Bingo. If I pulled this stunt on my company time, I would be unemployed right now. If they want to kneel on their own time off the clock, have at it. Otherwise, I don't want to turn on my tv to watch football and escape the "real world" only to see these overpaid punks disrespect our flag and country on their company's time. The NFL didn't want to enforce their rules for fear of being "insensitive." Insensitive to a bunch of barbarians. There's some irony for ya.
Why is it not clear to you that you do your protesting on your own time?? Not the company's time. I'm not paying to watch that garbage and many others aren't either. A lot of these players have enough money and name recognition to go into these poor inner city communities and make a real difference like donating money, spending time with so many of these kids that don't have a father and so on but instead all they do is sit during the Anthem on company time. That is what I have a problem with.
Respectfully, how can you read what you wrote and not feel completely stupid?
Yes, they have always been overpaid and a great many of them would be in jail without football. And yes the majority of them are punks for the kneeling stunts they have pulled. Do it on your own time. They have enough money (being way overpaid) to buy commercial time if they want to get their message out. They can protest in front of NFL HQ's as long as it's on their own time. And I have never wasted much time on the NFL anyway as the college game has always been much better to me. I would only leave an NFL game on if I couldn't find anything else to watch. No, I don't consider the college players punks (unless they give us a reason to think so) because most don't have a career in the NFL anyway and they are playing the game because they either love the game or they are using their scholly to get an education. I can respect that way more than some guy making $5 million a year saying whoa is me (lying dickheads like Michael Bennett come to mind).
Could you? Google is your friend so that is a dumb question. I'm sure there are some that do and kudos to them. But that doesn't change my opinion that any protesting needs to be done on your own time. You are not going to white guilt me into thinking otherwise.
If you ever lived in an NFL city you'd realize that the players DO go into the community and donate their money. Why don't you spend 30 seconds researching what Colin Kaepernick is doing with his money?
While I will be the first to admit that many people are ignorant of the news of the day, Jay Leno's bit and the others like his are edited to achieve the desired results... laughing at ignorant people. In fact if most people didn't have some grasp or understanding of the questions being asked the joke would go over their head.
Folding your arms makes you look like a thug? Come on. I feel like if that bothers you then you really need to lighten up. That isn't a big deal, or even remotely close to "thug" behavior at all.
I thought I read the rule was they had to stand at attention with their helmet in their left hand and could not wear anything unapproved on their clothing like the emblem supporting the police after the police murders. Pretty sure I read that and the NFL just didn’t enforce their own regulation for some reason against the kneelers as they did against those who supported the police.
Your last paragraph is pretty hypocritical given the stereotypical argument about NFL players that you've tried to make. You're asking someone to debate the facts yet you have yet to provide any. I will gladly accept your challenge to debate based upon facts but that will require that you provide facts to back any of your claims.
No you are not. We are to be disgusted at those attacking said players for exercising their right to free speech. If you choose to not watch the NFL that has no effect on me or really anyone.
If you believe in the 1st Amendment, as you say you do, then why do you even care what any of the players do to express an opinion before the game even begins? I can see your point if they were stopping the game action to do this because you paid to see the game played or tuned in your tv to watch the game. Why do you care what occurs outside of the actual game so long as they are not impeding the game action itself? I could see your point if they were laying down in the middle of the field or kneeling during live game action. It is your right to abstain from the NFL completely if you don't agree with how they are expressing themselves but it is still their right to do it prior to the start of live game action. They are being paid to play football, not stand for the national anthem.
I believe in the first amendment but that doesn't insulate from being an idiot. If you do stupid things you will get slammed for it. I've seen several people try to hide behind the first amendment on this issue and it's clear they have no comprehension of what the first amendment actually is. The first amendment protections you from prosecution or government action against free speech. None of the critics of these protests are even remotely violating the first amendment. This isn't a first amendment issue at all except how hypocritical it is for these players to slam this country and use terms like enslavement while at the same time hiding behind the freedoms they claim to not have.
Again this is incorrect. Let's use your analogy of a regular person. Let's say you go to McDonalds to order a Big Mac and the kid behind the counter proceeds to lecture you about abortion for 30 minutes instead of taking your order. How often would you return to that McDonalds? I bet you would walk out right then and there and never return. Would that mean that you are not protecting that kid's free speech rights? Of course not.
It amazes me the NFL will not let the players wear messages on the uniforms and require them to adhere to the leagues uniform policy yet they do not have a policy that says stand for Anthem or stay in locker room until Anthem is finished. That is why I no longer watch or support NFL.
I agree with you on many of your points but this is different from your McD's analogy. This would be more akin to opening up the store, letting customers in, then asking all of the employees to stand behind the counter while the national anthem played before they could begin serving the customers. The customers came to McDs to get food...not watch the employees stand and be forced to face a flag before serving customers. What other private sector job requires pledging allegiance to the US flag before starting work each day???? So long as they are not doing it during live game action, why does it even matter?????
I never said it affected their job performance but I don't really care anymore because I'm not supporting them. And kudos to the players that do work in their communities. But the majority of regular, hard working white Americans are not going to support this matter seriously until they start also protesting gang violence and black on black crime which are much bigger issues facing the black community than some cops who have to make split second decisions in sometimes life or death situations. Sometimes they make the right decisions and sometimes they do not. Look at the job of an NFL QB. It's not a life or death situation most of the time but they also have to make split second decisions and sometimes they make the wrong decision. But they don't lose their life or go to prison for making a mistake. So until these "movements" and "social justice warriors" also own up to their own problems, count me uninterested in what they have to say.
So you calling people rednecks because a bunch of friggin spoiled idiots disrespect our country makes you a real pos!
