National Anthem Solution

[machine gun kelly]

If teams have a few players staying in the locker room it still will be a distraction.  Brady Quinn the other day mentioned on NFLR that prior to 911 the players were never out for. The anthem.  The real solution is eliminate the problem completely and league wide they stay in the locker. Room for last minute prep and no more stupid kneeling stuff.  

 

A consession on top of the $90 million pledged for racial injustice is just usepenalty money and earmark more for the cause.  This should help ease tensions with players.

 

im all for them having walks and other endeavors to raise awareness and funds so bad things don’t happen and I believe even from my family who are police there has been extra sensitivity training so all people are treated equitably which should happen.  If you’re a criminal it shouldn’t matter you’re. Ethnicity or race.  I hate there are a few bad apples but do believe most police officers are good people who deserve our respect for. What they risk for us to keep us safe.

 

feel free to give you’re opinion, but know it sickens me for anyone who doesn’t show respect for this country and stand for the anthem.

[Cripple Creek]

So, feel free to give opinions with the knowledge that in your mind you are in the right and unwilling to hear what others may say? What’s the sense of that?

[boyst]

4 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

If teams have a few players staying in the locker room it still will be a distraction.  Brady Quinn the other day mentioned on NFLR that prior to 911 the players were never out for. The anthem.  The real solution is eliminate the problem completely and league wide they stay in the locker. Room for last minute prep and no more stupid kneeling stuff.  

 

A consession on top of the $90 million pledged for racial injustice is just usepenalty money and earmark more for the cause.  This should help ease tensions with players.

 

im all for them having walks and other endeavors to raise awareness and funds so bad things don’t happen and I believe even from my family who are police there has been extra sensitivity training so all people are treated equitably which should happen.  If you’re a criminal it shouldn’t matter you’re. Ethnicity or race.  I hate there are a few bad apples but do believe most police officers are good people who deserve our respect for. What they risk for us to keep us safe.

 

feel free to give you’re opinion, but know it sickens me for anyone who doesn’t show respect for this country and stand for the anthem.

Brady Quinn is wrong. For one

 

This thread will go down hill quickly. I just want to chime in on this since everyone wants to know my opinion.  Essentially, I think we will all agree.  Doug Flutie lost us that game.

[4merper4mer]

Here is the two part problem:

 

1. In almost any job the employee is discouraged/prohibited from making public political statements while on the job.  On their own time.....different story.

 

2. Most jobs do not involve standing in front of 80k people for anthem.

 

The rest is all theater/opinion.

 

 

[BruceVilanch]

I know I am probably in the minority, but I am a veteran of the US military and I don't personally feel like the kneeling is disrespectful to the flag or my brothers and sisters who served and are still serving. If anything it shows the freedoms we have in this country as individuals. The protest is for racial injustice when dealing with police, they are using their right to peaceful protest. I personally would prefer that they stood for the anthem, but at the end of the day we live in a country that gives them the right to kneel for the anthem, and that is what makes this country great.

[Niagara Bill]

This is not an NFL problem. It is society issue. When police forces have become a military force, trained and equiped like the army, often opposed by an armed citizenship,  violent over reaction will occur. 

Whether police or citizens are nice people or not has nothing to do with the events. 

 

[mrags]

For one, Brady Quinn is wrong. He wasn’t even old enough in 2001 to know what happened prior to 9/11. 

 

Ive been going to games since much before that and I can tell you the players came out and stood there at the anthem. This was back when people were proud of this country. 

 

Now you have a bunch of Whiney babies that care more about their feelings than the rights of others. 

 

Im sure some of you will attack me for this. I don’t care. Put me on ignore if you haven’t already. You are part of the problem anyway 

9 minutes ago, Jeetz1231 said:

I know I am probably in the minority, but I am a veteran of the US military and I don't personally feel like the kneeling is disrespectful to the flag or my brothers and sisters who served and are still serving. If anything it shows the freedoms we have in this country as individuals. The protest is for racial injustice when dealing with police, they are using their right to peaceful protest. I personally would prefer that they stood for the anthem, but at the end of the day we live in a country that gives them the right to kneel for the anthem, and that is what makes this country great.

First of all. Thank you for your service. 

 

Unfortunatey where you are wrong is that the NFL has mandated that if you are out on the field you will stand for the national anthem. It is their rule and their company. And the players are employees of their company. And if they don’t like it, they can sit in the locker room prior to the anthem or look elsewhere for a new job. I heard the Hamilton Tiget Cats are looking for NFL caliber players nowadays. 

[That_Guy]

If the NFL cared about losing TV ratings over this, like they claim they are and do, it's an easy fix:

 

At the stadium: Do the anthem as normal and let people sit/stand/kneel if that's what they want

On TV: when the stadium anthem starts, cut to some cheesy b-roll video montage of flags waving gently in the breeze and eagles soaring majestically while an audio recording of the anthem is played over it.

