New NFL Policy requires all Players and Personel on field to stand for National Anthem...

[Rylant]

Before the national anthem, the PA announcer asks everyone to please rise for the national anthem. It is the patriotic thing to do. Some people put their right hand over their heart. Others take their hats off and some even sing along. If everyone including the fans and the players protested the anthem, they would simply abolish it because it is being made a mockery of. No? I honestly doubt that they would continue playing it before sporting events if nobody respected it. Why would they?

The anthem has been played at every professional sporting event since the begining. It probably meant more to the citizens during and after WW2. Even now, we have military personal at pretty much every event. I wonder how they feel.

Personaly, in Joey Votto's words, I couldn't give a rats ass if they played the anthem or not, but if they do, I will stand.

It’s patriotic because the PA announcer asks you to do it? I am not sure what the PA announcer has to with this; I have heard PA announcers ask fans to do the Hokey-Pokey too...

Anybody who says that this is as simple as doing what your employer asks, is diminishing the reason that some feel the need to take a knee during the Anthem. This is about a group of largely white owners, silencing their group of largely black employees.

I have never heard anybody compare this to Hitler or Stalin, but I would say that’s a stretch. This is important, but not on that level. But please, continue to insult people who disagree with you by calling them “snowflakes”...

I agree with Joey Votto entirely. If “he” thinks he should stand for the Anthem, then absolutely, he should. But don’t tell me that I should stand for the Anthem, because you think it is the right thing to do.

Rylant

[lucafen4]

it's funny.... players get criticized on the other side if they don't take up social issues, have charities they support/create donate or fundraise for. They're almost expected to take up a cause - see Canucks Place for sick kids as an example.

Should also remember where some of these players grew up and spent their childhood.

My prediction, they will stand and they will raise a fist - no rule on that. And it goes back to the civil rights movment of 50+years ago

[Godin]

It’s patriotic because the PA announcer asks you to do it? I am not sure what the PA announcer has to with this; I have heard PA announcers ask fans to do the Hokey-Pokey too...

Anybody who says that this is as simple as doing what your employer asks, is diminishing the reason that some feel the need to take a knee during the Anthem. This is about a group of largely white owners, silencing their group of largely black employees.

I have never heard anybody compare this to Hitler or Stalin, but I would say that’s a stretch. This is important, but not on that level. But please, continue to insult people who disagree with you by calling them “snowflakes”...

I agree with Joey Votto entirely. If “he” thinks he should stand for the Anthem, then absolutely, he should. But don’t tell me that I should stand for the Anthem, because you think it is the right thing to do.

Rylant

For the record, another poster said this, not me.

[ShawneePanthers]

I have never heard anybody compare this to Hitler or Stalin

It's a common occurrence among leftists to equate things they don't like to 'literally Hitler.' Also, it's on this thread.

I do think allowing those who do not wish to stand the right to simply stay in the dressing room is a decent consolation. Not perfect, but much less dictatorial than forcing every player in the line up to stand. That would be downright Stalinesque.

No it wouldn't be.

I have to call out BS when I see it because otherwise leftists will continue using absurd comparisons.

[lucafen4]

NFLPA doesn't sound approving of this rule change/decision. It's not over

[Bazz]

I find it funny that no other league has this problem.

[Rylant]

Yes Godin, you are right. I was not trying to imply that you had said this, but reading the way I worded it, I can see how it would seem as though that is what I was suggesting. I apologize for coming across this way.

And EMG, I am pretty sure that you have missed the entire point in grandiose fashion...

Rylant

[2014olympicgold]

I find it funny that no other league has this problem.

A player in the MLB tried it once. Got HUGE backlash when he was out at restaurants and stuff. He did it once, then that was it.

[LawMan]

All opinions aside, this was a fairly diplomatic approach.
I'm not taking sides, but we know that a stance one way or another upsets a large chunk of the fan base and from a business stand point they are caught in the cross fire.

They are not outlawing protests. They aren't requiring players stand for the anthem. They have simply made a policy that their employees will not be seen 'at work', sitting or kneeling during the anthem. Not much different than a mandated dress code from head office in retail, or other reasonable requests of your employees.

