Howard Bryant is an author and sports journalist who writes weekly columns for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, ESPN, and he appears regularly on ESPN Radio. He has most recently denigrated every police officer in the United States, as well as, their families and millions of hardworking, patriotic Americans by claiming in an article that he wrote that the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is "staged patriotism," and arguing that it signals an "authoritarian shift at the ballpark." "Why don’t more athletes speak out on behalf of their communities?" Bryant wrote, "Perhaps more of them would if there wasn’t a chilling force looming over them." and lamented “the smothering effect that staged patriotism and cops singing the national anthem in a time of Ferguson have on player expression.” "Nobody seems to care much about this authoritarian shift at the ballpark, yet the media and the public are quick to demand accountability from players they consider insufficiently activist. They blame these black players for not speaking up on behalf of their communities, ignoring the smothering effect that staged patriotism and cops singing the national anthem in a time of Ferguson have on player expression. It’s indirectly stifled, while the increasing police pageantry at games sends another clear message: The sentiments of the poor in Ferguson and Cleveland do not matter....While athletes are routinely criticized for “not doing more,” it is conveniently ignored how deeply their employers have mobilized against the most powerless elements of their fan base." Bryant claims. In June 2013 he uttered similar inciteful comments in “Sports and Patriotism”: "The ballpark, in the time of two murky wars and a constant threat of international and domestic terrorism, has been for the last dozen years a place for patriotism. The industry that once avoided the complex world now embraces it, serving as the chief staging ground for expressions of patriotism, and has codified it into game-day identity. A dynamic that was supposed to be temporary has become permanent. The atmospheres of the games are no longer politically neutral but decidedly, often uncomfortably, nationalistic. The military flyovers, the pre-game inclusion of the armed forces, and the addition of "God Bless America" to "The Star-Spangled Banner" are no longer spontaneous or reactions to a specific event, but fixtures." Additionally, in 2011 while under the employ of ESPN, Bryant was arrested for domestic abuse against his wife, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. Bryant claimed post arrest that racial factors played a part in his arrest. Charges were ultimately dropped in a plea deal whereby Bryant agreed to serve six months of pre-trial probation and recanted his intimation that race played a part in his arrest, also apologizing for that comment. While Howard Bryant has an absolute right to his opinion and an absolute first amendment right to speak said opinion, he is a sports analyst for ESPN, not a political commentator and ESPN is not the place to air his inflammatory and inciteful, racist views, especially since this is not the first time he has made them. It seems that Howard Bryant has a personal problem with authority, quite specifically the police, and quite frankly with race as well, as he continues to use his platform to spew his negative and divisive rhetoric rather than for sending a positive and healing message. ESPN Sports is not the place to further an inflammatory agenda and this was evidenced by their recent firing of sports commentator Curt Schilling for airing his views on his personal social media page regarding the transgender bathroom debate. The singing of the National Anthem is NOT staged patriotism and it is NOT racist. The majority of Americans are proud of their country and take great pride in the singing of their national anthem before sporting events, a tradition that has dated back as far as 1897. Howard Bryant is a malcontent and would rather impugn the integrity of this great country which has allowed him and millions of others to prosper than stand up and sing its praises. For ESPN to fire Curth Schilling, but to take no action equal to that regarding Howard Bryant could only demonstrate that ESPN has a double standard and condones Bryant's comments, having its own political agenda that it wishes to further. Therefore, we call on ESPN to speak out and take a stand against the divisive and inflammatory rhetoric made by Howard Bryant and terminate his employment, sending a clear cut message that this divisiveness will not be tolerated.