http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...v-ratings-sunday-nfl-games-compared-last-year
ESPN story has CBS down 1% for the week and NBC/Fox down much more fwiw.
How could they dishonor our country.
- Thread starter HPPirate
- Start date
ESPN story has CBS down 1% for the week and NBC/Fox down much more fwiw.
It's great to know that I can add Clay Travis to Fox News and Donald Trump tweets as my only sources for non fake news.
No wonder there are so many misconceptions on both sides.
So many are only accepting information from sources that fit their agenda and way of thinking. And that only widens the divide.
I don't agree with the reason they are protesting but the do have the right to. With that said, they should all be fired because they are protesting at their jobs.
None of us would get away with protesting while at work.
I don't think any of this kneeling nonsense moves the needle much on attendance and viewership. There are other issues with the game that are and will have a more material impact (concussions, free agency/continuity, length of game, saturation, etc).
I do think the public disgust far outweighs support for their actions (more so than how the MSM portrays it), but people will still watch.
White House says Trump isn’t ‘against anyone’ as he slams NFL
By Mark Moore
September 25, 2017 | 3:50pm
The White House on Monday said President Trump is not “against anyone” as he continues to slam NFL players for taking the knee during the national anthem but instead is showing that he is for “something.”
“This isn’t about the president being against anyone,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “This is about the president and millions of Americans being for something.”
Asked if Trump went to far during a speech last Friday in Alabama when he said a “son of a bitch” who kneels during The Star Spangled Banner should be fired or suspended, Huckabee Sanders said the president is just showing his patriotism.
”I think it’s always appropriate for the president of the United States to promote our flag, to promote our national anthem and ask people to respect it,” she said.
She also shot down suggestions that Trump was trying to wage a cultural war since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the kneeling protests to raise awareness about police brutality and racial injustice.
”The president is not talking about race, he’s talking about pride in our country,” she said.
She also said the focus of that message now seems to be changing among the players, who on Sunday kneeled or linked arms with each other, coaches and even some team owners in solidarity to Trump’s comments.
“I think if the debate is really for them about police brutality they should probably protest the officers on the field that are protecting them instead of the American flag,” she said.
Huckabee Sanders also said the president’s criticism of the NFL isn’t distracting him from other pressing issues like tax reform, repealing ObamaCare and securing the borders.
“It really doesn’t take that long to type out 140 characters,” she said referring to Trump Twitter habit, adding that the president can do more than one thing at a time.
By Mark Moore
September 25, 2017 | 3:50pm
The White House on Monday said President Trump is not “against anyone” as he continues to slam NFL players for taking the knee during the national anthem but instead is showing that he is for “something.”
“This isn’t about the president being against anyone,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “This is about the president and millions of Americans being for something.”
Asked if Trump went to far during a speech last Friday in Alabama when he said a “son of a bitch” who kneels during The Star Spangled Banner should be fired or suspended, Huckabee Sanders said the president is just showing his patriotism.
”I think it’s always appropriate for the president of the United States to promote our flag, to promote our national anthem and ask people to respect it,” she said.
She also shot down suggestions that Trump was trying to wage a cultural war since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the kneeling protests to raise awareness about police brutality and racial injustice.
”The president is not talking about race, he’s talking about pride in our country,” she said.
She also said the focus of that message now seems to be changing among the players, who on Sunday kneeled or linked arms with each other, coaches and even some team owners in solidarity to Trump’s comments.
“I think if the debate is really for them about police brutality they should probably protest the officers on the field that are protecting them instead of the American flag,” she said.
Huckabee Sanders also said the president’s criticism of the NFL isn’t distracting him from other pressing issues like tax reform, repealing ObamaCare and securing the borders.
“It really doesn’t take that long to type out 140 characters,” she said referring to Trump Twitter habit, adding that the president can do more than one thing at a time.
No not kidding at all. Who are you to decide what a non lethal situation is? These officers has a split second to make a decision. They yell repeatedly to show me your hands or drop what's in your hands etc. When this happens amnd the suspect ignores these requests, whatever happens next is on them. Here's why
Watch "Armed or unarmed?" on YouTube
I've been a fan of Mike Rowe since his "Dirty Jobs" program, but as he has evolved into a non-partisan, common sense commentator, I have come to admire him more. Here is his take:
In democracies, we the people get the government we deserve. We also get the celebrities we deserve, the artists we deserve, and the athletes we deserve. Because ultimately, we the people get to decide who and what gets our attention, and who and what does not.
Right now, The NFL, the players who choose to kneel, the networks who choose to broadcast their protest, the advertisers who sponsor the games, and the President of the United States, are all eager for our attention. And they are all using football to get it. That's all well and good, right up to the point where it isn't. In my view, the real controversy here isn’t about patriotism, social justice, racial inequality, or free speech. It’s not even about the flag or the national anthem. It’s really only about one thing – what we will tolerate, and what we won't.
I was disappointed last night, to hear President Trump encourage owners to fire players who refuse to stand for the anthem. Not because I dispute the owners right to do so, or the players right to protest. I was disappointed because the President’s comments presuppose that the owners are in charge of the game. They’re not. We are. We decide what to watch, and that decision - far more than any other consideration - will determine the what the owners choose to do. And that in turn will affect what the players choose to do.
