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

You don't see the difference between spreading a memo throughout the company saying "maybe women just aren't meant for tech" and someone... kneeling? You don't see the difference between saying something extremely racist, and kneeling in protest of racism? You can't expect any players to realistically say "we'll just make our own league" and prop up something rivaling the NFL overnight. You can't say "just do football elsewhere!" because there's the NFL, college football, and... that's it. Hell, how is prohibiting kneeling "within reason"? How is saying "let players kneel for that 1 minute timeframe where everyone's just standing around listening to a song" "immense regulation approaching communism"? Oh no, next companies will be forbidden from mandating you wear specific colors of underwear! Those poor businesses, this is communism! This is just as bad as the gulags, telling a company they should let someone kneel for a minute!

are you actually saying that spreading hate and racism is the same as protesting against hate and racism

Ok so the kneelers are on Company time so therefore it’s ok, right? I partially agree to this but still look at it though a business owners perspective. If I go on Twitter and start tweeting how I hate blacks and it becomes news that the company I work for keeps me employed it would make them look bad and ultimately lose customers. like this argument has been about; the anthem is not political. You’re making it that way. If the company wants you to something that’s within their rights then abide by it or leave. i believe people should have all the right to speak out but don’t have the expectation of still being employed unless the company is breaking the law.

Literally the only "problem" it caused was it got a bunch of grown-ass titty-baby children's underwear in a bunch because they chose to believe he hated the country rather than listen to what he was actually protesting. His kneeling certainly isn't the cause of the problem given that context.

I agree, people overreacted. But people are also overreacting to the NFLs decision.

Too bad, the anthem got politicized, wishing upon a star that something isn't going to change that others view it as political, we're stuck, especially since orange Hitler started ranting about it. Also yes they is a difference in speech, anything that encourages equality and justice is okay, as you have used in an example yourself, rasicm and sexism isn't that. Which shows exactly how your argument fails. Strictly on a legal standing NFL has the right to forbid this, but on moral grounds and probably in publicity grounds, too, this is dumbshit as fuck. You can ride into the sunset and out of this thread given you are right in this narrow aspect, but this doesn't address the underlying causes of this symptom. NFL as a sport (which should support sportsmanship) should encourage good moral values, as a medium alone, this isn't doing that. This is either fucking hiding to avoid any bad press, which is passive, or actively encouraging only standing with the country which IS currently only republican. As the NFL has the power (and in my eyes the responsibility) to stand up to hate, prejudice and racism, it has failed to come forth and show spine and in many ways failed many americans.

If the protest was about ending racsim then nobody would have a problem. Kneeling during song that represents a country is a big fuck you and extemely disrespectful to many. See the problem of this. One thing might be offensive to someone while it’s perfect fine, if not commended to others. Who shall be the judge of what’s acceptable and what’s not? I believe the employer is and the law obviously agrees.

You need to go look up how this protest movement started and what it's really about. Because the first person to say this was a protest against America and the flag was Donald Trump, when he waddled in with shitposting nobody asked for. Also, forcing people to stand for the national anthem and flag isn't patriotism, it's nationalism. If you have to be made to do it, it's not patriotism.

There were people complaining about it before Trump got involved. To say Trump is the reason why people have a problem with it is just completely false. Surr, he helped expand it but was not ultimately responsible. I’ve seen posts on social media of people who aren’t Trump supporters and have a problem with it.

I pray to one day live such a privileged life that people kneeling during the national anthem offends me.

Trump sure isn't the cause, but surely an amplifier, therefore transforming the issue by shining the national spotlight on it, not that the cause of this particular issue matters in the bigger picture. Any media is political, get over it, you can use this power for good or for evil. But using your free speech for more equality and justice is good in my book and many others. I don't want to imply that conservatism is necessarily evil, just that recently it started tolerating and passively advocating it since Trump steam-rolled the GOP, not that there weren't signs of that before the election but embracing a core racist message just for votes throws any potential political middle-ground out the window.

You're the only one who's failing to see the difference between perpetuating racial injustice, and protesting against racial injustice. There's a honkin' fat line between the two and the only thing thicker than it seems to be your skull.

So tell me why so many people are upset about it. Are they all racists and mad he’s taking a stand?

People will always be angry when you try to buck the status quo and some people don't interact with the black community closely enough to know what actual systematic oppression looks like or the true scale of it. To put it simply, no they aren't all racists but they are people saying "mah football" or "mah flag" while desecrating the flag themselves with their coozies and whatnot.

I don’t think it’s that complicated. Some people see it as offensive to America as a whole as that’s what the anthem represents and he’s introducing partisan politics into something that didn’t need it. There’s no status quo or institutionalized racism. It’s the simple fact people see it as disrespectful and disruptive to the game.

You know it really would tickle me pink if Trump murdered the NFL

If your game takes precedence over police brutality, you got fucked priorities or hate it for a much more obvious reason.

I think he got way more attention doing it this way over any other alternative, which I think is exactly what he wanted.

If we do not force students to stand for the pledge, then i don't think it is fair to force players to stand. Even though I don't agree with the players and the politics behind it, it is others rights to kneel.

It is not that I support police brutality, racism or Trump. There are times and places to make political statements and the workplace is not one of them. They are there to entertain and play. Just like employees at any other job are prohibited of bringing up politics, the players should be to. I’m all for protesting when it’s the right place.

Except football is massively different than working an office job, hence why he protested. Also where is the right place? In a bunker far away from any media coverage? Its just a song dude, if you and others are that offended that a person is taking a knee to highlight an extremely large problem in the us, maybe you need to read what the pricipals of america really is about instead of blind and dagnerous nationalisim. Also this goes back to "you can only show MY political beliefs in my workplace", which sets a dangerous standard of your job forcing you to follow what they believe, or else.

If an office worker was forced to stand for the national anthem every morning, despite having deep reservations about it, they should be able to protest it too. Standing for the national anthem is inherently a political statement and forcing players to stand during it or face ostracization equates to forced political speech, which is wrong. Saying the NFL can make them because they are the employer is such and empty excuse. Just because they can make them, does not make it okay.

if it was so disruptive then why was he able to do it for a few weeks with no issues

How is it disruptive at all for that matter. People are acting like his dancing around screaming during the anthem.

I heard he literally took a dump on not one, but TWO American flags during the national anthem!

Why do you view the anthem as being somehow sacred?

"I'm going to silently kneel in protest because I think there are grave injustices in society." Wow look at this partisan hack. I bet he votes Democrat, too.

Hell even saying that racism is bad is basically a partisan belief at this point.

Remember we live in an age where Nazism is aparrently an opinion that needs to be considered according to some people

If I can't watch my football game with absolutely no distractions, what is this world coming to? I don't see why if you get pinned to the ground by a half dozen cops and tazed over a bad parking job you cant just go to work the next day like nothing happened, purely for my entertainment. The nerve of some people, ya know?