Posted on 09/24/2017 1:01:12 PM PDT by abb
WOW Cafe & Wingery of St. Bernard in Chalmette took to Facebook on Sunday afternoon to say it won't televise the Saints vs. Panthers game after a group of players participated in a protest during the national anthem.
"I apologize to all of our guests but we will not be viewing the Saints game today in house," the post reads. "Some of our local players chose to sit during the National Anthem, which will not be supported or praised at WOW. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you."
Lindsey Manasco, a 31-year-old manager, waitress and bartender at the Chalmette-located wingery, confirmed the restaurant's decision.
"That’s disrespectful to the United States," she told The Advocate.
Manasco said that only the St. Bernard location was boycotting the game so far, and she hadn’t heard of any other nearby businesses following suite.
The decision was ultimately made by Brooke Anastasiadis, the owner of the St. Bernard restaurant, Manasco said.
Anastasiadis was motivated in part because she wanted to show solidarity with members of the military, police officers and firefighters, all of whom are given a 20 percent discount in the store when the dine in uniform.
Manasco added that the WOW restaurant in Chalmette would continue to boycott the game “any time the Saints kneel.”
“The Saints are from New Orleans and we are at Chalmette, and we want to support them, but if they kneel or sit we are not going to show the game,” Manasco said.
She reported that a couple of tables walked out when diners learned that the game wouldn’t be shown, but that most customers “are agreeing with us.”
Ten Saints sat on the bench during the national anthem, and four more players who stood near the group in a show of support before the team's game.
Rafael Bush, Kenny Vaccaro, Chris Banjo, Sheldon Rankins, Alex Okafor, Cameron Jordan, Adrian Peterson, Alvin Kamara, Brandon Coleman and Mark Ingram all sat. Thomas Morstead, Marshon Lattimore, Craig Robinson and Coby Fleener stood nearby with hands on teammates' shoulders.
The Saints and Pelicans organizations released a statement roughly half an hour before the start of Sunday's game, saying that the comments were "disappointing and inappropriate." The statement expressed support for the players, and also expressed the team's respect for the flag and the anthem.
The Saints' decision to sit during the anthem is part of a league-wide protest in backlash to comments made by President Donald Trump this weekend.
Staff writer Della Hasselle contributed to this report.
Are we allowed to be upset about more than one thing?
I just called and cancelled my DirecTV service after having been a customer since around 1995 (I live in a rural town with no cable TV).
I had my wife explain to the nice customer service guy that I could no longer pay $$ to ESPN, the NFL, etc... All over, done. This virtue signalling BS is out of control.
I recommend everyone do the same. For me its $126/month that is no longer going to directly fund my avowed enemies.
I'd say that if I really wanted to watch a game - I'd go to a bar or something (I live in NE Patriots territory). But after hearing the drunken packaging-magnate owner of the Patriots chime in on this whole National Anthem thing - my desire to ever see a game again has just evaporated.
Welcome aboard as an active FR participant!
The key part of the story was a couple of tables walked out but the rest agreed.
Wish they had some T-shirts to buy at the site...
You are right about Trump being brilliant. However he is very vindictive also. He doesn’t get even. He is not after the NFL, the players or the owners. He is after those lying scumbags the MSM and the companies that own them. How? He is telling his base to turn off the NFL, do something else. Less viewers, less ad revenue to the media companies, stock prices down, they have to lay off people. They are circling the toilet. For all those lies, for all those jokes 24/7; he has them in the financial crosshairs. Best yet, they don’t realize what he has done to them.
Thank you WOW cafe, manager and owner. That took guts and commitment. I hope patriotic Americans will patronize the place X 10.
Well done may this response spread.
good for you. Perhaps you can take up college football or another sport that isn’t actively attacking our country and our veterans.
Yep, they can go play football on some other country that isn’t so awful to them.
To Hell with the NFL and everyone in it.
NOLA is not a safe place to visit, I hate when I have to go to that rat infested hell hole.
Now keep it that way or we'll be forced to give you the ZOT.
Welcome.
You are so correct. Freepers are never alone. God bless Jim Robinson and family.
Good for them.
Boycott the NFL!
Wow! Good for WOW.
I don’t think you’re wrong, by a long way.
If I lived anywhere near them, I would be eating there right now. All the wings my family could eat, and then some to take home.
I think it’s great that you dropped your Direct TV. I know millions are dropping ESPN in any way they can in the last few years.
I dropped cable 2 years ago. I don’t really miss it. I’m saving money and complain less about the crap on TV!
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