The Hall's call

Bull Durham flap offers chance to clarify First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The above is the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a concept that people in the sports world -- and outside of it, for that matter -- seem to find harder to grasp than the infield fly rule. The latest misinterpretation has arisen from the baseball Hall of Fame's flap with Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, who co-starred in the classic baseball film Bull Durham. The actors were scheduled to appear in Cooperstown at a 15th-anniversary celebration of film, but Hall president Dale Petroskey canceled the event because of public statements Robbins and Sarandon made against the war in Iraq.

Petroskey's move was arrogant and heavy-handed (he has since admitted he should have called the actors to discuss the issue before calling off the celebration) but it was not, as has been suggested, censorship or a trampling of the couple's First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The amendment, as you can see, prohibits government interference with our right to speak freely. It says nothing about the consequences that can follow on a personal, private level from the exercise of that right.

The First Amendment has been misconstrued to mean that anyone can say anything at any time without fear of any negative repercussions, but that's not the case. With very few exceptions, Americans are free to say whatever we want, but we also have to accept that what we say may very well affect the way others react to us. Robbins and Sarandon, for instance, have no inherent right to be honored by the Hall of Fame; it was a courtesy that was extended to them, a privilege. Petroskey, as a representative of the Hall, was entitled to withdraw their invitation based on statements they have made. That doesn't mean he was right, only that he had the right.

Petroskey wasn't keeping the actors from expressing their opinions about the war or any other topic. He was simply refusing to provide them a forum, his forum. You may have the right to speak out in favor of anything from the overthrow of the government to the outlawing of domed stadiums, but I don't have to let you do it from my living room.

Petroskey's actions would be easier to accept if Robbins and Sarandon had expressed more widely unpopular views. If they were going around the country with "John Rocker for President" buttons, for example, there would be far less outrage over the Hall closing its doors to them, but the principle would be no different.

Now, was Petroskey's decision in keeping with the spirit of the Constitution in general and the First Amendment in particular? That's where his critics have an argument. No one wants a country in which people have privileges taken away -- even trivial ones such as an appearance at the Hall of Fame -- because of their political beliefs. But there are ways to deal with reactionary moves like Petroskey's without stretching the First Amendment to reach things it wasn't meant to cover.

Noted author Roger Kahn canceled an August speaking appearance at the Hall as a protest over Petroskey's snubbing of Robbins and Sarandon, and Petroskey, a former assistant speechwriter in the Reagan administration, has reportedly been inundated with complaints about the politicizing of the Hall of Fame. It's safe to assume that Petroskey now understands that it is not in the best interest of the Hall to pick and choose honorees on the basis of their political beliefs or statements. That's what happens when ideas bump up against each other. Usually the one that's most in keeping with the values this country was based upon is the one that wins. That -- not turning the Hall of Fame into a political football, and not complaining about the loss of First Amendment freedoms that never existed -- is the American way.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor writes about a Hot Button issue every Monday on SI.com.

 

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