OAKLAND -- As President Donald Trump lurches closer to certified insanity, he is unwittingly doing the country a great service that, should we survive his dangerously whimsical term, will bring us closer to realizing our potential.
He's unifying the previously disconnected and energizing the formerly apathetic. He's even shaming some of those previously beyond shame.
It is because of Trump's rage, unleashed in a span of less than 24 hours, that the NBA champion Warriors were more united Saturday morning than they were Friday afternoon.
After a speech in Alabama urging NFL owners on Friday to fire any "son of a bitch" who dared to protest peacefully to shine a light on injustices, Trump woke up Saturday and turned his Twitter ire upon Stephen Curry and the Warriors, conceivably the most wholesome representatives of American sports.
"That's not what leaders do," Curry said after practice Saturday.
"We know we're in a fight," Warriors center David West said. "And we're going to continue to fight for our right to be human beings."
But by advocating the job loss of peaceful protesters and then informing the Warriors they are not welcome at the White House -- because Curry said he's not in favor of going -- we can only hope Trump has flung open a door of activism that never closes.
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Trump's radical combo ignited mighty blasts of blowback from players and coaches and commissioners of the NBA and NFL.
Among the many NBA figures issuing statements in one form or another, with varying degrees of condemnation: LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, the players association and commissioner Adam Silver.
"The amount of support I saw around the league this morning was amazing," Curry said.
Among the many NFL figures who were moved to comment: Seahawks players Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett, Broncos lineman Max Garcia, 49ers owner Jed York, New York Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, Packers boss Mark Murphy, the players association and commissioner Roger Goodell.
Trump has, in short, started a war with American sports.
His strike began with the comments made Friday night that were directed at Colin Kaepernick and others who have declined to stand for the anthem. Trump's aggression intensified Saturday when he went after Curry in the morning and Goodell in the afternoon.
How did we get here?
The Warriors on Friday announced their plan to meet as a team Saturday morning to decide whether they would accept from the White House the traditional invitation extended to championship teams. Though it was fairly certain they would not, they left open the slightest possibility. General manager Bob Myers had been in contact with White House.
Curry at the time said he, personally, did not wish to go, and then he carefully and patiently expounded on his reasons.
Trump responded, at 5:45 a.m. Saturday, to tell the world that the Warriors would not be invited and, moreover, that Curry's resistance is the reason.
And all hell broke loose.
The Warriors came back Saturday afternoon with a statement that made clear there no longer would be a team meeting on the subject, that they were disappointed there was no open dialogue and that they will instead utilize their February visit to "celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion -- the values we embrace as an organization."
"Not surprised," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Trump's decision not to invite the Warriors to the White House. "He was going to break up with us before we could break up with him."
Trump has fired upon every athlete in America. He is waking up this country in ways we've never seen or felt and, my goodness, he's doing so at a level we've needed for centuries.
"Trump has become the greatest mirror for America," West said. "My cousin . . . she brought that to me. Because there are a lot of things have been in the dark, hidden, and he's just bold enough to put it out on ‘Front Street.'"
