In Defense of Taking the Knee

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: knowledgehunter0986

I agree that they are free to do so.
I just won't watch football while they do it.





I agree that Kathy Griffin is free to hold a model of the head of Trump.
But I won't buy tickets to her show.

I agree that people are free to hold KKK rally's.
But I will never attend one.

I agree that BLM can march and say whatever they want.
But I won't be marching with them.

I agree that a Missouri state senator is free to hope that Trump will be assassinated.
But I won't be joining her.

I agree that Antifa are free to say what they want.
But I won't wear a mask in solidarity.

I agree that women can march on Washington DC and are free to say what they want.
But I won't be wearing a ridiculous hat in their support.

I agree that ESPN can say anything they want about our president.
But I won't be watching their programs.

I agree that protesters are free to spit on the US flag.
But I'll only turn away in disgust.

This x100.

Sums up the point.

I tried to look for similarities withing UK football (Soccer) and the two examples I can think of were ..

1. Footballers were banned from wearing any significant emblems on their shirt. On a particular day, Scotland played England and both teams were told not to wear poppies. There was a commotion and the FA have just recently receded on this point, sense took over.

2. More pertinent, there was a spate when footballers wore t-shirts underneath their footie shirt and when they scored , displayed their t-shirt with some appropriate message, some banal, some political, some very political and some completely incomprehendable (a lot of foreign players in the premier league). The FA had to stop this, not knowing what the next t-shirt would say and referees could and still do send people of if a player do this behaviour. That stopped it.

It is the NFL that should make a clear statement that they back / don't back this move - they cannot sit on the fence.
I watch from afar and although I can see merit in the stance for black rights as long as the protest is just black rights .. but what if ... a footballer decided to say squat in the national anthem to show his distain of the gun culture (as he personally had a close relative shot in a mass killing). |This does open the floor to all types of different protests - as what happened with the t-shirts messages.

I feel it's only a matter of time before they finally take a stand against it one way or another. It seems the backlash protesting is doing the most damage though, but that's to be expected since it hits their wallets. The last thing I want to see when watching my Sunday football is a bunch of liberal whining. We're already blasted by it constantly on pretty much every news station. Just leave the politics out of it and until they do I won't be watching or attending any games.

This foot ball deal is just a detraction from the really important concerns this country is facing at this very moment.

I don't think we can ignore this pressing problem for much longer. Our very lives hang in the balance......believe me....

Thanks Jesus we have real American Christian conservative patriots to keep us focused on reality and our immortal souls.

Trump is very lucky to have AJ on the team!!!

"Taking a knee" is from that sci-fi movie "After Earth" with that space general looks a bit like Obama. So it's political in that way.

Though, going on one knee would take more physical effort than standing up. Getting out of rear car seats is hard enough.

originally posted by: network dude

originally posted by: smurfy

originally posted by: knowledgehunter0986
But alas, like almost everything in life now, politics has found its way in and turned what was once an inclusive get-together into a divisive platform.

Having said all that, even though I hate what is going on, I totally support what these athlete's are doing.

I feel the same way about professional music, since I was a professional musician for quite some time.
I dare say the big difference is that many bands and artists simply jumped on the bandwagon regardless of any cause, while who was I to presume that at the time?
For the ball players though, things are a little closer to home, and what does the anthem stand for, I don't know, but in the protest they are kneeling together, and as far as I can see, Trumps remarks will only make their resolve even more. Trump overtly telling the mostly white people who own these teams to fire those black players, and/or any player who supports that protest, does not sound good at all, and he should be ignored, while for the players, should their protest be seen as political? It's not like they are asking for government change, it's more about police behaviour, which is really OTT in many cases, and that methodology seems different all depending on where you live.

you just made this a racial issue? Why the # would you do that? It has nothing to do with race. It's the NFL, kind of a melting pot of sports.

Your'e sounding like Trump now...cheap shot...BTW, read my post again.

a reply to: olaru12

This foot ball deal is just a detraction from the really important concerns this country is facing at this very moment.

I am curious what you consider to be these important concerns. Things I think are important are health care reform, finding a peaceful resolution to North Korea and finding ways to stop illegal immigration. All of these things have been problems for decades and no one has done a damn thing about them.

I don't see them as any more or less pressing than they have been for the past few administrations.

i dont care what you say! to me its still disrespecting the flag and our country and military personal! i do believe we should dump the Star spangled banner for America the Beautiful! it isnt freedom of speech its about respect for our flag and freedoms that america represents! damn it there are more white people killed by cops then black folks, more blacks kill blacks then whites and there are black folks in every position everywhere in America! white privilege my ass i dont see it anywhere ffs i dont believe you get it every one has forgot the flag! they shouldnt fly it at stupid sports events! viva la Trump

There's one hero in the NFL at least.

Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh Steeler
U.S. Army Ranger



HERO! ^^

Mike Tomlin Steelers Coach Didn’t Want Army Vet To Stand For Anthem


SCUMBAG^^

originally posted by: TimHeller
i dont care what you say! to me its still disrespecting the flag and our country and military personal! i do believe we should dump the Star spangled banner for America the Beautiful! it isnt freedom of speech its about respect for our flag and freedoms that america represents! damn it there are more white people killed by cops then black folks, more blacks kill blacks then whites and there are black folks in every position everywhere in America! white privilege my ass i dont see it anywhere ffs i dont believe you get it every one has forgot the flag! they shouldnt fly it at stupid sports events! viva la Trump

See. I can agree with everything you said here but still respect their right to protest.

Doesn't mean I condone their message!

1) The Steelers are my team since the early 70s . Very early
2) The Steelers were undefeated
3) The Steelers didnt come out of the locker room
4) The Steelers lost
5) The Steelers should lose every game they practice political bullsh**
6) See # 1

Posted earlier here....
www.abovetopsecret.com...
and here
www.abovetopsecret.com...



Please add further comments to the ongoing discussions in the above linked threads.
Thanks

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