Sunday, September 24, 2017

Professional Sports Take a Knee and Take a Dive

Last week, I was getting my car tuned for a long road trip.

The car shop owner told his buddies how fed up he was with the politicking that has taken over the NFL. "I just want to watch the game. I don't want to hear the politics. I want to see them play."

Exactly, and that's about as political as most Americans want to get.

They would like to see the government machinations and identity politics put out of their faces. They would like to see the state do its basic job: protect our rights and secure our persons.

Yet for the past 8 years under Barack Obama, everything was politicized. Marriage, life, the role of the government, the basic services of the military--Obama forced his perverse, anti-American agenda onto this country.



Thank God for Trump, and thank God for him calling out the hateful rhetoric of the professional sports leagues.

Now that their guy Obama is out of office, and now that they see that the Democratic Party has no real chance of regaining political power in Congress for the foreseeable future, they have resorted to their anti-Trump, anti-American temper tantrums in the public square and in every major facet of American culture.

They are losing. Do they not realize that politics may be a zero-sum game, but in the private sector, including the entertainment industries, we have even more power as individual consumers? We don't have to watch sports programs, LeBron James and Stephen Curry! If you want to dishonor our President, fine, but we do not have to wait for the next election cycle to let you know how we feel. We can just turn the television off and watch your franchise go down the tubes.

The NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell is fighting back against President Trump, claiming that the President has no right to comment on what the players do--or refuse to do--during the national anthem. Actually, the President has every right to signal his displeasure with the disrespectful professional athletes who have overstayed their welcome in the country's national political discourse. Just because they are celebrities does not mean that we need to hear what they think on contentious issues of the day. In many cases, they have too little insight or information to share. They have confused their past honored popularity with cultural authority. They have none. In fact, when President Trump signals that the football players should be fired, he is voicing the frustration that many have toward these professional elitist entertainers. His outrage goes after Hollywood and Academia, too, not just professional sports.



While Colin Kaepernick wants to take a knee because of the supposed injustices of the criminal justice system--as if he would event know--President Trump and the vast majority of Americans, even those men and women in otherwise overwhelmingly Democratic states, are taking a knee to these elitist groups and taking their business elsewhere.

Of course, President Trump's visible opposition to this disrespect has only lead to major sports franchises doubling down on their disrespect to the American flag. The entire Pittsburgh Steelers team has refused to leave the locker room, so that no one stands or kneels during the National Anthem.

Baseball players are now following in the dissimulation.

Keep it up, liberal academics, professional athletes, and celebrities. The more that you rage against the President, dishonor our flag, and disregard this country, the more irrelevant you make yourselves, and the more that we will win the fight to Make America Great Again!


2 comments:

  1. The specific rule pertaining to the National Anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook.
    It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem.

    “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking.
    The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country.

    Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”

    It’s in their contract they need to stand…..

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  2. Suggestion, ban football. It causes brain damage and this has been proven. Those knelling apparently (obviously) dont know any better.

    Also, please find, seek-out and investigate each player taking a knee. If taking a knee and have any sponsorship with commercial companies then it is time to let the powerful American dollar speak up by not endorsing these products.

    TRUMP is right about this subject. TRUMP is simply saying what a lot of conservatives and Pro-Trumpers as well as many moderate Democrats are thinking. Yes like Republicans, not all Democrats are on board with this anti-American kneeling movement (campaign or narrative) either.

    Standing for the National Anthem is one of the most patriotic gestures and honor that Americans can voluntarialy participate in the USA.

    Yes, yes and yes you don't have to participate in it. Yes, we're all aware that every American citizen can protest (of course within reason) which is protected by the First Amendment. However, there's also a place and a time for all that.

    Personally I don't believe a sporting event like the NFL, NBA or MLB should be one of them. It's wonderful that these athletes want to be social activist and warriors, however I believe they should do that on their own time (dime) and not at a sports venue. This is not their platform to do so. This is a sports event and not a political echo chamber. Especially a sports venue that viewers and fans pay lots of hard earned money to see.

    This disgraceful distraction of kneeling is a turnoff to a large percentage of the population and viewership. I imagine the TV ratings will take a big dip and some fans will stay clear of this all together.

    Hello NFL (Commissioner Rodger Goodell, NFL team owners and players). What part of that don't you understand. Alienation of a fan base is a wonderful idea. I especially like to hear and read about Pop Warner and high school football players kneeling at their games now too during the National Anthem. I hope they're (adult NFL players) are proud of themselves. Meantime we have police officers and military service men and women dying everyday enforcing Law and Order and defending our country domestically and abroad.

    Go figure. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But as stated, apparently all those blows to the head has caused brain damage. Brain damage that results in kneeling. Poor, uncontrollable kneeling. Kinda of sad seeing these NFL guys kneeling due (obviously) to brain damage. There could be no other reason. It's got to be the brain damage. After all, no physically able body American citizen would kneel for the national anthem. Right?

    So, what's next? Pillows,baby bottles and naps during the National Anthem. We can only hope. It couldn't be any worse than what's happening now.

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