National Football League

I think the episode in London where the players knelt for the U.S. anthem and then stood for the U.K. anthem is going to cause a major backlash.

Thank you for your reply. I just don't get how a person can equate the national anthem to a buckle under to police organizations. I would understand more if this were the draft era of the military such as it was with the Vietnam War and blacks comprising a far greater number of draftees. Even so where I come from there were more than a few white military personnel that were killed in Vietnam. I wonder if statistics were compiled to determine the percentages lost or if people were going by perception. In any event the criticisms are fair in that the rich were able to far more effectively avoid the draft than the poor.

I am trying to concentrate on the games - Packers/Bengals was a good game. They don't show the national anthems here in Canada so I can block out the politics.

It is unprofessional. You aren't allowed when you are on the clock at work to stand outside your work holding up a political protest sign. You would be fired and the company would be well within its rights to fire you. You have a right to free speech and protest but the business has the right to expect you to perform within their standards.

By allowing this the NFL is guilty, not the players, of allowing the unprofessional behavior. The point trump was making as far as I can see is that the NFL as an organization is allowing this and they should do something about the unprofessional behavior. Trump is not ordering people to do it, because he does not have the authority to do that. He is making a suggestion, in his Trump way, of how the NFL should be handling it. And I think he is right, just not suave in his presentation.

Enough with the politics in sports. It is Entertainment. If the player goes to a game on his off time and kneels during the anthem, fine no one can do anything about that except say they see it as disrespectful (which is within their first amendment right). But during game time when they are representing their organization, if the organization does nothing those that find it disrespectful should turn it off. I personally would prefer the politics getting out of everything entertainment related.

BTW, you do know that Trump still has his rights correct? So he still gets to speak freely on how he thinks things should be done, he just has the largest platform in the world to exercise his rights. And you have the right to disagree with what he says.

Which still does not change my mind. This is "sticking it to the man" without the proper context. CK did his thing after a few minority incidents with the police. He never initially said that this was not an intended insult towards the military and those who serve in the military. Everybody in the NFL at this point is just retconning to protect their business. It does not bode well for a country when you put money ahead of principles. After all, that is how we got to the point of having institutional slavery in this country up until the Civil War.

Goodell wanted the adulation of all the media outlets that broadcast the NFL and it was no coincidence they all have a liberal slant. Goodell only cares about making himself money and if a few television sets snap off in fly-over country then it is no loss in his mind. The league office is still probably trying to figure out how to move franchises that are not on the coasts to more "lucrative" markets at least in secret. In any event Goodell did not want the media ripping on him on a daily basis for telling people that they can practice their politics on their own time just like the rest of America does. Work at a place like Walmart where they probably dog you if you need to use the rest room.