As the leader of the country, the President had an opportunity to remind us that The NFL, the networks who broadcast their games, and all of the players – standers and kneelers alike - work for us. He might have also used the occasion to remind us that he too, serves at our pleasure.
I felt a similar bemusement when the Commissioner issued his response, followed by the President of the Player’s Union. Their comments – along with the comments of many of the players themselves – were perfectly reasonable, perfectly understandable, and perfectly in keeping with their first amendment rights. But they were also perfectly arrogant. Because they too, presuppose that millions of fans will continue to watch them play a game - no matter what.
Perhaps they’re right. Historically, football fans have shown a collective willingness to ignore and enable all sorts of dubious behavior. The players have agents and unions, the owners have money and power, and the fans are always caught in the middle. The resulting strikes and the constant uprooting of teams from broken-hearted towns proves beyond all question the overall lack of regard for fans in general.
But here's the thing, Rob. The fans of professional football are not powerless – they're just not yet offended enough to turn the channel. Should that ever change in a meaningful way – if for instance, a percentage of football fans relative to those players who chose to kneel during today’s games, chose to watch something else next Sunday – I can assure you...the matter would be resolved by Monday.
Pat Tillman’s widow speaks after Trump tweet: Don’t politicize his memory
By Associated Press
September 26, 2017 | 9:40am
Marie Tillman, the widow of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, says that her husband’s service “should never be politicized in a way that divides us.”
Marie Tillman released a statement to CNN on Monday after President Trump retweeted an account referencing Pat Tillman and using the hashtag #StandForOurAnthem. Trump has criticized NFL players for kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest police treatment of blacks and other social injustices. More than 200 NFL players knelt or sat during the anthem this weekend.
Tillman walked away from the NFL to join the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.
“As a football player and soldier, Pat inspired countless Americans to unify,” Marie Tillman said. “It is my hope that his memory should always remind people that we must come together. Pat’s service, along with that of every man and woman’s service, should never be politicized in a way that divides us. We are too great of a country for that. Those that serve fight for the American ideals of freedom, justice and democracy. They and their families know the cost of that fight. I know the very personal costs in a way I feel acutely every day.
“The very action of self expression and the freedom to speak from one’s heart — no matter those views — is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for. Even if they didn’t always agree with those views. It is my sincere hope that our leaders both understand and learn from the lessons of Pat’s life and death, and also those of so many other brave Americans.”
By Associated Press
September 26, 2017 | 9:40am
Marie Tillman, the widow of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, says that her husband’s service “should never be politicized in a way that divides us.”
Marie Tillman released a statement to CNN on Monday after President Trump retweeted an account referencing Pat Tillman and using the hashtag #StandForOurAnthem. Trump has criticized NFL players for kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest police treatment of blacks and other social injustices. More than 200 NFL players knelt or sat during the anthem this weekend.
Tillman walked away from the NFL to join the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.
“As a football player and soldier, Pat inspired countless Americans to unify,” Marie Tillman said. “It is my hope that his memory should always remind people that we must come together. Pat’s service, along with that of every man and woman’s service, should never be politicized in a way that divides us. We are too great of a country for that. Those that serve fight for the American ideals of freedom, justice and democracy. They and their families know the cost of that fight. I know the very personal costs in a way I feel acutely every day.
“The very action of self expression and the freedom to speak from one’s heart — no matter those views — is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for. Even if they didn’t always agree with those views. It is my sincere hope that our leaders both understand and learn from the lessons of Pat’s life and death, and also those of so many other brave Americans.”
Why should they be fired just because they protested at their job? Last time I checked protesting while working isn't a crime, it's up to the employer to enforce however they see fit. The NFL has clearly stated that they will not prevent players from protesting.
Different employers have different rules. Just because you can get fired for something at your job doesn't mean someone at another job should be fired for the same thing when the employer has stated it is allowed.
Very good point. The NFL Gameday Operations Manual states that all players must be on the field for the anthem, stand at attention, hold their helmet in their left hand, and place their right hand over their heart. The NFL may punish those who do not adhere.
So the NFL chooses not to punish anyone yet they wouldn't allow the Dallas Cowboys to honor 5 dead policeman.
Don't forget the player who wanted to honor the victims of the 9-11 attacks on its 15th anniversary.
The NFL has a very strict uniform policy that they don't let anyone break because they know it would start every player wearing whatever they want. It's why DeAngelo Williams wasn't allowed to wear pink outside the month of Otober. Every week players wear cleats in warmups for causes or to standout but change into different cleats for the game because they would be fined otherwise. No one taking a knee is bringing anything onto the field during the game to support their cause.
Even if standing is in the rulebook, the NFL stated publicly it wasn't enforcing that rule.
So they don't want to go down the slippery slope of uniform codes.
But they are willing to go down the slippery slope of which rules in the book to enforce and which rules not to enforce.
Stay classy NFL.
