Should college and pro athletes stay out of the political fray?

It doesn’t happen much in college athletics, but professional athletes are speaking up in this turbulent political climate. Colin Kaepernick began a furor last summer when he refused to stand up for the national anthem in the preseason, and his stand against black oppression swirled around the NFL for most of the regular schedule.

Now, Dexter Fowler, who moved from the World Series champ Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals, is speaking out against President Trump’s proposed travel ban and getting push back from fans who think he should just play baseball. Fowler’s wife is Iranian, and he called the travel ban “unfortunate” because it could affect his family. Fowler says the Cardinals own his contract but they do not own him, and this is not about politics but about his personal well-being.

Teams and leagues are certainly reacting to the social climate when HB2 and other so-called “bathroom bills” are powerful enough to move events out of one state to another. So why shouldn’t athletes share their opinions, as many are doing when laws hit close to home? The travel ban resonates in college athletics, too.
Iowa basketball star Peter Jok is one collegian who spoke up about it. Jok, a Sudanese refugee whose family settled in Des Moines when he was a boy, has said publicly that Trump’s ban had made his cousins from Sudan feel so uncomfortable they are afraid to come see him play despite their dual citizenship. The reactions were mixed from alumni and fans, some of whom said Jok should stay quiet.

Jok was not speaking out against his adopted country, just one policy that affects his family and, by extension, him. Does he have the right to go public or should he respect the wishes of a university that gave him a scholarship to play basketball?

How does this really differ from a Northwestern football team that tried to unionize and sue the NCAA, a case it lost by the way. As long as America is a free country with a First Amendment, isn’t everyone in and out of the spotlight entitled to his or her opinion and accept any public flak they may receive over social media?