You might think the sociopolitical landscape 50 years ago was a lot different than it is today, and, in part, you would be right.
I certainly think loving your country was a far more universally accepted sentiment around the time of the bicentennial than it is in the modern day.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t still stupid anti-American demonstrations taking place even back in 1976, and one example took place 50 years ago today at Dodger Stadium.
On April 25, 1976, as the Chicago Cubs were warming up on the field to start the bottom of the fourth inning, two protesters raced onto the field and set fire to an American flag.
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Not that it matters what their reasoning was, but it turns out the guy doing the flag burning was protesting his wife being put in a mental health facility (remember those?).
Regardless of the reason, one man had seen enough.
Cubs outfielder Rick Monday raced over between at-bats and snatched the flag from the protesters, handing it over to the Dodgers’ dugout.
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When Monday got up to bat the next inning, he was met with a standing ovation from the opposing crowd, as well as a message on the scoreboard that read, “RICK MONDAY… YOU MADE A GREAT PLAY!”
When asked about the reason why he stopped the flag burning, Monday replied, “If you’re going to burn the flag, don’t do it around me. I’ve been to too many veterans’ hospitals and seen too many broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it.”
What a patriot!
Monday won a World Series and was named to two All-Star teams, but this might be his most memorable accomplishment in the Majors.
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How refreshing is it to see an athlete who loves his country so much instead of the ones we have nowadays who can’t wait to bash the very soil that gave them every opportunity to succeed?
These days, when our athletes show even the slightest shred of patriotism — like our U.S. Men’s hockey team did — they get chastised and browbeaten into submission by fans and members of the media alike.
No wonder guys like Monday are a dying breed in pro sports.
For America’s 250th birthday, we should all try to be a little more like Rick Monday. A little patriotism can go a long way.