If Starbucks employees knelt during work as a protest, actions would be taken.

Again, just commenting on the NFLs approach. I think everyone should be able to do whatever they want during the anthem. At the same time, if the players just kept warming up and they played the anthem over it, they purpose would surely be defeated of playing the anthem at all. We can agree that what is reasonable is a grey area between standing at attention like a soldier, and ignoring it completely on a national stage. The NFL, as the employer and the curator of the content they provide for their customers entertainment, should be able to have SOME say of where in that grey area they are going to operate.
Of the stupid decisions the NFL often seems to make, I think this wasn't handled too badly.

I agree with this. I don't envy the NFL Owners regarding this one specific issue because either allowing kneeling or demanding standing will upset a large portion of your fan base, which can affect viewership and the brand and sponsorship and ultimately value of the league and teams.

I think this policy is a fairly happy middle ground, the league has allowed players a bit of an out (stay in the locker room) while also appealing to conservatives. Also, this policy came along with the NFL creating a "Social Justice Platform" which is supposed to help work on the issues the players were protesting. Some will say that is not enough and some will say its lip service but I think the players can at least claim that as a partial win, and if the Platform leads to further discussions or changes that would be great.

All in all I'm reasonably impressed with this policy but this is far from over. The Jets owner has already said he will not discourage protests and will pay any fines against the team without fining the player (the way the policy works the league can only fine a team, which then decides if it wishes to punish the player). Further, the NFLPA is going to push back on whether this policy is allowed or not under the CBA so I'd expect some fights on that front. Finally, I will be waiting for the first time an entire team stays in the locker room during the anthem (didn't the Steelers do that last year?) and see the backlash from that action...

[Axeman33]

I was away the past couple days for the most part and haven't read all the replies in this thread so if this has been mentioned already, my apologies.

There's a very simply solution to this issue. The NFL didn't REQUIRE players to stand on the sidelines for the National Anthem until 2009. Prior to 2009, it wasn't a forced issue for the players. Since then, all players are to be on the sidelines for the Anthem. Just change that rule back to make it so players can make their own choice if they want be out there for the Anthem or not. The Anthem is more for the fans anyways.

[LawMan]

I was away the past couple days for the most part and haven't read all the replies in this thread so if this has been mentioned already, my apologies.

There's a very simply solution to this issue. The NFL didn't REQUIRE players to stand on the sidelines for the National Anthem until 2009. Prior to 2009, it wasn't a forced issue for the players. Since then, all players are to be on the sidelines for the Anthem. Just change that rule back to make it so players can make their own choice if they want be out there for the Anthem or not. The Anthem is more for the fans anyways.

The new policy does exactly this.

"Players who don't want to stand have the option to go to the locker room during the anthem performance. "

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...gest-questions

[Axeman33]

The new policy does exactly this.


http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...gest-questions

Perfect. Then I don't understand the issue. The players can find another way to peacefully protest.

[ericdaoust]

Perfect. Then I don't understand the issue. The players can find another way to peacefully protest.

It's 2018 and people must argue regardless of how the problem actually affects them personally or without even understanding the issue to begin with.

[Wonko]

It's a common occurrence among leftists to equate things they don't like to 'literally Hitler.' Also, it's on this thread.

No it wouldn't be.

I have to call out BS when I see it because otherwise leftists will continue using absurd comparisons.

While we thank you for being a SJW Shawnee and championing conservative talking points, I think you misunderstand the use of analogy. If all NFL players were forced to stand for the anthem it would set a dangerous precedent and it would be downright dictatorial. Dictatorial means, "Having or showing a tendency to tell people what to do in an autocratic way". Calling something 'Stalinesque' is just another way to say dictatorial, oppressive, totalitarian. You get the idea play along.

Regardless, as I say in the quote, I think allowing players to remain in the locker room is a decent consolation.

In the future I will try to be more careful with my analogies Shawnee (speaking of snowflakes).

[saucelife90]

Majority? That's debatable...

If it was debatable you would see Kaepernick or Eric Reid still in the league. There was an "overwhelming" amount of letters from fans/season ticket holders to multiple organizations saying they would stop buying tickets if teams signed players who took a knee during the anthem.