by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

ALAMEDA–On Sunday when some of the St.Louis Rams players came out of the tunnel just before their game against the Oakland Raiders (both teams by the way played in Los Angeles once upon a time) with their hands up in the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture. The St.Louis Police have asked the Rams and the NFL to do something about a gesture they find offensive to the department.

The NFL made it clear that they are staying out of the fray and have stated that the league has taken an apolitical approach to the demonstration by the Rams players, “we wanted to show that we are organized for a great cause and something positive comes out of it. That’s what we hope to make happen. That’s our community, we wanted to let our community know that we support the community” said wide receiver Kenny Britt.

Most of the players were not there when the demonstrations were happening in Ferguson and when Mike Brown was shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson not indicted. This was in the community and we may not like what happened and what decided by the grand jury and I can understand that but were country of laws and there a lot of laws that I don’t like and agree with.

Just because I don’t like those laws doesn’t mean I have to break them and most of these demonstrators are people of good faith that are demonstrating. I’m old enough to remember the 60s, when you throw a brick through a convenience store and you stole from that store in the demonstration that has nothing to do with that kid that was shot.

I can see the players and the Olympic athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith in 1968 in Mexico City having their say with raised fists. I like to keep sports away from politics but it’s part of the world and the Rams are professional athletes and if I can be a little sarcastic the Rams and the Raiders are not the best two football teams in the World.

This game unintentionally got a lot of attention on two fronts for the “hands up don’t shoot” gesture by the Rams players and for the Raiders worst loss in 53 years losing 52-0. The Rams are not great shakes either. The only thing that came out of that game was what the Rams players did in their own way of demonstrating.

The thing the Raiders couldn’t do was pass the ball into the end zone, so it’s just ridiculous but that’s part of the world we live in today. The players are citizens they have their rights to demonstrate. I don’t like to see it at a football game but they have the right and there is a lot of stuff I don’t like but were a free country. As long as you don’t hurt anybody you can demonstrate until the cows come home.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary several times a week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com