Just six NFL teams -- 12 remained before this weekend's games -- have not had a player protest by kneeling, sitting or raising a fist during the pre-game anthem. Only the Cowboys, Cardinals, Bears, Vikings, Bengals and Jets haven't had a player protest. The Jets, Bears, Vikings and Bengals did lock arms in solidarity Sunday ahead of their games.
Didn't think you'd have a response to the video. This isn't a systemic problem. Are there individuals who abuse their power, yes and those individuals should and must be dealt with but on a whole they don't deserve the abuse and bad rap they get from the media & the left.
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DirecTV is offering refunds to people offended by NFL protests
By Max Jaeger
September 26, 2017 | 4:49pm | Updated
Satellite service DirecTV is refunding NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions for customers offended by the weekend’s national anthem protests.
Normally the company does not give refunds for the specialty package after the season starts, but it apparently changed course after getting calls from hoards of customers upset over the players and coaches who knelt for the anthem during Sunday and Monday games, one former subscriber said.
“I want to spend my money somewhere where it’s gonna be appreciated,” former subscriber Paul Alvarado of Keller, Texas, told The Post. “I’m paying for a product that should not include that kind of anti-American sentiment.”
Keller contacted DirecTV Tuesday to cancel his roughly $300-per-year plan when they surprised him by telling him he would get all the money back as a statement credit. The customer service rep he talked to said he had already received five calls to cancel on Tuesday alone, Alvarado said.
DirecTV did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Alvarado said the policy change happened overnight.
“A buddy of mine cancelled yesterday or the day before and he has to eat the money,” he said.
By Max Jaeger
September 26, 2017 | 4:49pm | Updated
Satellite service DirecTV is refunding NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions for customers offended by the weekend’s national anthem protests.
Normally the company does not give refunds for the specialty package after the season starts, but it apparently changed course after getting calls from hoards of customers upset over the players and coaches who knelt for the anthem during Sunday and Monday games, one former subscriber said.
“I want to spend my money somewhere where it’s gonna be appreciated,” former subscriber Paul Alvarado of Keller, Texas, told The Post. “I’m paying for a product that should not include that kind of anti-American sentiment.”
Keller contacted DirecTV Tuesday to cancel his roughly $300-per-year plan when they surprised him by telling him he would get all the money back as a statement credit. The customer service rep he talked to said he had already received five calls to cancel on Tuesday alone, Alvarado said.
DirecTV did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Alvarado said the policy change happened overnight.
“A buddy of mine cancelled yesterday or the day before and he has to eat the money,” he said.
I did this sunday and am glad i did. The NFL, NBA won't get another dime from me. I'm so tired of these "oppressed" millionaire athletes disrespecting this country, the President and the service men and women of this country.
How about trump giving back the $ 7million contributions hegot from 7 NFL owners for is campaign!
Honest question. How did you feel when Trump attacked a Gold Star mother and John McCain's service?
Trump blames national anthem protests on Roger Goodell
By Mark Moore
September 27, 2017 | 10:34am
President Trump told a gathering of the Republican Party’s richest donors at a Manhattan fundraiser that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could have stopped players’ protests during the national anthem by suspending former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he first took a knee last year, according to a report on Wednesday.
“All Goodell had to do was say there’s rules and you can’t do it, suspend him for a couple games, you would never have had this,” Trump said, Politico reported, citing an attendee at the Tuesday evening dinner. “Now you have this whole thing going and it’s a very dangerous thing ‘cause we cannot let anyone disrespect our country like that.”
Kaepernick began taking a knee during the singing of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” last year before San Francisco’s pre-season games, saying “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
Defending comments he first made in a speech on Friday that NFL owners should fire or suspend players who protest during the national anthem, Trump told the crowd at Le Cirque, where tickets went for as much as $250,000 per couple, that the league has rules and should enforce them.
“They have a rule, you can’t dance in the end zone, you can’t wear pink socks, one guy’s mother had breast cancer and they wouldn’t let him, you can’t do anything! But you’re allowed to sit down for the national anthem,” Trump said at the dinner, where he raised an estimated $5 million for the Republican Party.
Goodell, who on Saturday called Trump’s remarks “divisive,” said last September after Kaepernick’s protests began attracting attention that while he doesn’t “necessarily agree with what he is doing” he urged him to be “respectful .”
“I think it’s important if they see things they want to change in society, and clearly we have things that can get better in society, and we should get better,” Goodell said last September.”
But we have to choose respectful ways of doing that so that we can achieve the outcomes we ultimately want and do it with the values and ideals that make our country great.”
By Mark Moore
September 27, 2017 | 10:34am
President Trump told a gathering of the Republican Party’s richest donors at a Manhattan fundraiser that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could have stopped players’ protests during the national anthem by suspending former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he first took a knee last year, according to a report on Wednesday.
“All Goodell had to do was say there’s rules and you can’t do it, suspend him for a couple games, you would never have had this,” Trump said, Politico reported, citing an attendee at the Tuesday evening dinner. “Now you have this whole thing going and it’s a very dangerous thing ‘cause we cannot let anyone disrespect our country like that.”
Kaepernick began taking a knee during the singing of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” last year before San Francisco’s pre-season games, saying “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
Defending comments he first made in a speech on Friday that NFL owners should fire or suspend players who protest during the national anthem, Trump told the crowd at Le Cirque, where tickets went for as much as $250,000 per couple, that the league has rules and should enforce them.