 

Once the issue is out of sight out of mind to the TV viewer the ratings should come back and all is well.

[BruceVilanch]

5 minutes ago, mrags said:

For one, Brady Quinn is wrong. He wasn’t even old enough in 2001 to know what happened prior to 9/11. 

 

Ive been going to games since much before that and I can tell you the players came out and stood there at the anthem. This was back when people were proud of this country. 

 

Now you have a bunch of Whiney babies that care more about their feelings than the rights of others. 

 

Im sure some of you will attack me for this. I don’t care. Put me on ignore if you haven’t already. You are part of the problem anyway 

First of all. Thank you for your service. 

 

Unfortunatey where you are wrong is that the NFL has mandated that if you are out on the field you will stand for the national anthem. It is their rule and their company. And the players are employees of their company. And if they don’t like it, they can sit in the locker room prior to the anthem or look elsewhere for a new job. I heard the Hamilton Tiget Cats are looking for NFL caliber players nowadays. 

If their employer institutes a rule I am all for the employees abiding by it. I don't think the NFL should have created this mandate, i would bet it is going to cause more dissension than the controversy they are trying to mitigate. I would have left the situation alone and let the players express themselves in a peaceful manner for the 1.5-2.0 minutes before a game. I appreciate your point of view however.

[ALF]

2 minutes ago, That_Guy said:

If the NFL cared about losing TV ratings over this, like they claim they are and do, it's an easy fix:

 

At the stadium: Do the anthem as normal and let people sit/stand/kneel if that's what they want

On TV: when the stadium anthem starts, cut to some cheesy b-roll video montage of flags waving gently in the breeze and eagles soaring majestically while an audio recording of the anthem is played over it.

 

Once the issue is out of sight out of mind to the TV viewer the ratings should come back and all is well.

 

Reporters will still say and write what happened in the stadium though.

[Blokestradamus]

Change it to God Save The Queen and respect your roots, you ingrates.

[That_Guy]

Just now, ALF said:

 

Reporters will still say and write what happened in the stadium though.

True, but the % of people that actually read about mundane stadium happenings at games is relatively small compared to those that sit on the couch and watch.  ****, i love the Bills and read multiple boards about them, but if i saw a headline of "Zay Jones sits during anthem" it's not something that would get me to click.

[BigDingus]

I never cared, and still don't, regarding what players do & don't do for the anthem.

Kneeling was never disrespectful before this, now suddenly it shows contempt for the country? Uh what? And the fact a US Army Ranger is the one that proposed that as a form of peaceful protest, shows there was never any intent to disrespect the country.

On top of that, since I was 16, I have only missed 3 Bills games period, and not one single time have I ever seen a person at the bar, my house, or wherever I'm watching suddenly get up and stand when the anthem came on... Were they all disrespecting the country? No..

The funny thing is there were only several people, all backups and no-names, across the league still kneeling when the POTUS brought it up again...then suddenly half the league starts doing it in response. Did anyone really give a s*** that 3rd stringer Joe Whats-his-face on the Titans was kneeling off screen? No...but all of a sudden because of phony outrage, and players getting ticked, half the league rebels & does it. 

My wife is in the military, I'm in law enforcement, and I come from a family of both, yet I seriously never once thought "OMG! That guy kneeled! He hates the US and all I believe in!"

But man, do I have to hear about it every second on ESPN radio (and every other outlet) from all the people supposedly upset in my defense...

[BruceVilanch]

2 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

I never cared, and still don't, regarding what players do & don't do for the anthem.

Kneeling was never disrespectful before this, now suddenly it shows contempt for the country? Uh what? And the fact a US Army Ranger is the one that proposed that as a form of peaceful protest, shows there was never any intent to disrespect the country.

On top of that, since I was 16, I have only missed 3 Bills games period, and not one single time have I ever seen a person at the bar, my house, or wherever I'm watching suddenly get up and stand when the anthem came on... Were they all disrespecting the country? No..

The funny thing is there were only several people, all backups and no-names, across the league still kneeling when the POTUS brought it up again...then suddenly half the league starts doing it in response. Did anyone really give a s*** that 3rd stringer Joe Whats-his-face on the Titans was kneeling off screen? No...but all of a sudden because of phony outrage, and players getting ticked, half the league rebels & does it. 

My wife is in the military, I'm in law enforcement, and I come from a family of both, yet I seriously never once thought "OMG! That guy kneeled! He hates the US and all I believe in!"

But man, do I have to hear about it every second on ESPN radio (and every other outlet) from all the people supposedly upset in my defense...

