Boycott the Knee?

[Hawkmoon]

Some people don't get it.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/30/high-school-football-players-kicked-off-team-for-protesting-during-anthem/

The take the knee madness has infected a high school football team in Texas -- a Christian high school team, in fact. After the coach told his players not to do so, one of his players took a knee and another raised a fist in a black power salute. The coach (who is a pastor and a former Marine) booted the two players from the team. The coach said, "They chose to do that and they had to pay for the consequences.”

Sounds reasonable.

The mother of one of the two former football players (note that her last name isn't the same as either of her son's hyphenated last names) then said:

Rhonda Brady, Ingram-Lewis’ mother, was angry with the coach’s reaction.

“I don’t want them back on the team,” said Brady. “A man with integrity and morals and ethics and who truly lives by that wouldn’t have done anything like that….For [the coach] to do what he did, that really spoke volumes and I don’t want my kids or my nephew to be around a man with no integrity.”

I don't think Ms. Brady understands what integrity, morals, and ethics mean ... Maybe her son will get a clue.

[Perd Hapley]

It's the new age of tribalism; in this case, writ small. Instead of seeing coaches or teachers as fellows in your community, whom you entrust to help you raise your children, you see them as accessories for your children. And they'd better treat your little snowflake like the princeling he is, because of course your kid could never be wrong.

I'm not one of those social conservatives that frets about rampant individualism, and loss of community, but there are times...

[Jamisjockey]

President Trump suggests that fans boycott the NFL until players stop disrespecting the U.S.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/us/politics/trump-calls-for-boycott-if-nfl-doesnt-crack-down-on-anthem-protests.html

In response, more players take the knee, and now baseball players are getting in on the action. Unfortunately, I don't watch television and I couldn't afford a ticket to an NFL game even if I wanted to go to one (which I don't), so I can't join the boycott any more than I already have. I'm curious how the rest of y'all feel.

I get that players have a right to their opinions. I even get that they have a right to use their fame to promote their opinions. I don't accept that disrespecting the flag that hundreds of thousands of men (and some women) have died for is in any way an appropriate expression of their opinions. Plus -- these players make a big deal over their "right" to violate federal law (the Flag Code), yet they don't seem to think that the President has a right to suggest that the fans exercise their right to not buy tickets to the games.

My opinion?
1) The opinions of football players mean *expletive deleted*it to me.  Go out and hit each other, it's what we're paying you for.
2) Mouthbreathing screeching from facebook by people who talk, text, and sit on their asses at home during the national anthem...means equally nothing to me.  I don't care if they're boycotting football.
3)  Trump should shut his yap.  He's got *expletive deleted*it to get done, we've got real problems and real crisis-es that need to be solved.
4)  I'll continue to watch football whenever I feel like it and anyone that assigns any kind of ulterior motives to me can kiss it. 

[AJ Dual]

I'm not one of those social conservatives that frets about rampant individualism, and loss of community, but there are times...

It's much like the First Amendment and freedom of religion.

Economic Conservatives, Libertarians, individualists will all freely agree that there's nothing wrong with voluntary collective action to promote community values and cohesion, merely that it must not come from a place of government coercion. Economic, personal, and cultural coercion (within reason, namely that it doesn't interfere in freedom of association between third parties,) is all fair game.

Muddies the thing for public schools a bit, but generally speaking, whether it's corporate/economic pressures from the fans and the NFL pushing at the players, or a school kid's participation in optional, elective, extra-curricular sports, that's not "censorship".

And I'd say these kinds of things always work better when they come from a genuine place where they arise as an emergent property of the culture at large, and not imposed by the state. So I wouldn't feel worried or bad over advocating "conservative" social values especially as it pertains to community and public life, just so long as nobody's saying: "There oughtta be a law.."

[Perd Hapley]

It's much like the First Amendment and freedom of religion.

Economic Conservatives, Libertarians, individualists will all freely agree that there's nothing wrong with voluntary collective action to promote community values and cohesion, merely that it must not come from a place of government coercion. Economic, personal, and cultural coercion (within reason, namely that it doesn't interfere in freedom of association between third parties,) is all fair game.

Muddies the thing for public schools a bit, but generally speaking, whether it's corporate/economic pressures from the fans and the NFL pushing at the players, or a school kid's participation in optional, elective, extra-curricular sports, that's not "censorship".

And I'd say these kinds of things always work better when they come from a genuine place where they arise as an emergent property of the culture at large, and not imposed by the state. So I wouldn't feel worried or bad over advocating "conservative" social values especially as it pertains to community and public life, just so long as nobody's saying: "There oughtta be a law.."

