Truancy

I suppose there is a major difference between rebellious skipping for students who have not completed Grade 10 yet and excused absences such as Alex Ovechkin's decision to skip the all-star game and not face supplemental discipline consecutive to his existing three-game suspension, my students in the past four days, and Tim Thomas' Boston Tea Party-inspired decision to not meet President Barack Obama at the White House alongside the rest of his Stanley Cup-winning team. Although many people from Vancouver would've wanted to see this rendez-vous avoided altogether and preferred a festival beyond Trevor Linden with the author of a hockey history book, I must agree with Puck Daddy's opinion on this matter:

WASHINGTON -- While congratulating the Boston Bruins on their 2011 Stanley Cup championship, President Barack Obama did the obligatory spotlighting of key players in that run. Zdeno Chara got the height joke. Brad Marchand was chided for being the "Little Ball of Hate." Tim Thomas was celebrated for being only the second American player to win playoff MVP, having posted two shutouts in the Final. Chara smiled. Marchand blushed. Thomas wasn't there to hear it. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli confirmed that Thomas had told him months ago he would not attend the White House event due to his political and ideological differences with the Obama administration. Chiarelli said he had tried to convince Thomas to attend the event "over the last couple months" to no avail...

While his politics aren't common knowledge among many hockey fans, Thomas hasn't hidden his political leanings. He's a fan of former Fox News channel host Glenn Beck, once saying he aspired to appear on Beck's talk show as a guest. Big Government, a website founded by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, celebrated Thomas as a "true Tea Party patriot" for having "In God We Trust" and the Gadsden flag on his mask. From Big Government: In addition to displaying his support for the Tea Party on the ice, Thomas is a FreedomWorks donor, giving generously right before the historic November 2010 elections, according to the FEC...

My take: Good on Thomas. Good on Thomas for using this moment — where a professional sports team participates in what's both an honor for its accomplishments and a political photo opportunity — to make a political statement of his own. It's the moment when Thomas will no doubt lose a lot of supporters, for sure, when they realize an athlete they celebrate has stark political differences than they have. He's not the first nor the last athlete to choose not to visit the White House. It's a moment in which a professional athlete uses his fame, his influence for something he believes in, and does something that won't be popular among fans or media. Sean Avery did the same thing: Potentially alienating his teammates by taking a political stand on gay marriage. If he's celebrated and Thomas is demonized, what does that say about our real tolerance of free speech? That it's only free when we agree with it?

(And for the "separation of politics and hockey" crowd — that flies out the window when you agree to be a backdrop to a speech in an election year. Or any year.) There's a difference between freedom of speech and speech without consequence, of course. This is the moment when Tim Thomas, the most valuable player to his team last June, did something that detracted from his teammates' celebration. This is the moment when, for better or worse, he becomes something more than the blue-collar hockey player from Flint with the great backstory and the sterling save percentage. And as long as he's willing to accept that his absence from an event that even Tomas Kaberle attended has overshadowed this day and changed his profile as an athlete, then like Cam Neely I'll respect the decision.

I could rant about the politics of sports for a long time in light of many instances where politics can and should be necessary, but I won't. All I'll say is that while I respect Thomas' decision, I would visit politicians such as George W. Bush with almost as much enthusiasm as the "I VOTED FOR THE MAN!" Pat Riley, especially when invited to a relatively non-political function, for fun. I personally look beyond mere photographs and, even with newfound respect for heckling, enjoy building bridges with a diverse range of people rather than selectively listening and reinforcing whatever ideological beliefs that I may have. Class and dignity can be found in the ceaseless standing ovations from both parties at the State of the Union throne speech knockoff. I suppose I can rant about education for a long time, but I'd let Obama settle the issue of truancy for me:

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies – just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn. We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.