NFL bans kneeling during the anthem, teams will be fined for it - Sensationalist Headlines

Protesting is not partisan either, unless you want to consider the fact that some will disagree and some will agree but in that case patriotism is just as partisan.

Protesting is partisan when the thing you are protesting for is a partisan issue. If I'm going to go protest for lower taxes, then I'm participating in partisan protesting. The NFL playing of the national anthem was not associated with any specific policy issue beyond support for the US generally. They didn't attach it to any specific policy point, political party, etc. A republican and a democrat, a capitalist and a socialist, a black and a white, an atheist and a Christian, etc. were able to stand shoulder to shoulder as the national anthem played without any partisan issues getting in the way. It was a time of coming together, whatever policial differences we might have had. But now things have changed. It's now a partisan moment were people are making some political stand, whether they choose to sit or stand.

What is there to argue about here? The NFL is a private organization, either follow their policy or leave. They don't have to give you freedom of speech or peaceful assembly. You can barely even call the national anthem political. It represent the country and its people as a whole, not the president, congress, police, etc. it is the least dividing song out there, it's meant to represent everyone. Why is no one making a big fuss out of the profanity ban the players have? Doesn't that violate your freedom of speech?

Patriotism is inherently partisan. Having pride in ones country and it's collective accomplishments is one of the most partisan political activities one can engage in. And I say that as a patriot. The fact that whites and blacks and Republicans and Democrats could were (and are, lets not be dramatic now) able to stand and honor the national anthem was because they were raised in a culture of honoring the country and the flag. That it is an incredibly popular stance with a wide demographic that coincidentally carries the penalty of social and professional ostracization doesn't make it non-partisan.

To be honest I'm more frustrated with fans that sit and be loud during the national anthem than players who choose to kneel. At least the kneelers are thinking about it and participating.

It's hard to think of a protest that is more respectful of those around you than quietly kneeling. I completely disagree with kaepernick's perspective but why this is an issue boggles my mind, much less the fact that it's something the NFL wants to fine people for.

Reminder to blame the league for teams being out on the field during the anthem in the first place. It’s important to remind you — again — that the NFL unknowingly created this problem in 2009 when it started requiring teams to take the field during the anthem because it would make the league appear more patriotic. It was typical NFL shortsighted behavior. It wanted to use the flag and the anthem to enhance its brand. It didn’t consider carefully that the players might use that pregame moment for different reasons. ... Furthermore, when you review the guidelines for proper flag display, there’s nothing in there that says it is acceptable to create a giant flag in the shape of the United States and spread it over the field so it looks good on television or makes for cool Instagram pictures. But the NFL and other sports leagues do it. And why is that acceptable? Because you have to consider the intent? If that is the case, it’s only reasonable to ponder the intent of a football player who says he chooses to kneel because it’s considered a more respectful gesture of protest.

Is seems like a big factor in something being partisan or not to you is whether you like it or not? Ice Cream? Good wholesome bipartisan fun. Broccoli? Evil partisan demagoguery!

What do they mean by "we" and "our"?

To be a little fair the nfl is a massive organization and even now it's clear that some owners don't agree with this ruling

Making the rookie mistake of believing that everyone is on their side..

Maxwell, however, knelt also to protest comments by President Trump, according to his agent, specifically Trump’s call on NFL owners to fire or suspend players for kneeling during the anthem. Trump continued that call Sunday morning on Twitter. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners,” wondered the president at a Friday night rally, “when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out. He’s fired. He’s fired!’ ” Trump continued on the subject, criticizing the NFL for trying to make the game safer for players and on Saturday, via Twitter, he uninvited Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to the White House. The Warriors subsequently announced none of the team would go when they make their trip to Washington, D.C., in February to celebrate their 2017 NBA Finals victory. Didn't know trump was being so shit about this.

Not the least bit surprising, to be honest. Such a petty piss-baby, that guy.

if you truly believe standing up against the considerable cases of police brutality and the many examples of excess force (with then the offending officers getting a slap on the wrist, if even), is a partisan issue, then there really is no point to this conversation

Like I said before, it's about a lot more than that. The vast majority of people on every side of the fence agree that no one, including black people, should be unjustly attacked/shot/beat/etc. by police officers, and that police officers who do such a thing ought to receive the full measure of the law. That, I totally agree, is a non-partisan idea. The problem is that it doesn't end there. That's not the part that becomes partisan. The partisanship comes in when you A) talk about specific cases where the evidence isn't clear (or is clear, but hasn't been treated with honesty), B) how to interpret statistics, and C) how to solve any problems that show themselves. All of those parts are necessary components to the overall argument, and they all become partisan extremely quickly. To just say it's about not wanting black people to be treated with excessive force is to make the issue much more simplistic that it really is. The fact that I agree that black people being treated unjustly is morally wrong isn't nearly enough to put me in agreement with someone like Kapernick because his point goes MUCH further, and when you get into those details you start to see how partisan the issue really is.

It *shouldn't* be partisan. Doesn't mean it isn't.

It is so surreal to me that this nation seems to entirely not understand the very first amendment on our constitution.

Anyone who whines about the kneeling is a huge crybaby end of

Why are people bringing up freedom of speech? The players are employees and the NFL is well within its rights to ban kneeling.

labor rights are so unbelievably fucked in this country though

Whats to argue about is they shouldn't have the anthem to boot If they wanted to stay out of politics they should not have the anthem period, end of story.

You can't just fire anyone for anything though

It's a pseudo partisan issues because people are either Don't understand or care Hate the message behind it (Racial equality) Have their heads so far up their own ass with national pride that they think it's just some "dumb liberal nonsense" It's not a partisan issue, except for the few idiots who care about it for the wrong reason. It'd be one thing if they were just thought the message was tainted and criticized it for that, but that's not why it's 'partisan'. It's partisan because of the facade that it's some kind of inherently bad thing to defy the establishment.

The big beef people have with this is that they're so rich that they practically aren't affected by this as much as the poor but if they just ignore the ban this will show it has at least the merit of money not being an over-all interest

Such terrible things like "Queer affirming", "empathy", and "Loving Engagement". Truly a beast to behold.

that is true but it's also a really fucking stupid action that shows what the NFL truly thinks of social issues affecting blacks

I'm fine with it, so long as 'under god' is rightfully removed once more since it literally has no place there. The pledge explicitly includes 'Liberty and Justice for all' as an intrinsic part of the country, so it's not like anyone is being asked to pledge undying loyalty; just to strive to uphold those pillars of the nation, no matter how diverse the population was. Well, that was the idea, anyway. It appears that actual patriotism is being eaten away at by protectionist fuckwits that strongly oppose the very ideals that made the country strive for greatness in the first place.

I'd rather the players that disregarded what their company told them to specifically not do, were fired instead. Outright. When you sign a contract in the US which stipulates your behavior, and your continued employment is contingent upon said behavior, fines don't make sense. It's a slap on the wrists compared to every other marketplace we hold. The subject matter is irrelevant. Why the person is doing it, is irrelevant. What is relevant is if you want to work for a business or not, and if you can conform to those standards that they demand.

there's things like labour laws and worker's rights lmao you can't just put any random shit in your contract and say "if you're not willing to work 16 hours a day without breaks, you're fired!!!" sure this example probably doesn't contravene any labour laws (not a lawyer though so I may be wrong) but it's very obviously an attempt to appeal to the racist meatheads that make up their viewer base

The right can make any issue partisan if they really want to I guess. Look at climate change!