To Support or Not to Support…Why is that a Question?

Recently college athletes have used eyeblack or eyewear as one of the few means of expression. Ohio State starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor received much criticism for his support of Michael Vick when he had the words “Mika” and “Vick” on them. The former, the sister of Pryor, the latter a former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons who served eighteen months for his role in dog fighting. Most players put the area or zip codes of their hometowns, or biblical passages on their eyewear, but for some reason “all hell has broken loose.” The adverse reactions to such innocent comments have created a media circus. Thus, I raise the question when does a college athlete have the space to be socially and/or politically conscious.