I’ve always been confused by the stick-to-sports dictate that some readers place on sportswriters. Is it that we’re supposed to write only about the games? Nothing else? Or is there more we’re allowed to address? Athletes’ interesting hobbies or pursuits? Off-field issues? Personal lives? Their opinions on topics that might have little to do with the sports they play? What’s OK and what’s off limits?
You can understand why a poor scribe might feel adrift.
The questions reached a boiling point several years ago when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, hoping to bring attention to social injustice, took a knee in protest during the national anthem.