Posted on 09/25/2017 4:29:37 AM PDT by Kaslin
When NFL players began taking knees and raising Black Panther fists during games last year, the NFL had to take swift action. It failed.The result is that football has now become politicized, handing the Left another victory in the culture wars. The news behind the news, however, is where the story gets even more depressing.
Nobody in their right minds objects to freedom of speech. That is, except UC Berkeley, but the university and its students clear have no actual minds to be right in. However, there are strategic decisions that guides when that speech will be the most effective.
Any player who feels strongly enough about his protest for the national anthem owes it to his employer (the team’s owner), the head coach, and his players, to discuss exactly what his feelings are and the most effective manner in which to express them.Any owner or coach would stand behind that player to help him achieve his desired outcome.
The player represents the team’s brand. He represents the city. He represents America, the country that gave him the freedom to excel, to become an elite member in the field of American professional sports. The player is paid millions of dollars. To choose the moment, dictated by tradition, to show disrespect for all of these things, shows exceptionally poor judgment.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is paid well over $40 million annually to protect the league’s reputation and business. He’s done a horrible job the last few years, palming off issues of domestic violence, and failing to take a firm stance regarding the anthem. A simple statement would have sufficed: “The NFL respects and encourages freedom of speech. The NFL also respects America, and strongly encourages all players and staff to stand proudly for our national anthem, and to engage in individual protests on their own time.”
That’s all he had to do. He failed. Now this behavior has spread like a cancer.
The owners are the next line of defense. Who is the one owner who has stood up and made it clear that free speech does not exist on private property, or when you are an employee who represents a brand and a team? Jerry Jones, of course, of the Dallas Cowboy’s. America’s Team.
Ultimately, the responsibility falls on the players. It is a disgrace that any player should fail to stand for the national anthem, considering what this country has done for them. Yet that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Considering the visibility that NFL players have, they would be infinitely more effective calling attention to an issue outside of the game. Pittsburgh Steelers rookie T.J. Watt managed to raise over $30 million for hurricane relief…and then squandered that goodwill by staying in the locker room with the entire Steelers team during this week’s anthem.
Oh, actually not the entire team. Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger with three tours in Afghanistan, stood on the field for the anthem. That would be a proud American of Hispanic background who recognizes not only what his country has done for him, but honors the flag and his own service by standing for the anthem.
Nobody is saying that Black men and women don’t have reasons to be angry. Yet this statement by the Seahawks makes no sense:
“As a team, we have decided we will not participate in the national anthem. We will not stand for the injustice that has plagued people of color in this country. Out of love for our country and in honor of the sacrifices made on our behalf, we unite to oppose those that would deny our most basic freedoms. We remain committed in continuing to work towards equality and justice for all.
If this is what they want to protest, ignoring the anthem which gave these men the opportunities they have had to succeed, is the wrong way to do it. They should be out in the community every chance they get, and engaging in activities that would actually make a difference. It takes no courage at all to stay in the locker room.Courage would mean doing just about anything else – especially spending time with at-risk youths so that they don’t become “victims of injustice”.
Instead, the only thing that happens when Odell Beckham Jr. raises a Black Panther salute in the endzone does is annoy fans who are there to escape the daily grind of politics.
Of course, the news behind the news is that the swarm of protests is in direct response to President Trump’s tweets that were critical of the NFL’s attitude towards the anthem.This begs a few questions. First, why is the President bothering to get involved?There’s nothing wrong with being a pugilist, but the same rules apply to him about messaging. There doesn’t appear to be an upside in picking this fight.Just like Goodell, a simple statement would have sufficed.
So one must look beyond the tweets to see what the protests are really about. They sure aren’t about what the Seahawks claim, or if they are, then these players are utter hypocrites for not actually engaging in life-changing activities.
No, it’s identity politics.Again. Still. With Blacks comprising 68 percent of the league, this is yet another example of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Millions of Americans have brought into the nonsense that President Trump is anti-semitic, racist, sexist, transgenderist, racist, white nationalist, neo-confederate, racist, homophobic, racist, Nazi, racist, Islamophobic racist bad man who clubs baby seals.
Which, even if that were true, there are still infinitely better ways to protest effectively.
It’s also bad business.Goodell and the owners are driving Americans away from football. Ratings are down again this year, after last year’s decline, which was a direct result of Colin Kaepernick’s temper tantrums. It’s only going to get worse, and it may already be too late.
And in case you think this has nothing to do with the culture wars, ask yourself: the same people defending these NFL crybabies are the same ones who mocked Tim Tebow for kneeling to pray when he was on the field.
