There was some personal debate over whether or not to delve into the cesspool that is American politics. After all, given the current political climate, it doesn’t matter the side or logic someone brings to the table, it always leads to vitriol and petulant behavior.

But every so often, a topic comes up on Twitter, a place where proper discussion goes to die, that deserves to be brought up. So even though politics won’t make its way into the sports section with any frequency, lets talk about the recent Jackie Robinson debacle and the U.S. Department of Defense.

For those not on social media — God, I wish to be you — a couple weeks back, ESPN baseball beat writer Jeff Passan discovered a story on the Department of Defense website was deleted. The article is titled “Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Great Jackie Robinson Was a WWII Solider.”

The article detailed Robinson’s time in the U.S. Army after getting drafted in 1942 till his honorable discharge in 1944, Robinson’s signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, his 10-year career from 1947-56 and famously breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), a concept of providing an equitable and inclusive environment to historically excluded or discriminated groups, caught the eye of Washington D.C., and the current federal administration is working to remove DEI from federal programs.

The URL for the Robinson article had “DEI” added to it, marking it for removal. And it was taken down on March 18.

ESPN received a statement from Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot the next day following Passan tweeting out the broken link.

Ullyot’s full statement said, “Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others ­– we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop. We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or sex. We do so only by recognizing their patriotism and dedication to the warfighting mission like every other American who has worn the uniform.

“DEI — Discrimination Equity Ideology does the opposite. It Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission.

“We are pleased by the rapid compliance across the Department with the directive removing DEI content from all platforms. In the rare cases that content is removed — either deliberately or by mistake — that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period.”

The article has since been republished.

But this column isn’t just about Robinson’s legacy or Passan calling out the Department of Defense for the deletion of the article. Instead we also need to talk about the reaction.

While many were outraged — some surely hated it due to political affiliation — others like me saw it as a deletion of history.

Meanwhile, others defended the article’s removal, but this shouldn’t be a topic of debate.

Robinson is a nexus through which 20th century race relations, segregation, sports and history intersect. Through his life, American can gain insight into what the culture was like 80 years ago and see how Brooklyn’s decision to sign him impacted the sports world and the country as a whole.

He wasn’t some addition to provide more Black men into the military. He was a member of the segregated 761st Tank Battalion, which became known as the “Black Panthers.” By nature, a segregated section of the army shouldn’t fall under DEI since the concept would look to provide a welcoming space regardless of race.

And if the topic was notable athletes who served in the military, Robinson fits the bill without question.

His six All-Star appearances, National League MVP, 1949 NL Rookie of the Year, a 1949 batting title and being a part of the 1955 World Series winner all led to his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Robinson represents everything that the United State is supposed to be about. He spent his time in the army and went on to earn a Hall of Fame career, making a difference in the process.

If nothing else, hopefully this was a little educational and readers can see why the deletion of the article was unnecessary.

And if nothing else happens that requires serious discussion, next month’s column might be about how Cleveland Guardian Kyle Manzardo reminds me of a mix of Wade Boggs and Jim Thome.

Dan Hiner is the sports editor for The Vindicator and Tribune Chronicle. Reached via at dhiner@tribtoday.com.