sporting events, including the Yankees game on Sept. 11, the U.S. Open men’s final, and the Ryder Cup golf competition.
Surely, this round might please sports fans, showing Trump enjoys what they enjoy. If a Democrat attended all these things, Svrluga and Rosenberg would probably adore it as deftly displaying a common touch. It wouldn’t be “sportswashing” bad news. Everything magically ends up as good news in the Preferred Party.
Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org.