“They have a rule, you can’t dance in the end zone, you can’t wear pink socks, one guy’s mother had breast cancer and they wouldn’t let him, you can’t do anything! But you’re allowed to sit down for the national anthem,” Trump said at the dinner, where he raised an estimated $5 million for the Republican Party.
Goodell, who on Saturday called Trump’s remarks “divisive,” said last September after Kaepernick’s protests began attracting attention that while he doesn’t “necessarily agree with what he is doing” he urged him to be “respectful .”
“I think it’s important if they see things they want to change in society, and clearly we have things that can get better in society, and we should get better,” Goodell said last September.”
But we have to choose respectful ways of doing that so that we can achieve the outcomes we ultimately want and do it with the values and ideals that make our country great.”
Now we have debates about how to take a knee.
Ray Lewis’ anthem kneel starts heated Shannon Sharpe feud
By Kyle Schnitzer
September 27, 2017 | 11:59am
Ray Lewis once told Colin Kaepernick to stick to sports and keep his social activism off the field. It’s a take that’s been echoed even before President Trump’s bewildering comments last week that players should be fired if they don’t stand during the national anthem.
But Lewis dropped to two knees with several other Ravens on Sunday during the national anthem before their game against the Jaguars in London. It marked the start of a league-wide protest against Trump, with more than 200 players and organization members joining by locking arms or kneeling together.
Lewis’ about-face shocked former teammate Shannon Sharpe, who himself was disgusted by Trump’s remarks, but also “disappointed” in Lewis, a close friend, who appeared to follow along with everyone else after previously speaking harshly against protest on the field.
That didn’t sit too well with Lewis, who claimed his kneeing was not a protest at all.
“I dropped on two knees, both knees, so I could simply honor God in the midst of chaos,” Lewis said on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” Tuesday night, clarifying his Sunday actions.
“[Sharpe] goes out and tells someone why he’s so disappointed in me. First of all, I’m 42 years old with six kids. I’m a grown man, so to be disappointed in me really sparked me,” Lewis said. “Now, all of these people are going off of his soundbites of how he’s so shocked that I dropped on a knee to protest. Really? You’ve got my phone number, brotha.”
Lewis, who emphasized it was his “First Amendment rights” to kneel down, was seen next to other Ravens, but indeed, was the only one on both knees. He said that players should either “stand or pray, but not [on] one knee.”
Sharpe criticized Lewis on Fox Sports’ “Undisputed” after Sunday’s event, questioning what exactly Lewis was kneeling for.
“Ray Lewis sat in that chair right there and said that he could never kneel,” Sharpe said. “He could never not stand for the national anthem, because so many people died, and he had family members that fight for this country for the opportunity — and the flag means so much to him. And he kneeled. Not on one knee, on both knees. So what were you kneeling for? You kneeled, you showed solidarity, because of what President Trump said? And when Colin Kaepernick is trying to draw attention to the injustices going on, you deem that inappropriate?”
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time Sharpe bodied Ray Lewis.
Ray Lewis’ anthem kneel starts heated Shannon Sharpe feud
By Kyle Schnitzer
September 27, 2017 | 11:59am
Ray Lewis once told Colin Kaepernick to stick to sports and keep his social activism off the field. It’s a take that’s been echoed even before President Trump’s bewildering comments last week that players should be fired if they don’t stand during the national anthem.
But Lewis dropped to two knees with several other Ravens on Sunday during the national anthem before their game against the Jaguars in London. It marked the start of a league-wide protest against Trump, with more than 200 players and organization members joining by locking arms or kneeling together.
Lewis’ about-face shocked former teammate Shannon Sharpe, who himself was disgusted by Trump’s remarks, but also “disappointed” in Lewis, a close friend, who appeared to follow along with everyone else after previously speaking harshly against protest on the field.
That didn’t sit too well with Lewis, who claimed his kneeing was not a protest at all.
“I dropped on two knees, both knees, so I could simply honor God in the midst of chaos,” Lewis said on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” Tuesday night, clarifying his Sunday actions.
“[Sharpe] goes out and tells someone why he’s so disappointed in me. First of all, I’m 42 years old with six kids. I’m a grown man, so to be disappointed in me really sparked me,” Lewis said. “Now, all of these people are going off of his soundbites of how he’s so shocked that I dropped on a knee to protest. Really? You’ve got my phone number, brotha.”
Lewis, who emphasized it was his “First Amendment rights” to kneel down, was seen next to other Ravens, but indeed, was the only one on both knees. He said that players should either “stand or pray, but not [on] one knee.”
Sharpe criticized Lewis on Fox Sports’ “Undisputed” after Sunday’s event, questioning what exactly Lewis was kneeling for.
“Ray Lewis sat in that chair right there and said that he could never kneel,” Sharpe said. “He could never not stand for the national anthem, because so many people died, and he had family members that fight for this country for the opportunity — and the flag means so much to him. And he kneeled. Not on one knee, on both knees. So what were you kneeling for? You kneeled, you showed solidarity, because of what President Trump said? And when Colin Kaepernick is trying to draw attention to the injustices going on, you deem that inappropriate?”
