My then-9-year-old sandlot-playing son, Drew, was once quoted by a reporter as saying, “Football is life.” That about says all you need to know about football and the Ehrlichs. Indeed, the sport was my ticket to life success — a path that Drew (now 18 and a strong safety at Villanova) and 13-year old Josh (a quarterback for Drew’s former sandlot team) are eager to follow.

What, then, to make of all the controversy, of athletes kneeling during the national anthem and the emotional response of the fans who have made the sport America’s favorite? Everyone wants to add their two cents. Here are mine.

Most will recall that the foundation for the anthem kneeling exercise was Colin Kaepernick’s social justice protest regarding racial inequality and police brutality against African-Americans. (Some will also recall the cop/pig socks he wore at practice, just in case you did not know how the quarterback views our men and women in blue.) The raw data do not support a systematic police campaign to murder African-Americans. But why let facts get in the way of a progressive political agenda intended to fuel division?

There are instances of police brutality and African-American victims; in some policemen wrongly escaped punishment. Here, issues of police negligence are real — as are the tensions in many black communities where police relations are always tenuous. In other cases, such as Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Freddie Gray, the facts do not support the indictment. Still, some continue to perpetuate the unsupported storylines. Such is life in the race industry — no relation to the praiseworthy civil rights movement that will forever be led by the Rev. Martin Luther King and his genuinely wonderful dream.

The Kaepernick-induced wounds were still bleeding when the president chipped in with his incendiary wish that NFL owners “fire” those “sons of b-----s” who chose to kneel. That in turn generated further response last weekend when many more players joined in the kneeling. A portion of our football-loving nation interpreted this as protected political speech; others viewed it as spoiled millionaire athletes disrespecting the country. I throw a flag on all three parties.

First, I was sometimes critical of President Barack Obama’s habit of opining on issues large — but also small. I repeat my criticism: President Donald Trump is on the precipice of a historic tax reform that could jumpstart economic growth. He is also engaged in a war of words with an unstable, saber-rattling nuclear dictator in North Korea — and all the while dealing with our federal government’s response to devastating natural disasters in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. He (and we) do not need the added drama of the NFL clumsily scrambling to protect its brand.

Fifteen yards must also be assessed against the players. I understand their displeasure at being targeted by a polarizing president, but few in America enjoy unlimited freedom of expression in the workplace. Many would feel better about the player protesters if they had either done something to stop the killing of so many innocent people in our poorest neighborhoods or shown appropriate empathy for the families of fallen police officers.

A game misconduct penalty also goes to the NFL. They have allowed the player protests to (no pun intended) trump the game. It is a league that seems more interested in the length of a player’s sock than the fact that millions of its customers are upset with what they perceive as disrespect for a country that has made so many owners and players wealthy. Recall last year’s attempt by the Cowboys to wear a helmet decal in support of Dallas police after the murder of five officers. (Ironically, the decal read “Arm In Arm.”) The NFL denied the request.

A final word on race, or more specifically, the terrible pejorative “racist,” for my friends on the progressive left. The little boy who cried wolf has nothing on you. The record speaks for itself: welfare reform — “racist!” ; charter schools — “racist!”; photo ID at the polls — “racist!”; Western civilization — “racist!”; opposition to a $15 minimum wage — “racist!”; immigration enforcement — “racist!”; a border wall — “racist!”; English as our official language — “racist!” You will only have yourselves to blame when real racism rears its ugly head — and people just yawn.

Things are now spiraling out of control. NFL TV ratings are down. Stadium attendance is down. Jersey/season ticket burnings on social media are regular occurrences around the country. Damage control is in full swing — but may be too little too late.

Here’s an idea. The league and Players Association agree to fund and host interactive gatherings of police and kids from the poorest of neighborhoods on a regular basis. Maybe even fund new Police Athletic Leagues for young people born into deep poverty. Such action would lower the temperature. Encourage interaction. Give voice to legitimate community concerns. Humanize the police. It’s worth a try. Oh, and everybody stands for the anthem. Like it or not, it represents the perfect vision of an imperfect people.

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is the former governor of Maryland. His email is ehrlichcolumn@gmail.com.