Posted on 05/26/2018 5:04:32 AM PDT by Kaslin
It took two years, boycotts by fans, declining TV ratings, growing alarm among advertisers, a drop in the sale of gear and especially a public shaming by President Trump, but the owners of NFL teams have finally decided their players will not be allowed to kneel or make other protests during the playing of the national anthem.
The NFL Players Association claims the owners' decision violates the players' "free speech rights." No it doesn't. Players are perfectly free to protest anywhere, anytime they wish, just not at the start of games for which the owners pay them large amounts of money they are unlikely to make elsewhere. If you think free speech rights are valid wherever and whenever one wants to speak, try protesting something on company time where you work and see how long you keep your job.
The NFL is a business. The business is sports. If any other business is hurt by the behavior of its employees, management either requests a change in behavior, or sacks the employee for the sake of the bottom line and the morale of other employees and customers.
If players take the owners' check, the owners have a right to lay down certain rules, as in football. Players who want to make a difference beyond symbolic protests, which they say raises awareness about racial injustice and other inequalities, can use their financial resources and celebrity to invest in the lives of people they regard as victims. Perhaps they could pay for the private education of children trapped in failing public schools or provide job training and child care for single mothers who rely on government assistance. Some players do go beyond protests with their good works. The protesters and others can follow their example.
With its decision to order players to stop the demonstrations, the NFL isn't finished. Their next issue should be how their cheerleaders are treated. It's been a long time since NFL cheerleaders actually led cheers. Today, they shake their barely clothed bodies in suggestive ways while male fans who have consumed too much beer can ogle them.
Cheerleaders have recently gone public with complaints that some NFL teams encourage their participation in off-the-field events, which subject them to unwanted sexual advances. As The New York Times reported last month, "... performing at sporting events is only a small part of their job description. They are also required to fulfill what often is the unsavory side of the job: interacting with fans at games and other promotional events, where groping and sexual harassment are common."
The cheerleaders told the newspaper that team officials with the NFL, as well as those associated with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL), are aware of the problem, but have done little or nothing to stop it. They should. Sexual harassment is illegal and with the #metoo movement, clearly the "rules" and level of tolerance for such inappropriate behavior have changed.
While skimpy outfits might encourage certain men to think they are invited to make advances toward women, and while these cheerleaders might wish to dress more modestly at off-field events (which they should not be forced to attend) that does not absolve men from sexually harassing them.
NFL owners have done well by banning protests during the national anthem. They should now act to stop the harassment of their cheerleaders. And it shouldn't take two years to do it.
Too late for me.
I’m SEC only now.
While I agree with the message of the post, it will not happen for one reason; Money.
The NFL did not decide to require players to stand and respect our country because it was the right thing to do. Last year, the NFL defended the players’ actions stating that the “free speech” of the players was defensible. The only reason that the NFL changed their outlook is because fans quit watching and attending games.
Creating a healthy atmosphere, paying a decent salary, and treating cheerleaders in a moral and ethical manner would be the right thing to do. However, that will not generate more income and fans. In fact, it may just turn some watchers away if the cheerleaders are not sexy enough. I doubt it, but maybe.
If the NFL could legally prostitute their cheerleaders to season ticket holders, they would do it in a heartbeat.
They NFL as an organization does not give a damn about patriotism, morality, ethics, or anything other than their profit margin. If they did, they would not hire and retain so many criminals in the organization.
Too late for me too. NFL is tainted meat.
I have been through with the NFL for several decades. These thugs hate America, hate the best culture and country in the history of the world, and hate me, I have no use for the NFL, NBA, etc and never will again.
Women who expose their breasts and buns to the public should expect to be sexually harassed. Are they asking to have less revealing costumes? No.
Why have NFL cheerleaders at all? Unpaid High School and College football players may need cheering from the sidelines for motivation. NFL players get millions of dollars. That should be enough motivation.
The SEC schools and most other college teams do not take the field or stand for the anthem. How is this different from the NFL not standing for the anthem? The consensus here is that NFL players staying in the locker room is not acceptable either.
Almost absent from the debate over their actions is how the millionaire NFL showboaters have supersized the war on police with their false narrative:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQCQFH5wOJo
.……..lol, I have not watched the NFL one minute in 30 years except when it is forced upon me in an airport or hotel bar. So, unfortunately, I cannot hurt them much today because I’ve been boycotting the “felons” for 30 years.
That said, I’m going to disagree with Cal Thomas in part. Yes, these cheerleaders are naïve, gullible, defenseless, dupes looking to land a man with some money. Everybody knows that.
And, they damn sure need some protection/sanity from the owners in terms of what functions they are forced to attend. All that said, Cal Thomas said they should not be “forced” to attend promotional events. That’s nuts! That’s what they are there (i.e. to promote the team) for and last time I checked they are “employees”.
So, “promotional events” yes!...……...but with some 300 lb lineman going along to make sure the ogling guys behave themselves.
What teams need to do and MUST do is insist that their “cheerleaders” are treated with respect and put some active enforcement behind it.
Sundays will never be the saaaaaaaaaaame
Now, church, productivity, family time, et al
Thanks, (n)fl players. You actually did me a favor
The players are employees.
The boss makes the rules.
Like it or leave.
I've really enjoyed college football the last two years, the SEC being my favorite because of the way they run their offense.
” The NFL is a business. The business is sports......”..
If that be so, why are tax paying Americans dollars being used to subsidize that business, the NFL?
Many of us have/had businesses and NEVER received any federal subsidizing. Why then should the NFL get any funding from us?
“NFL players staying in the locker room is not acceptable...”....
The NFL’s pitiful way of trying to appease both the players and the fans. I was done with the NFL and their low level IQ players a long time ago, and still vowing to never return..
The NFL is like a bunch of Strippers- they SAY they like us, they may smile at us, but deep down inside they hate our Guts, and the more money we spend on them, the more they hate us.
The NFL is like a bunch of Strippers- they SAY they like us, they may smile at us, but deep down inside they hate our Guts, and the more money we spend on them, the more they hate us.
The national felons league might be through but it is certainly done for in my house and millions of others across America. The end cant come fast enough.
My guess is that the only reason the gutless libtard-enabling owners decided on this lame-ass compromise, is because they have seen their season ticket renewal rates plummet for the upcoming season...
But why is it OK for the college players to hide in the locker room?
Waiting for XFL 2.0, if they capitalize on the NFL’s stupidity it could be a success this time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.