Poll: Like or Dislike Players Protesting During the National Anthem?

It is bad for the game.

Right message, wrong method.

In strictly a business sense, it is idiotic. You never want to slice out a chunk of your fan base. When the new CBA hits down the road, the players can only look in the mirror at the lack of revenue and higher cap numbers and wished they had approached this differently.

I have messaging the last week with a former student of mine who is married to a former student of mine who is an active NFL player.(I taught both of them at the same high school). She says he is struggling with what to do, and friends and family have been over the top in their sentiments toward what he should do. According to him, a LOT of soul searching in the locker room.

Originally posted by reasonable1:
This thread has exposed a lot of privileged individuals who are unaware of the level of said privilege they have.

These guys have gone out of their way to say its not about the military. People who served in the military say they respect what Kaep began. Nate Boyer (former Navy SEAL) was the one who suggested he kneel to begin with!!!

Its obvious the real issue is that the reason for the protest makes people who don't face those issues very uncomfortable.

Instead of facing that discomfort, they prefer to continue trying to make this about something it is not.

Nick Wright had this 1000% correct.

Not the response I am getting from vets I am speaking with. Most are pretty upset. I don't have a horse in the race. I simply am asking them how they feel about it. About 80/20 split in their responses.

In a society that values sensitivity to specific people groups, I think it is tone deaf to not consider how vets feel. This is what they value, in some cases above all else. As a non-vet, I don't get the same level of emotion over the flag, but this is highly sensitive. There are simply better times and ways to protest that doesn't inflame the emotion of many.

Originally posted by 49AllTheTime:

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Absolutely LOVE it.

It's not even a protest anymore, but an individual spotlight

That makes it more f**ked up than ever....

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by reasonable1:
This thread has exposed a lot of privileged individuals who are unaware of the level of said privilege they have.

These guys have gone out of their way to say its not about the military. People who served in the military say they respect what Kaep began. Nate Boyer (former Navy SEAL) was the one who suggested he kneel to begin with!!!

Its obvious the real issue is that the reason for the protest makes people who don't face those issues very uncomfortable.

Instead of facing that discomfort, they prefer to continue trying to make this about something it is not.

Nick Wright had this 1000% correct.

Not the response I am getting from vets I am speaking with. Most are pretty upset. I don't have a horse in the race. I simply am asking them how they feel about it. About 80/20 split in their responses.

In a society that values sensitivity to specific people groups, I think it is tone deaf to not consider how vets feel. This is what they value, in some cases above all else. As a non-vet, I don't get the same level of emotion over the flag, but this is highly sensitive. There are simply better times and ways to protest that doesn't inflame the emotion of many.

Well said MadDog; thank you. Been missing your good and knowledgeable posts; where ya been brotha?

Thing is it symbolizes what America is, why it's the best country in the world, you have a right and freedom to express it..

Originally posted by mv49erfan:

You wouldn't be here typing this if there weren't people who willingly sacrifice their lives for our country. They give up everything: family, friends, interests, etc. They aren't home to watch their kids grow. They aren't home to spend time with their wives and family. They sacrifice these amazing privileges so that we Americans can do whatever we want. It's absolutely 100% disrespectful to not stand, support, pray, and say thanks by standing to those who sacrifice it all. I'm so grateful and thankful to be in the USA. God bless!

Wait a sec, you're trying to lecture me about not understanding the sacrifices made by veterans and their families?

I think you mighta missed the part about me being the son of a dead veteran.

I've got a dead dad and a sister who committed suicide.

What cards do you have on this table?

You absolutely sure you're the one who should be lecturing me and my family about sacrifice?

Get the heck outta here with that nonsense.

I can't speak for the enlisted eager beavers or careerist lifers, but damn near every actual war veteran I'm friends with or grew up around couldn't give a F about the anthem.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Not the response I am getting from vets I am speaking with. Most are pretty upset. I don't have a horse in the race. I simply am asking them how they feel about it. About 80/20 split in their responses.

In a society that values sensitivity to specific people groups, I think it is tone deaf to not consider how vets feel. This is what they value, in some cases above all else. As a non-vet, I don't get the same level of emotion over the flag, but this is highly sensitive. There are simply better times and ways to protest that doesn't inflame the emotion of many.

Are you talking about actual war veterans, or career middle manager military lifers and enlisted people who aren't actually war veterans?

In my experiences those are two VERY DIFFERENT groups with VERY DIFFERENT orientations to what things mean and don't mean, and matter and don't matter.

For the most part the "honor the troops" type of people don't actually want to hear what actual war veterans have to say, and war veterans all know it too.

If people insist on how much we have to "honor the troops" but haven't actually done any work to actually honor them for the things they care about, that all rings hollow to me.

Are they down to honor the troops by writing their representatives and demanding that the Feds don't sell off the VA piecemeal so private companies can profit off it? Every major veterans group in the United States agrees on this issue. If you want to honor the veterans contribute to something they care about and get involved.

