Trump versus athletes on NFL anthem protests. How does everyone feel about this?

[bucket]

Somehow....call me stupid....isn't there more important things to worry about.....


I get the patriotism thing and it's importance but both the president and the players are turning this into a political issue....sports is suppose to be above that. ....

[sawfly1]

spoiled brats or not.
if they feel too many blacks are being shot by law enforcement . for no good reason.
in a supposed equal society.
they are peacefully raising the issue .
it is the right thing to do.

would it be any different ,
for Catholics to protest sex abuse by clergy.
taking on the church could be considered going against god .
got to be worse than country for those same folks.

how many times in history , have the unpatriotic things been the right thing to do.
protesting the Vietnam war.
way more un American than this little thing.
and they were totally right.

the dixie chicks horrible unpatriotic about the Iraq war .
had there music banned , and they were right too.

you can never fix anything if you refuse to look at it honestly .

[Oliver88]

At the end of the day the American TV viewer, sponsors, attendance levels will be the judge of what some of these overpaid athletes are doing. Trump's suggestion to either not watch or leave the stadium may or may not happen.

It sounds like ratings yesterday were the lowest since 1988, we will see how this unfolds.

[newguy]

Impossible to analyze or rationalize a Jerry Springer show.

[grassfarmer]

grassfarmer, Trump will win this battle, that's why he picked it. Rich unpatriotic athletes, vs. a Rich patriotic President.

Maybe get your eyesight checked I didn't post anything on this thread.

Now that I'm here though I see Braveheart practices selective racism - against Natives it's bad (which I totally agree with) but against Blacks or Hutterites and Mennonites it's OK.

[littledoggie]

There is so much rhetoric out there that the only way to remain sane through it all is to take this stance: Don't listen to what they say but look at what they do.

[Braveheart]

Grassy, it's actually selective bigotry rather than selective racism. It's not against the people though, it's against their actions. While I do try to not be judgemental, I'm human and sometimes . . .

I have one black friend, a few Mennonite friends, some Hutterites I am on good terms with. It's the actions of a few that spoil it for the an entire race. My black friend for instance, can't stand it when blacks call each other ******. He's disgusted when he sees a criminal shot by police suddenly become an innocent martyred by racial profiling cops. The kid was a criminal plain and simple.

Back to the thread, when sports figures, actors, etc protest like they are, it has the opposite of the intended effect. They think they shine a light on racial injustice yet they are really widening the gulf that may or may not exist already. Now they are set apart. Now so called facial injustice is more prominent than an anthem and flag that many (of all races) are still making the supreme sacrifice for.

People pay a lot of money to watch NFL games. Free speech is one thing, but patrons pay to watch football. Their money is hard earned like everyone's. Do they need their entertainment spoiled by privileged athletes that could lend their voice to these issues beyond the arena? I don't think so.

[rockpile]

So it turns out the tradition of patriotism and standing for the anthem goes all the way back to 2009 when the DOD began to pay pro teams to do the ritual as part of a recruitment effort. Between 2012 - 15, the DOD spent 53 mil on pro teams to put on a show of patriotism. Turns out it's not patriotic duty at all but rather all about the money, lol. Renders this whole discussion mute. BTW, the RR's locked arms during the Canadian anthem yesterday to show solidarity with their American brothers. The bastards, lol! -Global News.

[Jay-mo]

I think a lot of people/fans are confused.
All they see are multi-millionaire athletes disrespecting their nations flag. The nation that provides the opportunity and stage for them to be paid millions of dollars to play a game.
Yes, there's bad cops, they hate Trump, but what exactly is the message they are trying to convey?

[Braveheart]

Jay-Mo, I agree 100%.

Rockpile, so if that's the case (re DOD) why do I remember watching the World Series back in the mid 60's and the players were all standing for the anthem. That said, the DOD, and the CIA can't be trusted AT ALL.

[grassfarmer]

People pay a lot of money to watch NFL games. Free speech is one thing, but patrons pay to watch football. Their money is hard earned like everyone's. Do they need their entertainment spoiled by privileged athletes that could lend their voice to these issues beyond the arena? I don't think so.

Let them vote with their wallets then - a free market solution instead of Government intervention! Smacks of another side show to me to distract from what the Government is, or should be, doing.

[chuckChuck]

Some of you need to rethink this.

Athletes are protesting racism against black people in the US and the way they are treated by cops. We all know they have a problem. There have been several well publicized cases of unarmed black citizens being shot or killed without good reasons.

Freedom of speech is well entrenched in the US constitution. Players have every right to protest, criticize America, and defy the President. It is not about the flag, the anthem, or being patriotic. That is just trump's manipulative way of trying to stop the protests.

Trump is the one who has a problem with respecting all Americans, being patriotic and upholding the Constitution.

He failed to condemn the white supremacists and Nazi's marching in Charlottesville untill he was forced into it.

It looks like his campaign team and likely his family and himself conspired with The Russians to interfere in the US election.

If convicted of anything he has mused about pardoning himself.

He criticized John MCain for being shot down and held prisoner in Vietnam.

He criticized a grieving Muslim family of a US soldier who was killed in Iraq.

If anybody has a problem with being a patriotic American, it is Trump himself who wants to create a huge racial and political divide in the US for his own political benefit.

[grassfarmer]

Some of you need to rethink this.

Athletes are protesting racism against black people in the US and the way they are treated by cops. We all know they have a problem. There have been several well publicized cases of unarmed black citizens being shot or killed without good reasons.

Freedom of speech is well entrenched in the US constitution. Players have every right to protest, criticize America, and defy the President. It is not about the flag, the anthem, or being patriotic. That is just trump's manipulative way of trying to stop the protests.

Trump is the one who has a problem with respecting all Americans, being patriotic and upholding the Constitution.

He failed to condemn the white supremacists and Nazi's marching in Charlottesville untill he was forced into it.

It looks like his campaign team and likely his family and himself conspired with The Russians to interfere in the US election.

If convicted of anything he has mused about pardoning himself.

He criticized John MCain for being shot down and held prisoner in Vietnam.

He criticized a grieving Muslim family of a US soldier who was killed in Iraq.

If anybody has a problem with being a patriotic American, it is Trump himself who wants to create a huge racial and political divide in the US for his own political benefit.

Don't forget dodging the draft multiple times!

[newguy]

[newguy]

Majority of Canadians have taken the diversity and inclusive road as far human right issues.I am talking Canada not coffee row in small town sask.