Carlos Delgado's Quiet Protest

Sometimes the quietest among us are the most courageous. . .

--ryan


TheStar.com - Delgado's quiet protest

Jul. 23, 2004. 01:00 AM



Blue Jays superstar Carlos Delgado is thinking about much more than baseball these days.

Dogged by rumours about his future with the struggling team, Delgado has also made headlines for his silent and, until recently, little noticed protest against the Iraq war.

The Puerto Rico native told the Star this month that as part of his personal protest, he does not stand outside the dugout when "God Bless America" is played in stadiums. The patriotic song has been played during seventh-inning stretches at some ballparks since the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I don't believe in the war," he said. "It's a very terrible thing that happened on Sept. 11. It's (also) a terrible thing that happened in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Delgado makes his protest quietly, and is not outwardly disrespectful of the U.S., its citizens or its national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," which is sung before games.

Other athletes have paid a price for criticizing U.S. foreign policy. Muhammad Ali lost his heavyweight title after refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, and Canadian basketball star Steve Nash was denounced last year for speaking out on the Iraq issue.

Taking a political stand requires some courage. Whether one agrees or not with Delgado's views, he deserves credit for risking his personal popularity to support his beliefs. It's a refreshing change from the pap that we so often hear from multi-millionaire athletes.