Trump, The Sports Fan, Says He Won’t Watch NFL, US Soccer If Players Kneel During Anthem

Reuters via Epoch Times ^ | 06/14/2020

[SeekAndFind]

President Donald Trump has said he will not watch National Football League (NFL) or U.S. soccer team matches if players do not stand for the national anthem.

The U.S. Soccer Federation last week said it had dropped its requirement that players stand during the anthem, saying the policy was wrong and detracted from the Black Lives Matter movement.

The policy was adopted in 2017 after U.S. women’s national team member Megan Rapinoe took a knee during the anthem before a game, in solidarity with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in 2016 started kneeling in protest of a flag he said represents “a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

United States’ Megan Rapinoe (R) kneels next to teammates Christen Press (12), Ali Krieger (11), Crystal Dunn (16) and Ashlyn Harris (22) as the national anthem is played before the team’s exhibition soccer match against the Netherlands in Atlanta on Sept. 18, 2016. (John Bazemore/AP Photo)

“I won’t be watching much anymore,” Trump wrote on Twitter late on Saturday in response to a report of Republican congressman Matt Gaetz criticising U.S. Soccer’s move.

“And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching,” Trump said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said this month that the league had made mistakes in not listening to players and denounced racism in the country.

The issue returned to the fore last month after the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a black man who died after a police officer knelt on his neck.

Trump has been a vocal critic of players kneeling during the anthem, previously writing on Twitter that NFL players who did so were “disrespecting our Country & our Flag.”

[Rummyfan]

He’s not the only one. No pain in giving up women’s soccer - Rapinho sealed that deal last year. But the NFL.... it’s been a lifelong habit however I will not tolerate the kneeling.

[stanne]

“ And the Flag is about the Country.”

Yes. The constitution Which is against racism.

[dfwgator]

The point is, to understand why they are so focused on these things, they want full-scale Revolution, you cannot argue with them on the issues, because the issue really doesn’t matter to them, outside of how it can be exploited to bring about The Revolution.

[Retvet]

I’ve given up on all sports. Remember we shouldn’t keep score.

[Cowboy Bob]

I think America can get along just fine without a Woman’s Soccer Team.

[dfwgator]

And with the way they’ve been playing, the Men’s too. Can’t even beat Trinidad and Tobago, for crying out loud.

[Vinnie]

Add NASCAR to the list.

[Grampa Dave]

We cut our cable 3 years ago next month.

Besides saving about $200/month, we use Sling Blue and it does not carry ABC nor the National F***U, You dumb Americans nor Disney. Sling blue costs $35/month.

[airborne]

I would be curious to see which athletes are brave enough to STAND during the National Anthem.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

BOYCOTT THE NFL & NASCAR!

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Trump, The Sports Fan, Says He Won’t Watch NFL, US Soccer If Players Kneel During Anthem

He's not alone in that - the NFL lost a lot of fans permanently when Kaepernick's antics were being publicized a few years ago. Bring this BS back with multiple players and the NFL could very well destroy itself. As for US Soccer, no one watches it anyway, so whatever...kneel, wash feet prior to the game, do whatever. No one cares.

[ealgeone]

Right there with you, Mr. President.

[Conservinator]

Even if the NFL players are true to their word (which I don’t believe for a second) and their protests are because they believe racial inequality exists on a rampant basis in the arena of law enforcement, they are supporting a movement that was started by a 3rd rate quarterback that wore socks on the field of play during warmups that depicted policemen (all policemen) as pigs. To me, that characterization of people that willingly put their lives on the line every day and deal with unimaginable stress, many times because the people they have to deal with immediately become contemptible jerks, is just as inflammatory as not standing for our national anthem and the presentation of our flag. Whatever happened to doing the right thing, respecting people in authority and being polite. The left half of our society has become a swirling toilet bowl of filthy language, despicable attitudes and hellish actions against people they disagree with. And all the press and our elected “leaders” do is fan the flames of contempt. I am quickly approaching the end of the 3rd quarter of my life and this will not impact me much longer. My concern is for my children and grandchildren. If this trend continues, and I really don’t see any evidence that the trajectory will change any time soon, the generations behind mine will truly face hell on earth. It sickens me to the core of my being that a vast number of people in our society choose immediate confrontation. Many people that support the left say that people on the right need to “work with us in a spirit of compromise.” To those people I say, “it appears that is what has been going on for the past 100+ years.” “Can you name one political issue, societal issue or fiscal issue that has moved further to the right over the past 100+ years? Just one.” Didn’t think you could. For the life of me I cannot come up with a single issue that has moved further right. We have ceded so much political and societal territory that it has emboldened the left to the point that they don’t need to negotiate in good faith, they just need to keep banging the drum and the right will eventually give in to just shut them up. THAT is no way to run a country, unless of course you want to run it into the ditch. It seems to me that is the game plan of the left anyway. If they are successful, it is going to be really interesting to see the reaction of the deluded masses on the left that voted it in, and then become just as poor, just as beaten down and just as desperate as those whom they voted against, all because they will become part of the 99% of the populace under the depressing and suppressing arm of power that have governed socialist nations over the past 100 years. And that my friends, ain’t gonna be pretty! (See Venezuela for reference).

[stuckinloozeeana]

News sites are saying President Trump is WARNING that he won’t watch. I don’t see the “warning”.

[TBP]

Nor will I, Mr. President. In fact, I haven’t watched the NFL in three or four years now.

[chopperk]

There are many fans who will not watch soccer nor the nfl anymore.

[maxwellsmart_agent]

Trump is not alone in this! I will turn the channel or leave any game if some piece of crud kneels during the National Anthem. Colin Kaepernick is a news-grabbing slob with the Kneeling phoney demonstations. So is anybody else who pulls it. I turned it off with kneelers already and will do it again. I love sports but I love my country more!

[dfwgator]

At this point, I don’t care what they do. I’ve learned I just don’t need it anymore, I’ve moved on.

[Lisbon1940]

He may be the last man standing.