Athletes are people, too.

     In our society, we treat athletes as above people, and ]sometimes, it can feel like they are exempt from the rules of society. In society, we have norms. One of those norms is not to bring up politics at work, which is also becoming a rule at some companies, according to CNN. The same rules apply to athletes: Just like regular employees, they are allowed to express their political beliefs outside of work hours. This is especially important during election season, as athletes are often featured in the highest-rated events on TV each year.

     One recent example is Nick Bosa. Bosa, a star defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers, interrupted a teammate’s postgame interview on NBC to show off a Make America Great Again hat. This is an example of bringing politics into the workplace since he is still in his capacity as an NFL player and showing off his political endorsement. The NFL fined him, rightly so. He violated their policies of not bringing politics into work.

     However, I have no problem with Bosa posting a picture on his story of him meeting Trump following his assassination. He is using his own platform on his own time and not acting as a representative of the NFL, a private corporation.

     Some people might respond by saying isn’t he protected by the First Amendment?  The First Amendment protects you from government restrictions on your speech, not private companies. The exact words are ìCongress shall make no law Ö abridging the freedom of speech. The NFL is not Congress, so the First Amendment doesn’t apply.