Posted on 09/30/2016 2:47:00 PM PDT by naturalman1975
SYDNEY Swans star Lance Franklin says Anthony Mundine’s call for players to boycott the national anthem at this weekend’s AFL and NRL grand finals is “stupid”.
On Thursday, champion boxer and former NRL player Mundine suggested that players should boycott the anthem to raise awareness of the treatment of indigenous Australians.
It follows the actions of many American athletes including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who have knelt during the US anthem to protest against racial inequality and injustice.
During the AFL grand final parade on Friday, Franklin said there would be “no chance” he would be following Mundine’s advice in a blow from one of the country’s most well-known indigenous athletes.
“First I’ve heard of it,” Franklin said.
“Personally I think it’s pretty stupid really, it’s the Australian national anthem, it’s a part of our sport, our history.”
In response to Franklin’s comments, Mundine suggested that the forward was “thinking for the system”.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldsun.com.au ...
Australia has two major football codes that are dominant in different states - Australian Rules Football is the domain of the Australian Football League (AFL), while Rugby League is the domain of the National Rugby League (NRL). The AFL and NRL Grand Finals are two of the biggest sporting events in the country and both occur this weekend - for the AFL on Saturday afternoon in Melbourne, for the NRL on Sunday evening in Sydney.
Anthony Mundine is a former professional Rugby League player who went on to a very successful boxing career. He is a Australian Aboriginal and he's also a Muslim convert.
Lance 'Buddy' Franklin is a current player in the Australian Football League. He's a proud Aboriginal man, but he's also a proud Australian and unlike Mundine doesn't see any reason somebody can't be both.
“The influence America and events in America have on the rest of the world can be interesting.”
Our influence on the world used to be good. Now it’s too much a product of the Democratic Party.
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