(September 26, 2017 at 9:55 am)A Theist Wrote:

(September 26, 2017 at 9:37 am)Lutrinae Wrote: No is stating you are not entitled to your first amendment right, but neither does anyone have to agree with the shit that results from your right to free speech.

We have an understanding, then. We have the equal right to disagree with each other. You have the right to voice your criticism of this country and I have the right to voice my support for it.

Nobody is trying to deny you rights fuckface.

We are saying that you are ignoring a very real problem America has and unfortunately has not widely enough faced.

Your bullshit oversimplification of "blacks are millionaires so there are no problems for other blacks whom arn't".

THAT is what we object to.

Those players are not doing that because they are spoiled. They are not doing it for the money. They have every right to be millionaires just like any white NFL player. What they want attention for is the fact that the non rich blacks, the communities they rose out of, still have economic problems, still have to fear a bad end to a police encounter. 

If you insist that rich are crybabies, you should call the Kochs crybabies, the Walmart family crybabies, the Exxon CEO a crybaby. If you insist on calling a rich person a crybaby, your real worry is that the 1% isn't just screwing over urban blacks, but rural whites and the middle class too. 

And you have no argument using the word "millionaire" when other white millionaire players agree with them, and no right to bitch when even the WHITE BILLIONAIRE owners are in solidarity with the black players.

So stop blowing smoke up my ass and making this about millionaires. This is about you ignoring that between blacks and whites, whom are not rich, like Brady is, or Cam Newton, this is about the players pointing out that between poor whites and poor blacks, blacks are still impacted more negatively by economics and our justice system.

(September 26, 2017 at 10:10 am)Clueless Morgan Wrote:

(September 23, 2017 at 12:35 pm)FFaith Wrote: I'm pretty sure there's a rule in the NBA stating that players must stand for the anthem. Is it really forced though? Nobody is forcing these millionaires to make millions playing a game. They can go and do otherwise if they so choose. I understand that playing the anthem is mostly just an advertisement for the military, and I'd like it to be removed from all games other than the Olympics, but that's not happening anytime soon.

[my bolding]

I know the thread has moved waaaay past this but I just want to whole heartedly agree with this.  Do the Dallas Cowboys have to be reminded at every game which country they are playing for? No, because all the teams are playing for the same country.  In international sports where the national anthem actually denotes a difference between the players/teams it's at appropriate, or at least arguably so.

I'm also sympathetic to that suggestion.

However, these displays of faux patriotism at every damn professional sporting event have always been a recruitment spectacle for the armed services -- nothing more, nothing less. There aren't enough dishonest sergeants in every recruiting office in the country to match the sheer advertising pull they get from inserting themselves into a single Super Bowl.

So no . . . the Cowboys will have to continue to be reminded that they live and work in the U.S.A.

(September 26, 2017 at 9:51 am)A Theist Wrote: Not quite, youngster. I'm just pointing out that in this country there's no law forcing anyone to stay here.

Gee, thanks, Capt Obvious.

(September 26, 2017 at 9:51 am)A Theist Wrote: If there's any who hates it here that much and who feels so oppressed they have the freedom in this nation to leave anytime they choose.

... or they can work to change the failings of the country.

Unlike you, they can admit those failings, because they haven't fallen victim to blind patriotism.

(September 24, 2017 at 1:15 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Did anyone catch the pregame of the Steelers, I missed it. News reports were saying they intended to stay in the locker room. Did they really do that? If they did, kudos to them.

Yes, they did, except for Villanueva. Now Villanueva has the highest-selling jersey and the Steelers are all scrambling to do damage control. They say they'll all be out for the anthem next week (not that I'll be watching anymore). Lots of people posting videos of burning their Steelers stuff. This really hurt them. Didn't hurt Trump at all, at least not in flyover country, and he knows it.

(September 26, 2017 at 10:28 am)alpha male Wrote:

(September 24, 2017 at 1:15 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Did anyone catch the pregame of the Steelers, I missed it. News reports were saying they intended to stay in the locker room. Did they really do that? If they did, kudos to them.