Without that or things like that though, saying that you're "honoring the veterans" by getting all stink eyed over some people kneeling instead of standing is just using "the veterans" as a fig leaf for your own beliefs. It doesn't impress me in the slightest.

Originally posted by pdizo916:

IDGAF. f**k this country BTW.

Stupid post

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Not the response I am getting from vets I am speaking with. Most are pretty upset. I don't have a horse in the race. I simply am asking them how they feel about it. About 80/20 split in their responses.

In a society that values sensitivity to specific people groups, I think it is tone deaf to not consider how vets feel. This is what they value, in some cases above all else. As a non-vet, I don't get the same level of emotion over the flag, but this is highly sensitive. There are simply better times and ways to protest that doesn't inflame the emotion of many.

I think how emotional you get over the flag is proportional to how much you suffer for it.

After a week in SERE school, Survival, Evation, Resistance, and Escape, which, after a week with no food whatsoever, you land in a POW camp and suffer what intelligence knows you will suffer, including that "torture" water boarding and much much more, they finally let you out of your rough interrogation room, or coffin box, or wherever you happen to be that morning, you are lined up, and the enemy flag comes down the wooden pole, and the Stars and Stripes comes up, and the National Anthem plays over the cheap scratchy outdoor speakers, not a one of you won't feel the biggest lump in your throat in your life. It surprises you, and you don't forget it.

And that's just one week, and you've got a pretty good idea that the guys in the enemy uniforms aren't really going to kill you.

Originally posted by BOI49er:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Not the response I am getting from vets I am speaking with. Most are pretty upset. I don't have a horse in the race. I simply am asking them how they feel about it. About 80/20 split in their responses.

In a society that values sensitivity to specific people groups, I think it is tone deaf to not consider how vets feel. This is what they value, in some cases above all else. As a non-vet, I don't get the same level of emotion over the flag, but this is highly sensitive. There are simply better times and ways to protest that doesn't inflame the emotion of many.

I think how emotional you get over the flag is proportional to how much you suffer for it.

After a week in SERE school, Survival, Evation, Resistance, and Escape, which, after a week with no food whatsoever, you land in a POW camp and suffer what intelligence knows you will suffer, including that "torture" water boarding and much much more, they finally let you out of your rough interrogation room, or coffin box, or wherever you happen to be that morning, you are lined up, and the enemy flag comes down the wooden pole, and the Stars and Stripes comes up, and the National Anthem plays over the cheap scratchy outdoor speakers, not a one of you won't feel the biggest lump in your throat in your life. It surprises you, and you don't forget it.

And that's just one week, and you've got a pretty good idea that the guys in the enemy uniforms aren't really going to kill you.

I think if the players witnessed a morning or evening colors ceremony on base and saw how life comes to a complete standstill, cars stop, uniformed service members stop face the flag or music and salute as well as the people in civis stand at attention it would give them a better understanding as to why it can be seen as a sign of disrespect. This goes for blowhards too who say to respect the flag but never seen a color ceremony. Never seen the Private polish the brass or the color guard fold the flag. It makes sense to get rid of the whole process because at sporting events its just a spectacle but to the military its serious business. If you have ever done colors you know that first time you do it and how nervous you are to make sure that flag doesnt touch the ground or god forbid you run it up upside down even the words have become a song but its really not.

But they are free to do whatever they want and nobody has the right to stop them But that might give them a better understand. Just like they have the right to kneel and protest people who disagree have the same exact right to be pissed but i dont see how that argument gets pushed aside

Originally posted by beatintina247:
First amendment guarantees no laws will be passed by Congress to suppress what you want to say... go to work tell your boss he's a piece of s**t (Americans $ are the NFL's boss) it's perfectly legal and incredibly stupid.

The 1st applies only to government. Your private sector boss can fire you at his whim.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Not the response I am getting from vets I am speaking with. Most are pretty upset. I don't have a horse in the race. I simply am asking them how they feel about it. About 80/20 split in their responses.

In a society that values sensitivity to specific people groups, I think it is tone deaf to not consider how vets feel. This is what they value, in some cases above all else. As a non-vet, I don't get the same level of emotion over the flag, but this is highly sensitive. There are simply better times and ways to protest that doesn't inflame the emotion of many.

Those are the sentiments I am hearing as well.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by beatintina247:

First amendment guarantees no laws will be passed by Congress to suppress what you want to say... go to work tell your boss he's a piece of s**t (Americans $ are the NFL's boss) it's perfectly legal and incredibly stupid.

The 1st applies only to government. Your private sector boss can fire you at his whim.

Even your government boss can fire you too, to the extent he can fire anybody. He just can't convict you of a crime for your speach.

Originally posted by pdizo916:
IDGAF. f**k this country BTW.

Then by all means, please leave.

Question for the African American members on this message board: do the protests bother you?

I would bet the majority of people who are against the protests have never experienced racism, like the black community has.