Sports are now politics. They are no longer a release of the mundane shit in our life. We can't tune in to sports to escape the shit that is happening b/c sports (mainly NFL right now) are used as a platform for those involved. The latest: the National Anthem.

What is everyone's take on what is going on around the sports world, especially now that idiot Trump has run his mouth?

1) Shut up Trump
2) I'm all for freedom of speech...
- However... I view professional sports as a business. If the business owner is OK with the employee taking a knee, then it's up to the business owner.

THat's all I have the energy to type on the subject right now.

Your Thoughts?

Agreed.
Both sides are stupid.

I don't personally care. They're welcome to their opinions and viewpoints. Sports may be our escape from the real world but for these guys it's their lives so I don't expect them to go out there and act like robots for our sake. Trump has said some pretty boneheaded things but getting involved with sports has to take the cake. Can't believe there isn't anyone at his side warning him how out of touch he comes across. Or maybe there is and he doesn't GAF.

I'm a little torn here. I DO think it's disrespectful of all who have died preserving our freedom.

On the other hand one of those freedoms is freedom of speech. I think the first amendment is very important and I also think the founding fathers meant for the first amendment to be used to complain about injustice by the govt. Complaining about your govt is exactly what they created it for. I do not like looting and rioting every time a group disagrees with someone being arrested, or shot by police, or a govt decision. So I guess I have no issue with a silent protest.

I do think it'd be interesting to have these guys specify exactly why the're protesting, whether it be police brutality, president Trump, social injustices (like?), supporting other teammates, etc.

its not impacting the product on the field so nobody cares.

I think they barked up the wrong tree protesting the national anthem. The message is unclear (racism, if so don't include Michael Brown, etc), and all it has been doing is angering the fan base. Should have thought of a diff way to get whatever point it is across.
Having said that, I think trump is a dipshit and none of these players should be fired for it. Also, if Kapernick was good he'd be playing so stfu cry babies about it


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It's hard for me to support someone who doesn't stand for the anthem while making multi-million dollars to play a sport.

Freedom of speech pertains only to the government and prosecution, it does not extend to the workplace. No business is their right mind would tolerate an employee(s) upsetting/alienating even 1 or 2 customers, let alone tolerate alienating half their customer base. This is entirely the NFL's fault, specifically the owners and the commissioner who have had over a year to address this and issue an employee code of conduct prohibiting political activism on company time. That the Commissioner has failed to act on this in the interest in the game (his primary responsibility) should earn him an immediate pink slip.
I am in no way justifiying the remarks of the President, but the fact that he even made them illustrates that the owners have lost control of their business....allowing outside political forces to affect the game and the fans , their customers.

BRF;1873171 wrote:It's hard for me to support someone who doesn't stand for the anthem while making multi-million dollars to play a sport.

I think this is a solid opinion to have but to play devil's advocate, plenty of these guys grew up in hardships you probably never encountered, either.

friendfromlowry;1873175 wrote:I think this is a solid opinion to have but to play devil's advocate, plenty of these guys grew up in hardships you probably never encountered, either.

And as a devil's advocate, I would say how would you know this? You know about any hardships of mine?

Surely you would agree that an NFL player has had his ass kissed for a long time to get to where they are.

friendfromlowry;1873175 wrote:I think this is a solid opinion to have but to play devil's advocate, plenty of these guys grew up in hardships you probably never encountered, either.

While that it entirely true, the anthem and the flag don't represent the causes of those hardships. They do represent our values and commitment to freedom, liberty and the rights of man. They also represent the blood that has been shed in pursuit of those goals. They are unifying symbols, not political footballs.

Also, there are a shit ton of flag code violations that everyone ignores every day.

HitsRus;1873177 wrote:While that it entirely true, the anthem and the flag don't represent the causes of those hardships. They do represent our values and commitment to freedom, liberty and the rights of man. They also represent the blood that has been shed in pursuit of those goals. They are unifying symbols, not political footballs.

And if people feel these values are not applied to them or other people like them? To me, it's no different than an Olympic athlete raising a fist on the medal podium.

BRF;1873176 wrote:And as a devil's advocate, I would say how would you know this? You know about any hardships of mine?

Surely you would agree that an NFL player has had his ass kissed for a long time to get to where they are.

I do not know about your hardships. My point was, you don't have to go far to see someone label them as whiny, spoiled, millionaires, etc. that can't relate to us hard working folk. They weren't always millionaires.

And I would disagree about the ass kissing. Nearly half the guys that start out on the training camp roster end up cut. Or cut get next season. Or get traded or released because they're old or make too much money or want to make too much money.

FatHobbit;1873180 wrote:And if people feel these values are not applied to them or other people like them? To me, it's no different than an Olympic athlete raising a fist on the medal podium.

Then suck it up as a condition of employment. There are plenty of venues in which to apply your political activism. If it's bad for the business which pays your bills and feeds your family, STFU.

HitsRus;1873182 wrote:Then suck it up as a condition of employment. There are plenty of venues in which to apply your political activism. If it's bad for the business which pays your bills and feeds your family, STFU.

Yep, the NFL is sure being hurt by these protests lol.

How thin-skinned does someone have to be that a player kneeling for anthem offends them and actively makes them angry?

Also, coincidence or not that it took Trump to bring it up for all the redneck idiot republicans on my Facebook newsfeed (who probably don't even watch football to begin with) to complain about it?

Laley23;1873183 wrote:Yep, the NFL is sure being hurt by these protests lol.

How thin-skinned does someone have to be that a player kneeling for anthem offends them and actively makes them angry?

Yea, I don't get it.

Who cares that they are silently protesting? I mean honestly, why the fuck does anyone actually care?

Laley23;1873183 wrote:Yep, the NFL is sure being hurt by these protests lol.

How thin-skinned does someone have to be that a player kneeling for anthem offends them and actively makes them angry?

I don't know, but apparently it does. Would your boss allow you to take politics into your job?

HitsRus;1873186 wrote:I don't know, but apparently it does. Would your boss allow you to take politics into your job?

Does that matter? Their bosses don't have a problem with it, which is all that matters.

And can we stop with the "millionaire" talk. 99% of these protests are not about them, but about those without a platform or voice. What is wrong with peacefully protesting for something you believe in? Whether it's them or not, they are giving a voice to millions of people who otherwise go unheard.

And for the record, I have no idea if my boss would care. But I doubt it.

friendfromlowry;1873184 wrote:Also, coincidence or not that it took Trump to bring it up for all the redneck idiot republicans on my Facebook newsfeed (who probably don't even watch football to begin with) to complain about it?

Geez, where you been? This has been going on a year.
Trump is a dolt. His comments play to that. Why does the NFL allow their business to be used?

And for the record, I have no idea if my boss would care. But I doubt it.

He would if it negatively affected his business.

HitsRus;1873190 wrote:He would if it negatively affected his business.

The NFL is not being negatively effected. Stop with that narrative.

HitsRus;1873189 wrote:Geez, where you been? This has been going on a year.
Trump is a dolt. His comments play to that. Why does the NFL allow their business to be used?

I'm aware it's been going on for a year. Check the NFL threads - I've posted about it plenty. But up until yesterday it was a very small percentage doing it that you probably couldn't even name off the top of your head outside of Kaepernick and Lynch. Now you have entire teams sitting it out.