Trotter: The Iowa-Iowa State game is more political than usual on a day that defines hypocrisy

In the spring of 2018, NFL owners gathered at a fancy hotel in Atlanta for their annual meeting. Among the items on the agenda was a proposal to change the national anthem policy, which had been put to the test after successive player protests during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Demonstrations had dwindled significantly since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee to protest police brutality against people of color. But that wasn’t enough for owners, who believed it was bad for business with then-President Donald Trump leading an attack on the league and its players for their silent protests.

“We can’t let him weaponize our game,” Mark Murphy, president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, told me at the time.

The owners then approved a change that changed the policy from “Players are encouraged, but not required, to stand during the playing of the national anthem” to “All league and team employees must stand and show respect for the flag and anthem.” ” was changed.

The amendment, which also said staff could remain in the locker room until the end of the anthem if they did not want to stand, was seen as a victory for the “Stay in Sport” crowd, who repeatedly and loudly told us that they political or social problems interrupt the escape from the everyday world.

And yet on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, the leader of the stick-to-sports movement was among the Republican presidential candidates who attended the Iowa-Iowa State football game and tried to win votes for the 2024 election. It was just another example of the inherent hypocrisy when discussing politics and sports. If the presence of politics displeases those who share Trump’s beliefs, isn’t it interesting that their concerned voices don’t have the same volume and reach that typically accompany player demonstrations?

Could it be an example of confirmation bias, where we are willing to accept and tolerate the things we like?

My colleague Scott Dochterman, who covered the game, spoke to fans outside Jack Trice Stadium. One of them was Brett Johnson, 51, an Ames resident who attended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tailgate.

“We have a unique opportunity in Iowa,” Johnson said. “We can see these guys. That’s why I definitely want to get involved in this presidential cycle because we need a new candidate there because things didn’t go well.”

At least four other candidates were in attendance: Trump, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

For me, discussing sports and politics is as tiring as it is unnecessary. Politics has always been a part of sport, even if some refused to acknowledge it. Race, gender and economics are also inextricably linked to sports. Think Jesse Owens, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King, John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Venus Williams and Kathrine Switzer, to name just a few examples. Or Title IX, the Rooney Rule and equal pay for equal play. Or public funding for private stadiums.

They have always been there and will continue to be there. What’s interesting to me is that the idea that sport is a microcosm of life is now being replaced by the idea that life is a microcosm of sport. It’s a subtle but significant difference.

Lawmakers used to focus on the common good and treated compromise as something to be celebrated rather than abhorred. However, these days there has to be a winner and a loser. Selflessness has been replaced by selfishness, with the needs of one outweighing the needs of the many.

This brings me back to Ames and a day that is the definition of hypocrisy. The two leading candidates, Trump and DeSantis, have at times railed against players who bring social issues into sports, and yet they have no shame when they try to exploit a sporting event for personal and political gain.

Regrettably, state officials have chosen to tolerate the potential divisiveness of the candidates’ welcome, when a more effective gesture would have been to keep the focus on the game. Instead of taking the politics outside the stadium, DeSantis is the guest of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Trump had a suite due to his stature as a former president.

It’s likely that neither has any real interest in the game. It would shock me if any of the coaches or starting quarterbacks could identify without first knowing who they are. But political protocol is to beat the flesh and kiss the babies. And you’re attending one of the state’s biggest sporting events ahead of the country’s first round of nomination voting, even if it highlights the contradiction.

While others may not be willing to accept a sports world overshadowed by politics, I remain neutral on it because it has always been there and only seems to be increasing its influence. We’ve seen boycotts of the Olympics, the NFL moved a Super Bowl from Arizona because it refused to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday, and Major League Baseball pulled its All-Star Game because of a restrictive one new vote from Atlanta becomes law. More recently, foreign governments like Saudi Arabia are buying into leagues and teams.

Days like these are small annoyances that we have to live with, and fortunately some members of the younger generation approach them with the right perspective. Dochterman tells the story of a teenager and his father who attended DeSantis’ tailgate, where perhaps 100 supporters held signs and chanted, “We want Ron!”

The father turned to his son and said, “Isaac, are you going to say hello?” The son turned and said, “No, I’m going to get water.”

— Scott Dochterman of The Athletic contributed to this report.

(Former President Donald Trump holds up a hamburger during a tailgating event before the Iowa-Iowa State game: Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)