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time Sharpe bodied Ray Lewis.
NFL has a big problem if they let this fester. They front loaded the schedule this year with premium prime time games so the ratings would be strong coming out of the gate. This week's Sunday night game is the Colts vs Seahawks. Can't get too excited about that. Lots of really bad teams this year, especially in the major markets. Giants, Jets, Rams, Chargers & Bears all stink.
NBA: Players must stand for national anthem
By Associated Press
September 30, 2017 | 10:50am
The NBA is recommending teams address fans or show videos expressing themes of unity before their first home games, while reminding them of the rule that players must stand for the national anthem.
A memo was sent to teams Friday, a day after Commissioner Adam Silver said he expected players would stand for the anthem.
In the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum suggested teams use their opening games “to demonstrate your commitment to the NBA’s core values of equality, diversity, inclusion and serve as a unifying force in the community.”
He recommended an address by a player or coach to fans before the anthem, or a video featuring players or community leaders speaking about important issues and showing photos from past community events.
The league’s preseason schedule begins Saturday with two games, including the NBA champion Golden State Warriors hosting Denver.
Tatum said the league supports and encourages players to express their views on matters that are important to them, while reminding of the rule that players, coaches and trainers stand respectfully for the anthem.
SEE ALSO
More than 200 protest racism in loud NFL statement
“The league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach or trainer does not stand for the anthem. (Teams do not have the discretion to waive this rule),” the memo says.
The memo builds on discussions held by the NBA’s Board of Governors this week, and follows up on one Silver and players association executive director Michele Roberts sent to players recently.
It recommends that teams organize internal discussions to hear the players’ perspectives, if they haven’t already, and to start or expand programs within their communities.
“The players have embraced their roles in those efforts and we are proud of the work they do in our communities,” Tatum wrote.
The memo was first reported by ESPN.com.
By Associated Press
September 30, 2017 | 10:50am
The NBA is recommending teams address fans or show videos expressing themes of unity before their first home games, while reminding them of the rule that players must stand for the national anthem.
A memo was sent to teams Friday, a day after Commissioner Adam Silver said he expected players would stand for the anthem.
In the memo, obtained by The Associated Press, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum suggested teams use their opening games “to demonstrate your commitment to the NBA’s core values of equality, diversity, inclusion and serve as a unifying force in the community.”
He recommended an address by a player or coach to fans before the anthem, or a video featuring players or community leaders speaking about important issues and showing photos from past community events.
The league’s preseason schedule begins Saturday with two games, including the NBA champion Golden State Warriors hosting Denver.
Tatum said the league supports and encourages players to express their views on matters that are important to them, while reminding of the rule that players, coaches and trainers stand respectfully for the anthem.
SEE ALSO
More than 200 protest racism in loud NFL statement
“The league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach or trainer does not stand for the anthem. (Teams do not have the discretion to waive this rule),” the memo says.
The memo builds on discussions held by the NBA’s Board of Governors this week, and follows up on one Silver and players association executive director Michele Roberts sent to players recently.
It recommends that teams organize internal discussions to hear the players’ perspectives, if they haven’t already, and to start or expand programs within their communities.
“The players have embraced their roles in those efforts and we are proud of the work they do in our communities,” Tatum wrote.
The memo was first reported by ESPN.com.
Gotta hand it to Silver. He gets out in front of these type situations and seems to have the trust of players, administrators and fans alike.
If it were my call this is the way I would have tackled the issue. Not the way the NFL did which in my opinion obscured the true purpose of the demonstrations.
This never should have been about the flag and in truth I don't think that's what the athletes that are protesting ever wanted it to be.
If it were my call this is the way I would have tackled the issue. Not the way the NFL did which in my opinion obscured the true purpose of the demonstrations.
This never should have been about the flag and in truth I don't think that's what the athletes that are protesting ever wanted it to be.
Donald Trump is king of all jerks for obscuring true meaning of national anthem protests
EVAN GROSSMAN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, September 29, 2017, 1:24 PM
It was another circus trainwreck of a week in the world of sports thanks to one man. One man managed to turn sports upside down, get people upset, and continued a one-man crusade against pro athletes that made world headlines.
We're talking about President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump on Twitter, and just about the biggest jerk in all of sports over the last seven days.
Trump is not a jerk this week for disagreeing with those who take a knee during the national anthem. He's unbearable this week because he stoked the fires of a misplaced battle, got half the country upset about something that shouldn't be upsetting, and continues to rail against pro football and professional athletes the way he used to go after actual bad guys like ISIS and North Korea. All the while ignoring a hurricane ravaging Puerto Rico. Trump is an insufferable jerk this week for an all-out barrage against the NFL and those who believe there are actual, serious racial problems in this country. He's a jerk because he continues to ignore and minimize why a handful of NFL players were kneeling for the anthem in the first place.
"In my opinion, the NFL has to change, or you know what's gonna happen? Their business is gonna go to hell," Trump said this week. "We have to respect our national anthem, we have to respect our country, and they're not respecting our country. And most importantly, the fans agree with me — I mean largely the fans agree, but we have to show total respect for our national anthem for our flag, for our country, we have to do it."