No, what I meant is that we don't have as much of a sense that we live in a community of people that are like us, and the teachers in the school are a part of the community, helping us raise our children. There's more of a sense that we're on our own, and we have to defend our family against the impersonal world that doesn't care about us. So the teacher is The Man, and he's trying to mess with your tribe. So your instinct is to stick up for your tribe, instead of thinking of you, your kid, and the teacher as all being part of the same tribe.

Does that make sense?

On the other hand, I don't play well with others, and the conservative (or the leftist) angst about scary individualism usually irks me. That being said, I don't think it's "white nationalist" or "alt-right" to question whether multiculturalism is too corrosive of a sense of community.

[Hawkmoon]

Annnnnnnnd ... the NFL cops out.

https://ca.reuters.com/article/canadaSportsNews/idCAKBN1CI24Y-OCASP

Goodell:

“What we don’t have is a proposal that changes our policy, we don’t have something that mandates anything. That’s clear. If that was the case I doubt the head of the NFLPA would have put a joint statement out with us.”

What does this mean? The league's established policy IS that all players should stand for the National Anthem. But it's only a policy, not a rule -- yet the policy includes provisions for sanctions against those who violate it. Goodell hasn't sanctioned anybody, and he's doing everything he can to pretend there's no issue -- while the league is hemorrhaging spectators and viewers over the players' disrespect for the flag and the anthem.

I encourage everyone to totally boycott the NFL, both live and on the boob toob. They want to send a message? Send THEM a message. (Unfortunately, I can't. I cancelled my DirecTV subscription two years ago, so I can't quit any more than I already have.)

[MechAg94]

The liberal NFL owners are trying to play both sides because enough advertisers put their foot down and their fans are not shelling out as much money or watching broadcasts.  Their billion dollar investment is threatened.  What was the dominant sport in the nation a few years ago is now declining and they still don't want to do anything concrete about it.  Sad.

[RoadKingLarry]

Annnnnnnnd ... the NFL cops out.

https://ca.reuters.com/article/canadaSportsNews/idCAKBN1CI24Y-OCASP

Goodell:

What does this mean? The league's established policy IS that all players should stand for the National Anthem. But it's only a policy, not a rule -- yet the policy includes provisions for sanctions against those who violate it. Goodell hasn't sanctioned anybody, and he's doing everything he can to pretend there's no issue -- while the league is hemorrhaging spectators and viewers over the players' disrespect for the flag and the anthem.

I encourage everyone to totally boycott the NFL, both live and on the boob toob. They want to send a message? Send THEM a message. (Unfortunately, I can't. I cancelled by DirecTV subscription two years ago, so I can't quit any more than I already have.)

I'm decades ahead of you.
I honestly cannot remember ever having sat and watch an NFL game, ever.

[wmenorr67]

End the NFL's tax exempt status ASAP.

[K Frame]

This weekend was the first time since I was a teenager that I didn't watch a single minute of a single game.

I literally no longer care about the NFL.

My brain finally broke when I heard some idiot describing NFL players, who are in many cases paid tens of millions of dollars, as slaves. But, only the African American players, obviously.

So, that's it. *expletive deleted*ck the NFL, *expletive deleted*ck professional football.

[Ben]

I see Hillary Clinton is speaking out for the kneeling players, and wrapping it into a whole "resist" thing. I'm sure she'd agree with her "resist" philosophy if she were POTUS.

Also, side note, this "dog whistle" thing is stupid. If it were aimed at the "resistors", it would be tagged as racist. As it is, when you throw every white person between the coasts into a "dog whistle" group, that's how you get Trump term #2, just because I want to piss you off, you jackasses.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/16/hillary-clinton-defends-kneeling-nfl-players-says-thats-not-against-our-anthem-or-flag.html

[Perd Hapley]

Ah, the infamous "dog whistle" accusation. When you want to claim someone's a racist, but you have no justification for doing so. Works every time. Well, until you use it every time.

[zxcvbob]

Ah, the infamous "dog whistle" accusation. When you want to claim someone's a racist, but you have no justification for doing so. Works every time. Well, until you use it every time.

If you can hear the whistle, you're the dog.