For everyone who say's it is disrespectful to the military I think they would be surprised at how many people from the military community feel the exact same way. Not one of my friends I served with is as upset as some of the people who have never served and say it's disrespectful to the military.

[racketmaster]

12 minutes ago, That_Guy said:

If the NFL cared about losing TV ratings over this, like they claim they are and do, it's an easy fix:

 

At the stadium: Do the anthem as normal and let people sit/stand/kneel if that's what they want

On TV: when the stadium anthem starts, cut to some cheesy b-roll video montage of flags waving gently in the breeze and eagles soaring majestically while an audio recording of the anthem is played over it.

 

Once the issue is out of sight out of mind to the TV viewer the ratings should come back and all is well.

Plus, once players know they will not be shown on camera kneeling there won't be much of an incentive for them to do it. 

[BigDingus]

12 minutes ago, Jeetz1231 said:

For everyone who say's it is disrespectful to the military I think they would be surprised at how many people from the military community feel the exact same way. Not one of my friends I served with is as upset as some of the people who have never served and say it's disrespectful to the military.

 

I have yet to find anyone in real life, whether it's the people I work with in law enforcement or the countless military friends & family I know, that actually felt they were being disrespected.

The closest I ever heard was one of our Sergeants during briefing make a joke about "entitled" athletes thinking we're all gunning for them, but that's it. Hell, if anything, our department has made sure to really crack down and extensively train everyone in policy and procedure to make sure there aren't any cases of abuse of power or excessive force. And that's not a bad thing, as we all should be held accountable and treat everyone fairly.

On the military side, my wife's friends get more agitated by the people that bring up the "disrespecting our troops!" than anyone kneeling. It's annoying that people decided to take a protest and spin it to directly mean "those guys hate our soldiers!" when none of it had anything to do with the military.

 

Edit: And no, just because I stated this doesn't mean anything about where I stand politically. You don't have to be a liberal or conservative or whatever-the-hell to just state the obvious.

Edited May 25, 2018 by BigDingus

[macaroni]

There are a number of ways the anthem protest "problem" could be solved ...

 

The easiest is to discontinue the playing of the anthem prior to the game. The song isn't in any way integral to the game, and if we were brutally honest with ourselves, its purpose pre-protest was pretty much as a signal for fans to run to the concession stand for a beer before the action starts.

 

or

 

Another relatively easy way is for the media to stop talking about the anthem protest, stop broadcasting the sidelines during the anthem, stop beating this dead horse of an "issue". The protests are old news, I believe it has served it's purpose in rising awareness, and now we are to the phase of what are the players/teams/league/and fans willing to do to correct the social injustice that caused the initial protests.

 

or

 

Not as easy would be for every time a radio talk show mentions "anthem protest" turn it off ... mention in every call, every tweet, every social media interaction we fans have with the media, that we the fans have "received the message" and refuse to be whipped into an indignant  frenzy over a group of individuals exercising their right of free speech.

 

 

IMHO ... the whole anthem protest thing has pretty much lost focus. It has devolved into a protest against President Trump interfering with the NFL, into a the team/league can't tell me how to act or think, a hey look at me .... I'm correcting social injustice by kneeling during a song. The only reason it's still "a thing" is that it is continually being hyped by the media.

[SoCal Deek]

The issue is a simple one. No employer would let their employees use their workplace as a place to protest something that is NOT about the workplace. 

 

If players were protesting work conditions, hours, or pay there would be no controversy.  But when the target of the protest is apparently the very soil that they’re standing on then people are bound to be upset. What did they expect?

 

PS: The flag and anthem are NOT the universally accepted symbol of the local police department! The ‘protest’ is dumb on all levels. 

[mrags]

I also work in law enforcement and I also have many friends and CO-workers that have and do serve in the military. And unlike some others here, I do see a feeling of disrespect toward some of them. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

44 minutes ago, Jeetz1231 said:

I know I am probably in the minority, but I am a veteran of the US military and I don't personally feel like the kneeling is disrespectful to the flag or my brothers and sisters who served and are still serving. If anything it shows the freedoms we have in this country as individuals. The protest is for racial injustice when dealing with police, they are using their right to peaceful protest. I personally would prefer that they stood for the anthem, but at the end of the day we live in a country that gives them the right to kneel for the anthem, and that is what makes this country great.

 

I agree with you completely that we live in a country that gives citizens the right to stand for, kneel for, or just kind of ignore the playing of our national anthem.  And FTR most of my friends who are vets feel the same - that they fought for our freedoms to disagree with each other and criticize our country.

 

Where the NFL differs is that these players are on the job, on premises their employer has leased, on their employer's time being paid.  And the employer has the right to specify OTJ behavior.  The employee has the right to say "I don't agree with this, I quit"