Kneeling before a football game was never going to solve injustice and police brutality, but it was meant to get people thinking and talking about these systemic issues. It was never about disrespecting the flag or the military, but now that Trump's been talking about it and tweeting about it, the anthem protests have been pushed into that corner. The message is officially lost now that Trump got involved.
To be fair, the movement was dwindling before Trump went on the attack. There were far fewer NFL players kneeling for "The Star-Spangled Banner" before he started shooting his mouth off, calling protesting players "sons of b---hes" and demanding they be fired. Imagine: an American President calling for constituents to be put out of work. That, alone, should merit Trump with Jerk of the Week dishonors, but he's done far worse.
Trump continues to polarize a nation. For three weeks, Trump has taken aim at sports, sports anchors, sports networks, sports professionals, sports leagues, and sports owners. For those demanding people "stick to sports," Trump has made that impossible now. Sports and politics may never be untangled.
Sports used to be a place where the country was united to some extent. Remember the role sports played in the days after 9/11 or more recently how Houston came together following Hurricane Harvey through the Texans and sports? At some point, the anthem protests were supposed to be uniting, too, to make people realize the country could be doing better for all of us.
Instead, sports, like Trump himself, have become a divider. The divider. Thanks to Trump, uncomfortable, complicated issues have been glossed over and the anthem protests have turned from a call for equality into a false litmus test for patriotism.
Trump stuck his nose where it did not belong this week. He turned a peaceful demonstration into a national battlefield with no room for anything but absolute allegiance to one side or the other. His brainless followers are now burning jerseys and tickets in effigy simply because he turned them against the NFL, because he said they should be offended by a peaceful protest that never intended to offend anyone. Trump continued a trend of whatever he touches turns to crap.
All these years, the NFL could have been taken to task for any number of things, whether it was concussions or brain injuries, the high percentage of players involved in domestic violence incidents as compared to other sports, the violent nature of the game, openly mugging fans with PSLs and preseason ticket prices, billionaire owners taking money from taxpayers to build lavish stadiums, and so on. Yet, despite a long history of actual injustice and serious workplace safety issues, the one thing anyone ever went to war with the NFL was over a peaceful protest for human rights. Shameful.
And that's why Trump is the biggest jerk in sports this week.
RAY OF TRUTH
There was barely enough room in the clown car Trump drove this week to fit all the jerks the anthem protest mockery produced. We call it a mockery because of what happened on Sunday, when half the league took a knee or locked arms in defiance of Trump (not racial injustice, mind you), players, coaches, and, even owners were not demonstrating against the same things Colin Kaepernick took on last year. Make no mistake: Last week was about a rich, white man, not poor minorities.
Ray Lewis, get off your damn knees. While you're at it, get off the damn field, too. Lewis was exposed as the biggest phony in sports last week when, after months of railing against Kaepernick and his kneeling during the anthem, Lewis was there on the field with the Ravens on not one knee, but two of them.
"The football field is our sanctuary," Lewis has said to Kaepernick in the past. "Get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself."
There was no bigger hypocrite in sports this week than Lewis, who later said he was not kneeling during the anthem. Rather, he said, he was on his knees praying. Which begs the question: Why did Lewis even have to be on the field with the Ravens in the first place? He doesn't play for them anymore. But of course, Lewis is no different than all the other has-beens who can't stay off the sidelines of a game they no longer play.
Ray, you're not on the team anymore. You're just some jerk on his knees.
And don't think we didn't see you either, LeSean McCoy.
Shady has been another guy critical of Kaepernick recently saying he's not good enough of a QB to be worth the distraction, yet there he was, on the ground, stretching, showing less than no respect for the anthem or the protests going on around him Sunday. He was stretching, he said, because he was mad.
It was just another reminder that the great majority of NFL players are not agents of social change or anything more than what they really are: just some jerks on a football field.
OWNING UP
As much of a jerk as those guys were Sunday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and all the other NFL owners like Jeff Lurie and Shaad Khan, who locked arms with their players or took knees with them and participated in a fake show of solidarity over the weekend, were even worse.
These are the same guys who have actively kept Kaepernick out of work. You think the Jaguars could use a quarterback right now? Yet, there was Khan, one of several NFL owners who contributed at least $1 million to Trump's campaign last year, taking a stand against the guy they helped to put in the White House or celebrated his election. What courage! Two weeks ago, Lurie, the owner of the Eagles, was unfairly criticized for being hard on players like Kaepernick who he said had no plan to fix things off the field. Lurie indicated he did not respect players who demonstrated on Sunday and did nothing for their community on Monday.
Well, isn't that what happened this week? Isn't that what happened when more than 200 NFL players, many of whom have not been doing any actual work to make change, simply took a knee or raised a fist for the sake of standing up to the President? Isn't that exactly what Lurie was doing?
Jerks, every single one of them.
WORLDWIDE LEADER?
