It may be just days before the country goes to war with Iraq.
Some are supporting the possible military action of the United States government, while others are against the plan. One of the loudest protesters of war is a 21-year-old Division III basketball player at Manhattanville College named Toni Smith.
During the national anthem, Smith turns 90 degrees away from the flag. In other words, she is aligned perpendicular to her teammates while they are looking straight at the stars and stripes.
“For some time now, the inequalities that are embedded into the American system have bothered me,” Smith told the Associated Press. “As they are becoming progressively worse and it is clear that the government’s priorities are not on bettering the quality of life for all of its people, but rather on expanding its own power, I cannot, in good conscience, salute the flag.”
Her story has been showcased on ESPN and many other major news outlets. Geno Auriemma, head coach of Division One’s No. 1 team, the University of Connecticut, said he disagrees with her protest.
In an article by the Hartford Courant, Auriemma said he even might consider kicking Smith off the team if he was her coach.
“We’ve given people the right to disrespect what this country stands for,” Auriemma told The Courant. “The flag is a symbol of what we stand for. Anybody who does (what Smith has done), they have the right to do it, but to me it’s disrespectful and, as a coach, I would have that right not to have that person on the team. Then they can sue me and say, `You’re denying me my rights.'”
LSU women’s basketball head coach Sue Gunter said while she would not resort to kicking Smith off her team, she would have difficulty with the motives of her protesting the flag.
“That’s America,” Gunter said. “Everybody’s got a right to stand up and protest their feelings about something, but I’m not sure the basketball court is the platform one should use because then it appears that you are using your teammates, your team and your university to showcase your agenda. I have a little problem with that.”
Gunter said one must wonder if Smith’s actions are a publicity stunt, if that is indeed Smith’s intent. However, Gunter said the actions come off as selfish in what is supposed to be a team sport.
“I can’t just say I would kick her off the team,” Gunter said. “If you did that then you would have all kinds of legalities to deal with. If it happened to me, I would just have to find some way to deal with it. I have no respect for that. I think if she wants to go up in the Quad or go on a street corner, fine, but I think she’s putting her feelings above her teammates and above her university’s.”
Freshman forward and SEC Freshman of the Year Seimone Augustus saw Smith’s story on ESPN. She said free speech is a right you are given as a citizen of this country.
“Everybody has their own right to their opinion,” Augustus said. “If she feels that she is against the war and things like that, you can’t tell her to not be against the war if that’s how she feels. That’s her decision; I wouldn’t try to change her mind. That’s part of free speech.”
While she admits she does not know much about the situation, point guard Temeka Johnson has her own thoughts on Smith’s stance.
“I think I would have to know her as a person and know her beliefs and try and understand where she is coming from,” Johnson said.
Despite the support of her coach and the president of Manhattanville College, a survey sponsored by ESPN showed of the 601 people surveyed, 78 percent did not support Smith.