I think we should stop asking professional teams to play dress up – – to don a hat or special jersey in support of a cause. Athletes and coaches should wear the uniform they’ve earned, not ones they haven’t.

In November, the month in which Veterans’ Day falls, the NFL swaddles its teams in camouflage to “support the troops.” Camouflage adorns players, coaches, and staff alike, the majority of whom are of military age and could pass any fitness test with ease. Camouflage covers those who have chosen a life of sports, of entertainment, over a life of service.

There is nothing wrong with that choice. Nothing. The players, coaches, and staff have worked hard, many since elementary school to earn a spot on their chosen their team. Beyond their job in sports, many do good works, even fund their own charities. That is good and admirable and worthy. But, even those good works can’t earn them the colors of our military team. Those colors are different. A willingness to die for your home team is a whole different level of commitment.

If professional sports teams still want to wear the colors, taking them at their word that they wish to be supportive of the troops, shouldn’t they at least do something to earn them?

Rather than just a November costume change, shouldn’t wearing camo signal a commitment change? A commitment which honors those who have served by responding to their need for home, health and happiness with as much abundance, professionalism and celebration as game day?

Let’s agree to this, for anyone donning military garb, if your response to our military team’s needs and hopes is bush league, rather than major league, you haven’t earned the right to wear their colors.

Many men’s (and some women’s) professional sports teams definitely have not earned the right to wear the colors of Team Queer. You don’t get to wear the colors, if your biggest insult is to call another by our name.

Furthermore, if you’re a Christian who is asked by your league to wear the colors of Team Queer and you aren’t worthy, don’t put that on Jesus. Wearing a uniform patch isn’t endorsing a “lifestyle.” It’s a little shout-out to a community of fans. A little, “Yes, your life matters because you are a child of God.”

Tearing a rainbow colored patch off of your sleeve is a pretty lame witness anyway. Um, Jesus, I just want you to know that I took that decal off of my shirt sleeve and wore my old cap to honor you. Yeah, you’re welcome. Judge not lest ye be judged does ring a bell, yes. But, I wasn’t judging them. I was just saying that you don’t love them in the same way you love me. What did you say? I do remember that God likes rainbows, yes.

Christians are not known by whom they shun; bigots are. Bigots say others are not worthy of the fullness of life. The Christian witness is a love witness. A love witness which is transformational to both the giver and the recipient. Maybe wearing rainbow colors on your left sleeve, your heart sleeve, will transform you.

Maybe wearing it for 1/160th of your games will give you the courage to sit with your discomfort and wonder, is this truly about Jesus? The Jesus who died on a cross to free me for love? The Jesus whose cloak was grabbed by an unclean woman, yet he healed her with his love?

Maybe, you’ll decide, I’m not willing to wear a patch, but I am giving a donation to the Trevor Project, because I definitely don’t want LGBTQIA+ young people thinking about suicide. Maybe that’s what radical love looks like for you this year.

Maybe it’s not right to ask teams to support causes they haven’t chosen. The NFL has “Cleats for Causes” where the players choose the cause they wish to endorse. Maybe that’s the way to go for individual alignment between the athlete and the cause.

On the other hand, perhaps we should only expect players to play the games they’re paid to play and stop asking them to play dress up at all.