NFLPA seems unhappy with this setup.
Why wouldn’t they be, what is a protest if nobody see’s it? The NFL should just return to the old way and not bring the teams out at all until after the anthem.
Allowing players to stay off the field until after the anthem if they want seems like a terrible solution. Sure, if one guy wants to do it then it’s fine. But what if you’ve got a team of 8 guys standing on the field while everyone else is in the locker room? It would just look silly and would disrupt team unity right before a game. Just make everyone stay off the field until after the anthem. Let the fans stand, if they want.
It really solves nothing. If some players choose to stay off the field for the anthem, the NFL fans will just call that out and say they’re being unpatriotic for not standing with the rest of the team.
Disrespect the flag, as so many many fans wrap these flags around their shoulders like beach towels. They’re outraged and don’t even know what respecting the flag looks like.
Which goes to show this has nothing to do with politics and all and it’s just about image.
The funny thing is that this all started when Kaepernick simply remained seated on the benches during the anthem. It wasn’t a high-visibility protest, in fact few even noticed the first few times he did it. That really wasn’t much different than staying in the locker room.
I could be remembering wrong but I think it all started when Kaepernick knelt during the anthem. Then he moved to sitting on the bench later. Thing is sitting on the bench during the anthem wasn’t an unusual thing until he did it.
I think what you will see is that some teams will all stay off the field until after the anthem. Pretty hard to condemn one when all do it. And it wasn’t more than 20 years ago that that was the norm.
It’s time to shut down the NFL.
Kaepernick started sitting but then switched to kneeling after speaking to a veteran because he felt it was more respectful of those who have served/are serving.
The right move for all players is to come out and kneel together, fines be damned. Stadiums aren’t safe spaces where you get to shut out the real world.
He started kneeling because a vet suggested it. This is what happens when you try to meet these people half-way.
edit: what rightbug said.
Well, I guess I remembered wrong then.
I will repeat my previous thoughts though that doing anything during the national anthem was a bad idea. It has been two years now and it has accomplished nothing.
Try protesting something, anything at your place of work and see how well it goes over, especially if you deal with the public.
And I shouldn’t have to say this, but I will, none of what I have said is any reflection upon the reasons for the protests.
The entire reason they are on the field for the anthem in the first place was a political move, once the NFL introduced politics, they opened the doors for this. You don’t get to introduce politics into sports and then try to police that the only okay politics are your politics.
These people area celebrities, they have a voice, and they can use it.
And you had better bet if someone championed their politics in my workplace for years, and then got upset about it when I introduced mine, I would not silently go away. And you know what, I would win in that lawsuit.
So the answer is let everyone do it, or don’t introduce politics. NFL introduced politics years ago.
And no, pretty much none of us are required to recite the national anthem at the whim of our bosses.
I don’t want any politics at my sporting events, and I guess if you consider the national anthem to be playing politics then maybe the people whining about the players have a argument.
It is interesting about behavior during the anthem. The NBA and MLB have within their labor agreements how the players should act during the anthem (at least per an ESPN host I heard this morning) while the NFL apparently didn’t think that was important. It sure has come back to bite them in the ass.
Hmmmm.
MMMMMmmmmmm…?
It’s an anthem celebrating the nation. That’s inherently political.