Tennessee Republicans Call on University Presidents To Punish Student-Athletes for Kneeling

Reason ^ | February 24, 2021 | Robby Soave

[yoe]

These demands obviously violate the First Amendment.

All of Tennessee's Republican state senators have signed a letter to the state's university presidents and chancellors asking them to prevent student-athletes from kneeling during the national anthem.

[snip]The inspiration for this letter was an (incident) at the University of Tennessee at Chatanooga last week, when the visiting men's basketball team from East Tennessee State University decided to kneel during the "Star-Spangled Banner." The players claimed they were trying to call attention to racial inequality.

[yoe]

No these demands don't "obviously violate the First Amendment."

Momma's, Pappa's, teachers, and text-book writers forgot to teach/demand responsibility when using the First Amendment. The First Amendment is not a shield like "taking the 5th". In this case, the National Anthem is the weaponized political target because some people have decided it is racist...and it is patriotic about a nation that had slaves the irony or the paradox here is the man, Colin Kaepernick is the half-white progeny of ancestors who in all likely-hood owned slaves; something Mr. Kaperenick would know little about as he was raised in Middle Class America.

Teach Love of Country in-spite of the warts. We need Patriotism not whiners.

[edie1960]

I firmly believe that anybody who kneels during our national anthem ought to receive a good swift kick in the a**!!!

[Vaquero]

I’m sure they’ll jump right on it. In some alternate universe, that is.

[monkeyshine]

The NCAA is a business, and the universities require the funds from boosters and TV revenues. It’s a bad idea to insult your “customers”.

And how many times does a team have to kneel before their point is made? What exactly do they want to occur before they can stand again? And what do they think actually will happen if they keep kneeling?

[Seruzawa]

Let ‘em kneel. I want to know who they are.

[lee martell]

If University Presidents need to be prompted by politicians to penalize students who disrespect the flag, these same University Presidents are probably too chicken to take a stand and do what is right and unpopular.
“But they’ll tear me up on Twitter and Instagram!”

[BrexitBen]

Everyone needs to quit supporting college and professional sports, until they regain their sanity.

Otherwise, expect this nonsense to get progressively worse.

[Cottonpatch]

You probably shouldn’t punish them, just kick them off team and rebuild.

[jeffersondem]

My thoughts are evolving on this, in part, because of comments made elsewhere on this board.

It may be that only certain state-funded universities should be allowed to play the national anthem at sporting events.

To qualify for the honor, university administrators, professors, and students would have to earn the privilege based on objective Make America Great Again criteria.

Universities that don't earn the honor will be referred to by legislative budget committees as “tier-two schools.”

Funding for “tier-two schools” - when available - should come from the state's unneeded surplus reserves.

[colorado tanker]

I learned a long time ago the best way to get a young person to do something is tell him not to do it.

[ActresponsiblyinVA]

Players who kneel disrespect the National Anthem, the American Flag and our country. What are they protesting? It can not be systemic racism in college and pro basketball where blacks are over represented. It cannot be at universities where affirmative action gives blacks advantages in admissions, hiring and promotions. It must by systemic racism at large. If they disrespect the flag, anthem and country, I will turn my back on them and disrespect them. Let them protest whenever they want. Just not during the National Anthem.

[Cen-Tejas]

The way to get at the kneelers is through the back door not the front door. Withdraw the federal guaranty on student loans and all but a few “colleges” and “universities” would go belly up. Voila, no school, no basketball team, no kneelers.

[cport]

Just something for the GOPe to gain conservative street cred. “See, the GOP really is conservative!” Nothing will come of it. Great Fox fodder.

[msrngtp2002]

I think the point of the law is that these student athletes attend on full ride scholarships which are funded by donors, taxpayers or alumni. Kneeling angers those people who are less inclined to give up the bucks.

They really need to be removed from the team in order to keep the dollars flowing. Don’t like it? Go to school on your own dime, then they can kneel all they want.

[Albion Wilde]

The players claimed they were trying to call attention to racial inequality.

Whoop! There it is! White players who pulled this stunt would have been kicked off the team, but because of inequality, black players get to keep on playing and the chance to get drafted for "racially oppressive" millionaire lifestyles in the majors, where they will also call for reparations. Totally unequal!