ESPN couldn't wait to publicize the comments Rex Ryan made last week about Trump. On ESPN's official twitter page, Ryan's quote about how he supported Trump in the election but was disappointed in his anthem comments was neatly packaged by the marketing department for the world to see. Ryan was propped up as ESPN's guy and he was given a hearty slap on the back for saying what he did.
Isn't that nice? Way to go, Rex! Way to go, ESPN. Nice how you supported this guy but left others like Jemele Hill and Sergio Dipp to hang out to dry on their own. That's a jerk move. And you said you "didn't sign up for this" from the President. So I guess you did sign up for the misogyny, Islamophobia and racism. Got it.
EVAN GROSSMAN
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Friday, September 29, 2017, 1:24 PM
It was another circus trainwreck of a week in the world of sports thanks to one man. One man managed to turn sports upside down, get people upset, and continued a one-man crusade against pro athletes that made world headlines.
We're talking about President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump on Twitter, and just about the biggest jerk in all of sports over the last seven days.
Trump is not a jerk this week for disagreeing with those who take a knee during the national anthem. He's unbearable this week because he stoked the fires of a misplaced battle, got half the country upset about something that shouldn't be upsetting, and continues to rail against pro football and professional athletes the way he used to go after actual bad guys like ISIS and North Korea. All the while ignoring a hurricane ravaging Puerto Rico. Trump is an insufferable jerk this week for an all-out barrage against the NFL and those who believe there are actual, serious racial problems in this country. He's a jerk because he continues to ignore and minimize why a handful of NFL players were kneeling for the anthem in the first place.
"In my opinion, the NFL has to change, or you know what's gonna happen? Their business is gonna go to hell," Trump said this week. "We have to respect our national anthem, we have to respect our country, and they're not respecting our country. And most importantly, the fans agree with me — I mean largely the fans agree, but we have to show total respect for our national anthem for our flag, for our country, we have to do it."
Kneeling before a football game was never going to solve injustice and police brutality, but it was meant to get people thinking and talking about these systemic issues. It was never about disrespecting the flag or the military, but now that Trump's been talking about it and tweeting about it, the anthem protests have been pushed into that corner. The message is officially lost now that Trump got involved.
To be fair, the movement was dwindling before Trump went on the attack. There were far fewer NFL players kneeling for "The Star-Spangled Banner" before he started shooting his mouth off, calling protesting players "sons of b---hes" and demanding they be fired. Imagine: an American President calling for constituents to be put out of work. That, alone, should merit Trump with Jerk of the Week dishonors, but he's done far worse.
Trump continues to polarize a nation. For three weeks, Trump has taken aim at sports, sports anchors, sports networks, sports professionals, sports leagues, and sports owners. For those demanding people "stick to sports," Trump has made that impossible now. Sports and politics may never be untangled.
Sports used to be a place where the country was united to some extent. Remember the role sports played in the days after 9/11 or more recently how Houston came together following Hurricane Harvey through the Texans and sports? At some point, the anthem protests were supposed to be uniting, too, to make people realize the country could be doing better for all of us.
Instead, sports, like Trump himself, have become a divider. The divider. Thanks to Trump, uncomfortable, complicated issues have been glossed over and the anthem protests have turned from a call for equality into a false litmus test for patriotism.
Trump stuck his nose where it did not belong this week. He turned a peaceful demonstration into a national battlefield with no room for anything but absolute allegiance to one side or the other. His brainless followers are now burning jerseys and tickets in effigy simply because he turned them against the NFL, because he said they should be offended by a peaceful protest that never intended to offend anyone. Trump continued a trend of whatever he touches turns to crap.
All these years, the NFL could have been taken to task for any number of things, whether it was concussions or brain injuries, the high percentage of players involved in domestic violence incidents as compared to other sports, the violent nature of the game, openly mugging fans with PSLs and preseason ticket prices, billionaire owners taking money from taxpayers to build lavish stadiums, and so on. Yet, despite a long history of actual injustice and serious workplace safety issues, the one thing anyone ever went to war with the NFL was over a peaceful protest for human rights. Shameful.
And that's why Trump is the biggest jerk in sports this week.
RAY OF TRUTH
There was barely enough room in the clown car Trump drove this week to fit all the jerks the anthem protest mockery produced. We call it a mockery because of what happened on Sunday, when half the league took a knee or locked arms in defiance of Trump (not racial injustice, mind you), players, coaches, and, even owners were not demonstrating against the same things Colin Kaepernick took on last year. Make no mistake: Last week was about a rich, white man, not poor minorities.
Ray Lewis, get off your damn knees. While you're at it, get off the damn field, too. Lewis was exposed as the biggest phony in sports last week when, after months of railing against Kaepernick and his kneeling during the anthem, Lewis was there on the field with the Ravens on not one knee, but two of them.
"The football field is our sanctuary," Lewis has said to Kaepernick in the past. "Get back on the football field and let your play speak for itself."
There was no bigger hypocrite in sports this week than Lewis, who later said he was not kneeling during the anthem. Rather, he said, he was on his knees praying. Which begs the question: Why did Lewis even have to be on the field with the Ravens in the first place? He doesn't play for them anymore. But of course, Lewis is no different than all the other has-beens who can't stay off the sidelines of a game they no longer play.
