The Pittsburgh Steelers football team will remain in the locker room during the National Anthem

Well now look at where you moved the goalpost here for patriotism to something very different. If there are 'better ways', than it must be a sign of nation hatred not to realize it and pick one of those.

 

I'm not sure why the snark... You said you hadn't seen any evidence of this protest nonsense being "rejected" and I wrote that I had seen evidence that it is being rejected in the form of lower ratings.

 

It tells me that they bent their knee in protest to what they largely perceive as ongoing racial discrimination in this country. Those are some huge jumps you made there.

 

You know, if you are going to discuss a topic, you ought be familiar with the details:

-----------------------------


Protests against the national anthem were the top reason that NFL viewership declined in 2016.

That's according to a survey conducted by J.D. Power, a global market research company, who provided data from over 9,200 people, per ESPN, and 26% of people surveyed who called themselves football fans said that they watched fewer games in 2016 because of Colin Kaepernick-led protests of the anthem.



http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...ball-fans-watched-nfl-games-article-1.3362637

 

Aha!

And especially when you are called out for it but persist in your behavior.

 

Steelers OL Alejandro Villanueva was the only one on his team to stand for the national anthem Sunday.

He is an Army Ranger with multiple combat tours and a Bronze Star with Valor. He is the only Steeler to stand for the National Anthem

 

I agree. "Respect for America," though, has far less to do with it than "meaningless hot air activism conducted by extremely -privileged- hypocrites" I'll wager, and believe my opinion parallels the mainstream on this.

Personally, I don't care whether people sit, stand or kneel for the National Anthem.

But if they are privileged celebrities protesting under bullshit pretenses who are using their fame and the fact that there are convenient cameras to posture for (so they are doing the LAZIEST conceivable possible form of activism, even ANTIFA is more legit)? I have a problem with that. I'll turn them off just like I turn off any mouthy, ignorant celebrities and not consume their product again.

Moreover, if they want to "protest" let them write a manifesto containing actual ideas AND ARGUMENTS, and publish it, so that we could at least see that there -are- actual ideas underlying and not simple virtue signaling as in most areas of brainless LW identity politics advertisements.

@thread, and not at the above poster

I have seen people repeating the "free speech/1st Amendment" nonsense in this thread despite there being several threads on this and that this is not a First Amendment issue is well-demonstrated and documented within them. This is NOT a First Amendment issue, and before some of you LW take marching orders from your blogs, lists and union newsgroups and start repeating this, I also believe that the public realizes full well this legal fact. Repeat a First Amendment lie narrative on this and be on very thin ice with voters... SO GO RIGHT AHEAD!!! LOL.

 

No you wrote that someone 'cited' it as a reason. That suggests an opinion was offered that you noted and that this is one of several reasons for lower ratings. If there is any substantiation or proof connecting these lower ratings to this protest on which this opinion is factually based , neither one of us has actually seen it We sure haven't considered the impact of other reasons for lower ratings. You got a link to any evidence that induced this someone to promote this theory?

 

I'm a Raider fan too. I am undecided though. I will probably end up watching it.

 

Actually someone just posted about it with a link a few posts prior to this one.

Sorry (not really) if I read and remember quite a lot of things and decide to share that information without (gasp) a link.

 

If some athletes want to politicize the sideline that's their choice but for the NFL to join in and possibly alienate their fan base by siding with
them is really poor business sense. Perhaps they are so filled with hubris and over confidence in their own indispensability that they think
they can do anything. They are mistaken.

 

I worked out with the Rangers when I was young. Some of the toughest men I ever knew. Tomlin is black so I guess he feels like life has been hard on him. Being chosen as coach would have been a dream come true for most.[/QUOTE]

 

And there is another problem. why is it hypocritical to protest racial discrimination if you are wealthy or successful and black? There is nothing inconsistent about protesting the death of young blacks at the hands of bad cops, when you have not been personally arrested by a bad cop. You do not need to conclude that every single black must have been denied opportunity based on race to protest when it happens. Empathy can drive a protest position, and may in fact be a great motivator.

 

Yep.

 

I think you forget this is actually a union. Union tends to publicly support a position that provides greater freedom for their members. They are supposed to be a mouthpiece for advocacy for their members in public. Its just what they do.

edit OOPs stupid error noted!

 

I truly believe the Raiders would so something like that. A team run by the fifty year old bowl haircut wearing spawn of the devil (Al Davis)
is capable of anything. I hope they have fun heat stroking out in Las Vegas....a city that truly befits them.

 

Peer pressure gets to a lot of these guys. What's a white guy going to do when the team is mostly black. Nobody wants to be labeled a racist so they cave in. 16% of the population shouldn't control the agenda on race but they do.

 

The Olympics does not allow political demonstrations by competitors and has banned competitors who did so from participation.

The question is are people willing to pay many hundreds of dollars to attend a professional protest against the United States? If so, fine, but recognize that is what buying a ticket is doing.

In my opinion, there is something quite obscene for a football player with a contract for over $100 million dollars protesting that American society discriminated against him.

 

Please don't confuse the NFL with the player's union. One is the organization of owners...the other the organization for the workers.

 

In the first place they are wrong on the facts

But secondly they are doing just what I said they were

Hating America until they get what they want

 

Sure. The peer pressure must be enormous. And incidentally what will this do for team unity in the future?
Will people play as hard for others that didn't support their political stance?
Quite possibly not.

 

Maybe if you stamp your feet and pound your fist while you say it, no one else will notice the jump in logic and the loaded words.

 

Wow. and I did just do that!! Oops

 

I don't think you understand.

 

No need for that, you know.

Trump has every right to do what he did, and the NFL and the players and the fans have every right to kick it up his butt.