You, Shut Up. You, Keep Talking.

Everything was fine until I started reading the sports’ section this morning.  That’s when I found myself going after fans while supporting an owner.  Really, strange times.

But, no matter how weird things are, you don’t get to pretend racists remarks aimed at a player are OK, because they’re not.  And you don’t get a pass for being cute or creative, like those four Blackhawks’ fans the other week who chanted “basketball” at the Capitals’ Devante Smith-Pelly, who’s black.  To their credit, the Hawks had the four ejected and then informed them they were banned from home games.  Good for the Hawks and the Cavaliers, too, who gave the heave-ho to a clown over the weekend for baiting guard Patty Mills of the Spurs.  Talk about dumb.  The guy couldn’t even figure out Mills is from Australia, not Jamaica.

The idea is for civility in public, folks; dumb down social norms and there goes the glue that binds us together as a society.  But was it free speech sanctioned by the First Amendment?  I’d argue it was intimidation, which qualifies as assault.  And when Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, opened up his mouth to oppose a contract extension for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or support suspended Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott?  That’s free speech.

Jones has, or should have, the right to express his opinion about how the NFL is operated; he should also have the right to voice support for one of his players, even if that player has been disciplined for violating league rules on personal behavior (in this case, domestic violence).  The NFL has dusted off a rule for collecting damages against an owner for filing suit against other owners.  But Jones didn’t do that; he just spoke his mind on issues of relevance concerning his business.  For that, the NFL wants to slap him with a $2 million fine.

Strange times, strange times.