[Hawkmoon]

Kaepernick has just confirmed that he's an idiot.

https://sports.yahoo.com/colin-kaepernicks-grievance-ends-shot-qb-playing-nfl-065652122.html

He has filed a formal grievance with the NFL, claiming that there's a conspiracy (but he left out "vast right wing") among league owners to prevent him from playing. Good luck with that. He's going to have a very hard time proving any conspiracy, when his own actions have made him such a pariah that an owner would have to be crazy to sign him. How many teams are there in the league now? 32? 32 owners each individually deciding against hiring a washed-up quarterback that fans hate doesn't equate to a conspiracy. It equates to 32 individual owners deciding on their own not to hire a toxic, washed-up quarterback.

[Hawkmoon]

I see Hillary Clinton is speaking out for the kneeling players, and wrapping it into a whole "resist" thing. I'm sure she'd agree with her "resist" philosophy if she were POTUS.

Also, side note, this "dog whistle" thing is stupid. If it were aimed at the "resistors", it would be tagged as racist. As it is, when you throw every white person between the coasts into a "dog whistle" group, that's how you get Trump term #2, just because I want to piss you off, you jackasses.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/16/hillary-clinton-defends-kneeling-nfl-players-says-thats-not-against-our-anthem-or-flag.html

As if we needed yet another reason to be glad she's not the president.

Hillary Clinton on Sunday defended NFL players who knelt during the national anthem, saying kneeling is a “reverent” position that is not against “our anthem or our flag.”

Respect for the flag is not about reverence. The Flag Code (which is, after all, federal law) says to stand, with your hand over your heart. Kneeling is not an option. And, based on their own statements, their kneeling was NOT in any way intended to demonstrate "reverence" for the flag or the anthem.

Hillary needs to slither back into her cave.

[Scout26]

Hillary needs to slither back into her cave.

I'm torn between wanting her to shut her yap and go away....However, she's sucking all the oxygen out of the Democrat party...She's not letting them or (her) move beyond the loss.  If she keeps it up the only one the Democrats can (and will) nominate is Hillary (Again !!)  So we'll have Eisenhower v. Stevenson Part II al over again.  And it will be epic because even more people will hate her and the Democrats by 2020...

[just Warren]

She's an albatross in a pants suit.

[DittoHead]

based on their own statements, their kneeling was NOT in any way intended to demonstrate "reverence" for the flag or the anthem.

Not so sure about that...

After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former N.F.L. player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, the next day during the anthem as a peaceful protest. We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy.

It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag and military personnel. We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite.

[Hawkmoon]

Not so sure about that...

Speaking as a Vietnam veteran who has actually read the Flag Code, I don't give a crap what they say their kneeling is. The fact is it's a violation of the Flag Code and it's using the flag and the National Anthem to make a political statement. Kneeling is NOT a "respectful gesture" when the written LAW says that respect for the flag shall be demonstrated by standing, with your right hand over your heart.

These clowns earn millions of dollars every year. Some of them earn millions of dollars every GAME. Instead of disrespecting the flag, why don't they reach into their pockets and take out a full-page ad in the New York Times? Why don't they join forces and hire an advertising agency or public relations firm to make their case by airing public service ads during commercial breaks? They do NOT have to disrespect the flag to make their point, they choose to do so because they're too cheap to do it another way. Trying to pretend that they don't intend to disrespect the flag when that obviously IS their intent just makes them liars and hypocrites on top of being morons.

[KD5NRH]

I'm torn between wanting her to shut her yap and go away....However, she's sucking all the oxygen out of the Democrat party...She's not letting them or (her) move beyond the loss.  If she keeps it up the only one the Democrats can (and will) nominate is Hillary (Again !!)  So we'll have Eisenhower v. Stevenson Part II al over again.  And it will be epic because even more people will hate her and the Democrats by 2020...

[bedlamite]

 

[cordex]

My brain finally broke when I heard some idiot describing NFL players, who are in many cases paid tens of millions of dollars, as slaves. But, only the African American players, obviously.

Didn't richyoung try to make pretty much exactly that argument here on APS a few years ago?

[K Frame]

Didn't richyoung try to make pretty much exactly that argument here on APS a few years ago?

Not a clue, but knowing him, very probably.

[makattak]

She's an albatross in a pants suit.

Way I remember it, the albatross was a ship's good luck, 'til some idiot killed it.

[Hawkmoon]

The NFL's implosion continues apace:

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/10/nfl-hell-several-stadiums-nearly-empty-anthem-protest-backlash-rolls-week-7-photos/

Goodell really blew it. Rather than requiring the players to stand for the anthem in accordance with pre-existing league policy, he tried to appease the militant players, with no regard for the fans who ultimately foot the bill.