Want to kneel at an NFL game? You’ll find me beside Mr. Tebow.
He is also the master persuader. What better way to divert some of the media attention from other hot spots. Does the left really think they are going to win the patriotism game against Trump’s base? He is setting it up so that if you are liberal whiner, you are by default unpatriotic. He knows the fan base will hit the NFL right in their bank account, and all these players will look like fools. Meanwhile the liberals can keep beating the drum about how unpatriotic and un-American they really are. They own it. They don’t like the flag, don’t like free speech, don’t like God, and don’t think Americans should retain any of their rights and freedoms.
Dear NFL: You can go to hell
Get off of the NFL drug folks, it’s killing you!
I have to wonder if the storm surrounding the NFL today is as bad as the situation surrounding Major League Baseball in 1920-21. Baseball’s solution back then was surrendering control from the owners to Keenesaw Mountain Landis. That seemed to have worked. Of course, if nobody in the NFL ever read a history book, or more importantly never learned from the lessons of the past, maybe the NFL will just double down and try to tough it out.
Go Cowboyzzzz
The NFL, in the end, does not care about angering the fans. The fans are the product. They really don’t care if anyone shows up to the game, because the stadium is paid for by taxpayers.
The people they DO care about are those who buy the adds and write the TV contracts. THOSE people don’t like Trump, don’t like his supporters, and would rather we all watch soccer. They don’t care if the NFL folds, they don’t care if no one watches the game. All they care about is if they signal to their fellow elite and hangers on that they are doing their part for the resistance.
There is a reason that the NFL and college games all had ads for a soccer package this weekend.
The owners know exactly who they have to appease, and with the exception of Jerry Jones are doing it (I don’t like Dallas, but I can respect that they are standing firm for now).
What is sad is that I know an Air Force veteran who loves the Flag, the Steelers, and is black. He now has to chose which of these he identifies with more. I don’t know for sure, but I have a bad what he will chose after this weekend.
On a similar note, I fully expect for the Steelers coach to bench the guy who did go out for the anthem. He has to. The ploy was for a unified team against Trump’s America. The optics of a Hispanic Army veteran walking out of the locker room to show respect to the flag while the rest of the team hides is horrible. Tomlin will view that as a personal attack, and respond.
NFL = National Football League
I am wondering which nation the name now refers to.
America (in case anyone has forgotten ) does NOT have or want an aristocracy.
For any group to see themselves as apart, above or exempt from our traditions, rules and laws is wholly inconsistent with what America IS.
If they don’t GET that, they should all be in some OTHER business (and NOT making millions as supposed examples to American youth).
They all look the same to the author.
Where are the advertisers? If a football player wanted to use a TV venue to proclaim his opposition to, say, abortion or same sex marriage, he would not only be banned by the NFL but the advertisers would pull out if the team allowed it. The advertisers aren’t balking because they like the negative publicity as it purportedly creates new viewer groups. Start to avoid buying advertisers products.
Since both players have the same second name initial and last name it is understandable that the author mixed them up and it makes sense that J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans is the one who raised over $30 million for the Houston Hurricane relief. Besides T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a Rookie
Thug athletes are no athletes at all, they are simply extraordinarily well-paid members of a gang, pledging fealty to their real base, the Black Panthers, who have no love for the concept of the United States of America at all.
Whatever remains of professional sports in this country is now held hostage and is about to get its throat cut.
Good work there, NFL Players Association.
This revolt against “Big Sport” has been brewing for a long time, and the whole anthem thing was just the Final Straw.
Ditto!
Tomlin is a COWARD.
VILLANUEVA IS THE ONLY REAL MAN ON THE STEELERS.
I believe the president did this as a distraction. The travel ban expired Saturday and he issued a new one yesrterday. How much airtime did that get?
He also spotlighted a bunch of hypocrites that take their consumer base for granted. But I think that was a bonus.
#BoycottNFLAdvertisers #BoycottTheNFL
There is a line in Billy Joel’s “My Life” that applies here:
“And you can speak your mind, but not on my time.”
Yes a twofer
Sports fans need something to replace the NFL. What could that be?
Let's start with the understanding that Tomlin could not legally compel the players to do anything when it comes to the national anthem. With that in mind, the best scenario for the team is for every one of them to be in 100% agreement about what they're going to do.
It's obvious what Tomlin WANTED them to do ... He was standing respectfully on the sideline with several other coaches while the national anthem was being played. I can completely understand why he would prefer to have no players standing with him than a scenario where a bunch of them were kneeling, a bunch were standing, etc.
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