LeRoy Butler

Special to the Journal Sentinel

Editor's Note: LeRoy Butler, who originated the Lambeau Leap and was a four-time All-Pro safety in the NFL, played for the Green Bay Packers from 1990-2001. He wrote thisessay for the Journal Sentinel.

It’s Game Day. Packers, Bucks, Brewers, or some maybe other town and team; it doesn’t matter. Maybe you just spent a few hours in the parking lot, before starting time, grilling burgers and playing catch with a few other fans. You crowd your way through the gate and get your ticket scanned. You find your seat and settle in with a mass of cheering fans all around you. You drink your beer or soda and munch on something from the stadium concessions. You scream like crazy when the home team scores, or when someone makes a great play. You slap high-fives with everyone around you when something good happens. You boo together when the official makes a bad call. And when the game’s over and your team has been victorious, you hoot and holler at each other all the way to the parking lot.

Here’s the thing: Maybe that guy in front of you in line is a Republican, and you’re a Democrat. Maybe that woman sitting next to you is Christian or Jewish, and you’re Muslim. Maybe the fan in front of you is White or Hispanic, and you’re Black. Maybe anywhere else than at that game, you and anyone around you might be all but blood enemies. Yet here at the game, you’re all in it together. You’re on the same team. You don’t pick and choose the people to celebrate with, and you don’t care what color skin the player has when he scores. It just. Doesn’t. Matter.

There are so many reasons to love sports, but maybe the best reason of all is that sports bring us together like that. Whatever differences there may be between us in our day-to-day lives, they become irrelevant when the game starts, and beliefs that might have us at each other’s throats any other day simply cease to be so awfully important for three or four hours.

So I ask myself, when I think about this, “How can America take this example off the field?” How can we take our team solidarity with us when we leave the stadium, and let it guide us through our daily disagreements? We’re all God’s kids, and I think He wants us to play nicely together on this playground called Earth, and not hurt one another. I’m not sure how to capture and keep that team spirit alive in the hearts of my fellow Americans, but I do know this: Sports show the way.

Does anyone even think about what color LeBron James’ skin is? Does anyone care who Aaron Rodgers is going to vote for in November? Does anyone know what religion I am? As sports fans, we’re all part of the team, and being part of a team gives us a sense of pride and comfort and togetherness. It takes away fear, it takes away prejudice, it takes away isolation and loneliness. It takes away hate.

As Americans, we’re all on the same team. There should be no “sides” between the police and the public; they all need air to breathe, love their children, want to live in peace, and cheer for the Green & Gold (etc.) on Sundays. There should be no hate between Republicans and Democrats; they all love their country, believe in freedom, and want the country to be the best it can be. When people gather together on Game Day, the only colors that matter are those of the team jerseys; there’s no reason why we can’t feel the same the rest of the week.

I’m not naïve. I don’t expect sports to be the cure. But let sports be the lesson. When Giannis Antetokounmpo nails a three-pointer and you fist bump the stranger next to you, remember how nice it feels to experience a moment of simple shared pleasure with someone you’ve never met. When Ryan Braun parks one in the cheap seats and you dance a little jig with your entire row, hold onto that feeling of togetherness that doesn’t require approval of who they are. When Jordy Nelson performs a little move I once came up with, and Robert Brooks made famous, called the Lambeau Leap, watch how everyone around him joyfully gathers him into their arms, together, in pure elation.

Every day, all around you, there are reasons to root for a team win. Political rivals can put country first, and cooperate on issues that everybody agrees on. Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and all other people of faith can agree that God is Love, and love demands forgiveness and respect. Together, the police and Black Lives Matter people can strive as one to make sure no one dies. Heck, just getting to and from work requires cooperation with hundreds of strangers, so we can all return home safely to our loved ones.

On and off the field, team spirit brings us together. As a professional athlete, I obviously see the world through the prism of sports, but I no longer suit up on Sundays, and still the things I learned from sports stay with me. You don’t have to be a pro to learn what I’ve learned, though. If you’re a fan, or even if you’re not, you can see tens of thousands of people coming together as one every time you see a game, and you know they are not all one color, one religion, one political party, or one anything else but one team.

Think about it. And let's get it together.