The photo above, taken by Robin Ansley Thompson, shows senior members of the Marysville football team. The image created an online uproar when opponents said some of the flags being held were racist in nature. Supporters of the team countered that the flags show support for first responders and the military, some of whom are family members of the boys in the photo. (Photo submitted)
Flags held by Marysville football seniors seen as racist by some; called a tribute by others
A photo of senior members of the Marysville football team created an online uproar with calls of racism Thursday and was met with wide opposition from members of the local community.
The photo in question, shared widely on social media recently, shows 25 senior members of the team perched on an old, rusting locomotive. The source of contention is that nine members of the team are holding flags – two American flags, one Ohio flag, two school district flags and four others showing versions of the flags with blue, red or green stripes.
Parents and organizers say the flags represent support for first responders and the military. Those in opposition say the flags support racism and are used by supremacist groups to counter the Black Lives Matter movement.
Two recent Marysville alumni led the online charge against the photo.
“I have never been more disgusted or ashamed to be a graduate of Marysville High School,” 2018 graduate Sarah Paul wrote on Facebook while sharing the photo.
She said the image, which she found on a booster organization website, which would appear on banners, schedules and calendars was a “clear example” of school support for the Blue Lives Matter movement and the border patrol.
“In a time where black people are being murdered by the hands of law enforcement at an unprecedented rate and children are locked in cages at the border, Marysville High School – by allowing and approving of this photo – has taken an official stance to support and legitimize an inherently racist sentiment that blue lives matter more than black.”
Chase Cutarelli, a 2019 graduate of the district, took his opposition a step farther, creating an online petition at change.org to “call out Marysville Schools for endorsing Blue Lives Matter, border patrol.”
“Y’all I shouldn’t be suprised that my hometown did something racist, but I still wish Marysville, Ohio would at least keep politics out of athletics,” Cutarelli wrote on his personal Facebook page.
At press time the petition had been supported by more than 700 individuals and comments left on the site generally criticized the district and those involved for a lack of awareness.
“The way in which these flags are touted represents a clearly political, hateful and overall irresponsible message that makes a ‘patriotic’ circus of what is (or rather should be) a nonpartisan activity, given the ubiquity of police brutality across the country and the horrors of families being ripped apart by deportation,” Cutarelli wrote.
Response from members of the local community was swift. In just a few hours, Paul’s Facebook post had more than 800 comments, many of them attacking her for misrepresenting the message behind the flags. Paul removed the post from Facebook early Thursday evening.
Defenders said the four flags in question, each represented support for first responders and the military. One flag contained a red stripe showing support for firefighters and another had a thin blue line in support of law enforcement officers. A third flag in the photo showed a series of blue stripes, save one which was white which reportedly created to show support for emergency medical services. A fourth flag, showing a flag with one green line, drew debate as some said it showed support for border patrol while others said it represented all branches of the military.
Many affiliated with the team said the flags were held by seniors with family members represented in the meaning of the flag. Niki Hammons Cogossi said her son, #52 Michael Cogossi, is shown in the photo holding the flag with the green stripe in support of his brother, Anthony, who is currently deployed.
The photographer who took the image, Robin Ansley Thompson, confirmed those statements.
“Many of these boys have mothers and fathers that are first responders,” she wrote on Facebook. “A couple of them have brothers that are actively deployed oversees.”
She said the image was also meant to support a former teammate.
“One of their teammates, Jagger (Snyder), left for the Army 5 days prior to this photo being taken,” Thompson wrote. “He graduated early and left his friends and school behind so that he could serve.
“This photo is to honor Jagger as well as so many others. It was never meant to promote one group over another. It was meant to say ‘Thank you.’”
Thompson also said those blaming the school district are off base.
“This photo and the theme surrounding it was decided up on by our football seniors,” she wrote. “Please stop bashing the school and the administrators.”
Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen informed the board of education about the controversy during Thursday night’s meeting. While the Quarterback Club collaborates with the district, school officials do not provide direct oversight of the organization.
She said district officials are still gathering information about the situation but she said the situation will ultimately serve as a teachable moment.
“We have worked diligently to practice an inclusive school culture, as such it is important to understand that intent cannot be measured or evaluated in a picture,” Allen said this morning. “It is also important to understand and recognize that a symbol or a flag can mean one thing to you and it can mean something different to someone else.”
Thompson echoed those sentiments, urging those on both sides of the issue to view the situation objectively.
“Start thinking to yourself … ‘what if the senior holding the flag with the green line, is honoring his brother who is serving oversees,’” she wrote. “And for the other side bashing the original commentator, what if you say to yourself, ‘what has this person been through to see this picture and feel pain?’”