Posted on 08/16/2017 3:41:11 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Asked about players who did not stand for the national anthem before preseason games, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that while the playing of the anthem is a special moment to him, “we also have to understand the other side.”
Goodell made the comments at University of Phoenix Stadium during a 45-minute question-and-answer period with Arizona Cardinals club seat holders. One season ticket-holder, Bruce Olson, asked the commissioner whether players were going to continue to protest during the anthem and if anything could be done about it.
“It’s one of those things where I think we have to understand that there are people that have different viewpoints,” Goodell said. “The national anthem is a special moment to me. It’s a point of pride. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we want to respect those.”
That’s the answer that’s getting all the coverage, but supposedly there was a follow-up question (which I still can’t find a video for) where he modified his response, saying that while he respects the rights of the players to protest, “there’s a time and a place for it.” It seemed to be an indication that on the field right before a game starts was not that time or place.
Perhaps he’ll prove me wrong, but at this point I’m convinced that this is a beast that Roger Goodell simply doesn’t want to wrestle with. He’ll offer his “take” on it, but leave the individual teams hanging in terms of what they should do. And most of them will fear the backlash if they clamp down on the protests, so the sport will suffer further declines in viewership as fans grow increasingly annoyed over the politicization of the greatest sport on Earth.
(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...
BINGO!
So the boycott will continue.
Goodell has calculated that the loss of fans is less costly than
whatever he thinks could happen by laying the law down,
such as a strike.
There are few thing we really have control over. But we do have control over what we spend our spare time and money on. I will read a book, work in my shop, or learn a computer game. No money or time for pro sports, they are all PC.
The NBA has a rule, it’s not hard to do. You just require that players who appear in uniform to play a league game must stand at respectful attention for the flag and anthem.
The NBA has avoided this problem for 20 years, since it first arose for them around 1996 (there was a Muslim convert who was refusing to stand with his team for the anthem), The NBA forced him to stand, although they did say he could hold his hands in prayer to show he was praying for his own beliefs.
If the NFL really has to weasel around they could allow players whose “conscience” bothers them to stay in the locker room until just before the game begins. But under no circumstances should they allow players to utilize the uniform, stadium, team, league, and TV CONTRACTs to stage their personal “protest.”
Also, the NFL has no problem with tightly regulating what commercial and uniform logos, images, and slogans may appear for their games. They restrict players VERY tightly for their own sponsorship and commercial reasons. You can’t wear a non-approved piece of apparel, etc. Goodell has no problem doing it for other reasons — he could end this problem today if he were not such a liberal weasel.
Even though this controversy has been a thorn in my side since last year. I was still considering taking my soon to be 11yr old to his first pro-football game. Forget it, we’ll go race go-carts instead. Screw them.
Another dickhead heard from...
Yep! As long as I have NASCAR's long season to keep me occupied on Saturdays & Sundays I say "piss off, NFL".
I really hope NFL attendance and TV ratings drop further this season while all of these protests take place. At a minimum, I hope conservatives and moderates walk away from season tickets and let the liberals fund this mess.
Reminds me, still looking for a basketball without that racist NBA graffiti.
You want to see further declines in viewership, let these clowns continue without censorship and just watch!
What’s to understand? The NFL provides a service. I partake of that service. If they provide it in a manner which displeases me, then I no longer purchase their service.
Seems pretty straightforward. This arrogant POS is forgetting who his customer is.
There are many of us who enjoy football, but we can easily do without the NFL.
Baseball seems to have put the race card back in the deck years ago, there are all types of players today and no racial problems.
I am surprised the NFL hasn’t try to shit this down by doing the national anthem before the players take the field or do away with it altogether.
as opposed to “shit it UP” LOL you and I use the same auto text.
They will run a commercial and not show the anthem.
NFL and NBA are racist org’s.
I want to see Affirmative Action hires to even the numbers of the currently employed product on the field/court.
There is also much more opportunity for players to self police each other in MLB. There are 162 games in MLB, 16 in NFL. Each NFL game is much more important, so they can’t blow it by sending a message and getting a penalty that might cost a game or suspension. Nobody wants to get stuck with a 90+ mph fastball in the ribs.
FReegards
NBA has a rule.
Why is the NFL different?
Adopt the NBA rule and be done with it. Take the flak and move on.
The NBA says you stand during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Period.
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.