In August, we chose to have Eagles defensive back Malcolm Jenkins on our cover.
I spoke with him briefly in person recently and found him to be an articulate and engaging young man. He was quite friendly to me, and seemed excited to be profiled in JerseyMan Magazine and PhillyMan Magazine.
We have taken great pride in not taking sides on political issues in our magazines. Although the ownership group has strong opinions, our business strategy was and is to remain neutral.
So when I received several angry voicemails and emails regarding Jenkins, it gave me pause for thought.
He appeared on the cover because he is a veteran of the Birds defense, and an entrepreneur with his own line of clothing.
Having him there was not an endorsement of his political views or his raised fist as the National Anthem is played at the Linc before each game.
As a matter of fact, I disagree with it. In my opinion, the workplace is not a place where political statements should be made. Jenkins, as we pointed out in our article, is very active in the community, and that, to me, is the correct forum for his statement—not the football field.
I guess my salient point is that with all our flaws, we are still the greatest country in the world. For just one minute during the playing of our anthem, can’t we all just be Americans and unite? Then we can go back and use our beloved freedoms of speech and expression that makes us so unique and special in the world.
Perhaps we can use this as an example on how to communicate and have a better understanding of the people we might disagree with, or who have a different upbringing or view of the world. I have respect for Jenkins as a football player, and admiration for anyone that starts a business.
And those were the sole reasons he was chosen to be on our previous cover.
GO EAGLES!