Yes, they did, except for Villanueva. Now Villanueva has the highest-selling jersey and the Steelers are all scrambling to do damage control. They say they'll all be out for the anthem next week (not that I'll be watching anymore). Lots of people posting videos of burning their Steelers stuff. This really hurt them. Didn't hurt Trump at all, at least not in flyover country, and he knows it.

Um actually if you check the latest news, he actually called what he did a mistake and wish he had not done it. 

No it did not moron. That stadium will not be empty this week and the majority of fans did not burn their garb.

This racist bullshit by Trump is going to blow up in his face. It has already spread to the NBA and it will filter down to the college and high school level too.

45, "This isn't racist" BULL FUCKING SHIT. 45 spent his entire campaign vilifying multiple groups and I am glad to see the white players and black players and the white billionaire owners all saying in unity, FUCK YOU TRUMP!

The Steelers play the Ravens this week, that stadium will be packed.

(September 25, 2017 at 2:29 pm)Tiberius Wrote: At the end of the day the NFL is a private organization. The NFL has no rules regarding the national anthem and what players have to do during it. The NFL can change that if they so wish. If Republicans likes supporting corporations so much, they should let the NFL make that decision.

Actually, yeah, the NFL has a written policy that players are to be on the field standing with their helmets off during the anthem. The policy was there before kneeling became a thing. They're not enforcing it because it hasn't hurt the bottom line significantly yet. If they think revenues are dropping due to kneeling, they'll enforce it. They're about the greediest bastards on earth.

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(September 26, 2017 at 11:12 am)Mr.wizard Wrote: The Steelers play the Ravens this week, that stadium will be packed.

And the Steelers have said they'll be on the field for the anthem.

I live in Pittsburgh, guys. I know what people are saying. They're mostly pissed. Most aren't pissed off enough to throw away very expensive tickets yet, but there's a good chance that TV ratings and merchandise sales will decline.

And it's not just the kneeling. People are getting tired of prima donnas like Bell, who skipped training camp and is now having a shitty year. But at least he's here this year - last year he was suspended at the beginning for drug use.

I just get more and more convinced every day the right thing to happen is for Trump to attempt to squeeze out the NFL owners and nationalize pro football.

(September 26, 2017 at 11:15 am)alpha male Wrote:

(September 25, 2017 at 2:29 pm)Tiberius Wrote: At the end of the day the NFL is a private organization. The NFL has no rules regarding the national anthem and what players have to do during it. The NFL can change that if they so wish. If Republicans likes supporting corporations so much, they should let the NFL make that decision.

Actually, yeah, the NFL has a written policy that players are to be on the field standing with their helmets off during the anthem. The policy was there before kneeling became a thing. They're not enforcing it because it hasn't hurt the bottom line significantly yet. If they think revenues are dropping due to kneeling, they'll enforce it. They're about the greediest bastards on earth.

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(September 26, 2017 at 11:12 am)Mr.wizard Wrote: The Steelers play the Ravens this week, that stadium will be packed.

And the Steelers have said they'll be on the field for the anthem.

I live in Pittsburgh, guys. I know what people are saying. They're mostly pissed. Most aren't pissed off enough to throw away very expensive tickets yet, but there's a good chance that TV ratings and merchandise sales will decline.

And it's not just the kneeling. People are getting tired of prima donnas like Bell, who skipped training camp and is now having a shitty year. But at least he's here this year - last year he was suspended at the beginning for drug use.

Not accurate the anthem "policy" only suggests what players "should" do during the anthem but it's not a rule mandating that they stand or participate, which is why you haven't seen any punishments. 

I am from Pittsburgh, my whole family are Yinzers, and we are not pissed, will also be tuned in for the game cheering on my favorite team.

Even as an American former college football player... playing the national anthem at the beginning of every game just seemed weird to me from the start. It's Americans playing against Americans, this isn't the Olympics or anything. It's a weird tradition, and I have no problem with people sitting/kneeling/standing/doing whatever during it. Only time it'd get disrespectful is if you interrupt or disrupt the singer/musician - that's just being a dick. But the anthem isn't a magical sacred spell of words that can be hurt or damaged by simply sitting down.