Ray, you're not on the team anymore. You're just some jerk on his knees.
And don't think we didn't see you either, LeSean McCoy.
Shady has been another guy critical of Kaepernick recently saying he's not good enough of a QB to be worth the distraction, yet there he was, on the ground, stretching, showing less than no respect for the anthem or the protests going on around him Sunday. He was stretching, he said, because he was mad.
It was just another reminder that the great majority of NFL players are not agents of social change or anything more than what they really are: just some jerks on a football field.
OWNING UP
As much of a jerk as those guys were Sunday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and all the other NFL owners like Jeff Lurie and Shaad Khan, who locked arms with their players or took knees with them and participated in a fake show of solidarity over the weekend, were even worse.
These are the same guys who have actively kept Kaepernick out of work. You think the Jaguars could use a quarterback right now? Yet, there was Khan, one of several NFL owners who contributed at least $1 million to Trump's campaign last year, taking a stand against the guy they helped to put in the White House or celebrated his election. What courage! Two weeks ago, Lurie, the owner of the Eagles, was unfairly criticized for being hard on players like Kaepernick who he said had no plan to fix things off the field. Lurie indicated he did not respect players who demonstrated on Sunday and did nothing for their community on Monday.
Well, isn't that what happened this week? Isn't that what happened when more than 200 NFL players, many of whom have not been doing any actual work to make change, simply took a knee or raised a fist for the sake of standing up to the President? Isn't that exactly what Lurie was doing?
Jerks, every single one of them.
WORLDWIDE LEADER?
ESPN couldn't wait to publicize the comments Rex Ryan made last week about Trump. On ESPN's official twitter page, Ryan's quote about how he supported Trump in the election but was disappointed in his anthem comments was neatly packaged by the marketing department for the world to see. Ryan was propped up as ESPN's guy and he was given a hearty slap on the back for saying what he did.
Isn't that nice? Way to go, Rex! Way to go, ESPN. Nice how you supported this guy but left others like Jemele Hill and Sergio Dipp to hang out to dry on their own. That's a jerk move. And you said you "didn't sign up for this" from the President. So I guess you did sign up for the misogyny, Islamophobia and racism. Got it.
When was the last time ESPN got anything right including the double standard they use on who gets fired or who doesn't . Of course that's probably to be expected when you let Hollywood run a sports channel .
More in-depth with Heather Mac Donald
https://www.c-span.org/video/?410954-1/words-heather-mac-donald
https://www.c-span.org/video/?410954-1/words-heather-mac-donald
This is actually funny. I used companies proprietary consumption platform and made Seton Hall the seed term and i found articles that led to this:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...-mostly-false-claim-nfl-ratings-are-way-down/
"Trump spokesman Steven Cheung pointed to a Seton Hall Sports Poll that found that 56 percent of 841 respondents cited players not standing for the national anthem as a reason for last year’s ratings drop."
That seton hall sports poll page: http://blogs.shu.edu/sportspoll/201...t-of-factors-led-by-national-anthem-protests/
Any article with Trump on it gets an unreal amount of engagement so this actually was a pretty big brand boost for the school regardless of opinion
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-m...-mostly-false-claim-nfl-ratings-are-way-down/
"Trump spokesman Steven Cheung pointed to a Seton Hall Sports Poll that found that 56 percent of 841 respondents cited players not standing for the national anthem as a reason for last year’s ratings drop."
That seton hall sports poll page: http://blogs.shu.edu/sportspoll/201...t-of-factors-led-by-national-anthem-protests/
Any article with Trump on it gets an unreal amount of engagement so this actually was a pretty big brand boost for the school regardless of opinion
Actually im still looking and the Seton Hall Sports Poll is being referenced by a ton of articles and publishers on this specific issue. WHO KNEW.
What a weird time we all live in. Honestly, is the national anthem before a sporting event even a big deal? It's nice and all but how many fans at home are standing with their arm across their heart while watching the anthem? Has anyone pledged allegiance to the flag since high school?
This seems like a peaceful way for select individuals, who have a platform to reach millions, to raise awareness for police brutality and racial inequality. Even if you disagree with the method, why would anyone suggest this is an unworthy cause? It's just really weird to me that people can get angry over some strangers trying to make the world a little better.
This seems like a peaceful way for select individuals, who have a platform to reach millions, to raise awareness for police brutality and racial inequality. Even if you disagree with the method, why would anyone suggest this is an unworthy cause? It's just really weird to me that people can get angry over some strangers trying to make the world a little better.
That's not why they are angry. They are angry because black people feel that they suffer injustices and white people are using "patriotism" as their less racist method of disagreement.
Hey did you see those brave NFL players who ran towards the shooter in Vegas? Oh wait that was the police who did that.
Maybe these poor suppressed millionaires should get off their knees and learn some respect for their country.
There are reports that the all black offensive line in Oakland intentionally let their White quarterback get sacked several times for being patriotic and standing for the National Anthem.
Maybe these poor suppressed millionaires should get off their knees and learn some respect for their country.
There are reports that the all black offensive line in Oakland intentionally let their White quarterback get sacked several times for being patriotic and standing for the National Anthem.
