Shall I bring knee pads or do they have seating?

The argument is not over if there are restrictions if they can kneel or sit down the argument is over them choosing to do it during the National Anthem...Even tho for some it does not mean anything for many of us it does!

It is all out of Respect...

The Sponsors are backing down due to if they continue they will see their products go down along with anything to do with the NFL~~~

And actually the Sponsors are not even pulling out due to the kneeling they are pulling out due to the Domestic Violence cases~~~~ and other criminal activity that the Football Players seem to get away with a pat on the back for...

So all the argument here on kneeling has nothing to really do with why the Sponsors are backing down at least that is the excuse they are using!

Funny part about it is Richard Petty says he’d fire NASCAR drivers who protest National Anthem~~~~ Bet they don't loose any sponsors~~~

The Steelers were in the tunnel during the anthem. Is the tunnel the sidelines?

thank you for putting that out there, researching further I have found this...

http://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2017-nfl-rulebook/

I did a quick search on Google of the NFL rulebook. It’s easy to find, and here is a link to it.

There is no mention of the national anthem in the NFL rulebook. There are no pages A62 or A63, either.


In an email, Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of communications, shared the portion of the manual that addresses the anthem, and that language is what has been shared on social media but mistakenly attributed to the rulebook.

It appears some fans are confusing the league rulebook for the NFL Game Operations Manual, which includes nearly 200 pages of procedures and policy for regular-season games. Among the arcane details: each team must provide 600 towels and 500 pounds of ice to the visiting team.

McCarthy stressed that passage about the national anthem is a guideline and not a requirement. The key words in the operations manual are “should” and “may” and not “must.” No player is required to stand at attention.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article175221581.html

..thanx for inspiring further research on the anthem participation is not a requirement.

This is a Video that all need to watch he pretty much puts it all down about kneeling!

https://www.facebook.com/liftable/videos/2022448677989846/


https://www.facebook.com/liftable/videos/2022448677989846/

Click on this link and right click and choose open link ~~~

I respect his perception but it is just his perception. If its got nothing to do with the oppression, how can it have anything to do with the prosperity?

If some can see the symbolism representing all the 'good stuff', another can see that all that 'good stuff' is not being lived up to for some groups of people.

That and a whole lot of makeup



"It's HUGE!"

Well, it could be worse, they could have pillowcases on!

well it does show team unity, right?

Yes, I guess it does.
I haven't watched a football game in over three years. I don't buy
any sports endorsed products either. Just me.

I have watched but am no 'fan'. I dont buy sports stuff either. I do respect what I believe should be their right to have their own feelings and decide to stand or not though without it being made into a huge deal.

he NFL publicly stated last season, when Colin Kaepernick’s protest began, that, “Players are strongly encouraged to stand for the anthem but we respect their right to observe the anthem in this way.” The league said it would not discipline any player that does not stand for the anthem. The league says that will not change.

The NFL spokesperson blames the ongoing confusion around this in part on a shift in 2009. Until 2009, players were always on the field for the national anthem for the daytime Sunday games, but not for the primetime (Sunday Night, Monday Night, Thursday Night) games. For those games, for TV purposes, players would come out onto the field after the anthem played.
In 2009, the NFL spokesperson says, “We decided to make it consistent across all games, as it was the right thing to do.” (Some have suggested the league could end this entire controversy by returning to the old way, where players aren’t on the field for the anthem.)
Of course, regardless of what the policy says, don’t expect people to stop insisting, on social media, that there is a rule requiring players to stand. And similarly, different polls and surveys have emerged with completely contradictory findings about the public’s feelings toward the player protests. And, as with the election cycle last year, Facebook and Twitter are rife with falsehoods, exaggerations, miscommunication, and often, literal fake news from bots or trolls.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/theres-no-nfl-rule-players-must-stand-anthem-theres-policy-162020168.html

I believe that everyone in America has the right to free speech, you do not have to agree with them but they have the right to say what they stand for.

What I do not believe is that people have the right to state these views to other people who have not " tuned in" to hear them

These football players are at work. They get paid to play football. They have no right to use their work environment stage as their personal platform to spread their personal views to millions of people who did not ask for their personal views.

If most of us were to go into work an start making personal crusades upon people who have not asked for them. chances are we would be fired.

You want to protest.. you want to take a knee, be my guest, it is your right to do so, but do it on your own time and don't shove it down peoples throats.

I would agree with all of that except that know of no employer or any job which has the RIGHT to FORCE anyone to participate in symbolic gestures of patriotism. It's not really a 'part' of any American job, for the reason that Americans are not forced or dictated to on how they HAVE to show their patriotism. Some do it by action, some do it by peaceful protest, some do it by volunteering, but no JOB included a mandate on how any person must do it or when.

I also think there are just as many who don't tune in to watch such displays of patriotism either. It being part of the job, is highly debatable. The job is to play football. Full stop.

I heard something last night ...that was very interesting...


why do we have the national anthems in the NFL football games ...


I say they should stop ...this way know one has to take a side ...


is it really that big of deal ... becouse it is religious...
you can like football and not be religious... and many may not be anyway ... so take it out ... seems more reasonable for everyone ...

and their loosing sponsors ... it is family sports from young to old ... but these gladiator should be able to express how they feel ...
with out being prosecuted for it ...

It's no coincidence that its first surge in popularity came during wartime. Nationalism stoked by World War I meant that people were more affected by the song, and the fact that major league baseball players were being actively drafted meant those who weren't drafted benefited from showing their patriotism. Over time, other sports began adopting the practice.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/us/nfl-national-anthem-trump-kaepernick-history-trnd/index.html


the culture demands what the culture demands, at this time in our culture what a thing 'symbolizes' takes precedence over living human beings even

its fine to be 'disrespectful' to groups of demographics if one is POTUS, but terrible to 'disrespect' the flag if one is an athlete ....


but yeah,,, it hasnt always been, and hopefully will not always be ... the same.

I did hear that also last night all about wars and trying to send the innocent to fight from a young age ... I do not agree... they have the right to free speech ... and my goodness even in court they ask you if their is a problem about saying the pledge of allegiance... from what I can remember I am not sure and do not mean to sound prejudice... but I thought most of the NFL players are black ... so why wouldn't something like this come up ... if there has been abuse with in their culture ... and others are kneeling with them ... to show support now ... at this point I do not care about FBall ever since they fired the one player ... and like others have said the NFL stands with their teams ... what is the freak about the sponsors ... their loss... which ones the beer commercials lol

It will not be the first time sponsors pull out of something

in the end 'fans' will determine the fate of the NFL and the pockets of those who continue to support or pull away from supporting them. I dont believe die hard sports fans are so fanatical about the anthem though to be honest. I think they just want good football and will continue to watch to that end.

If the so called symbolic gesture of patriotism was new to sports then I would agree with you, but its not. been there since the beginning.

It was in place when they accepted the job and in fact they seemed to have no problem with it prior to very recently.

If you don't want to stand for the flag.. fine, stay off the field and don't disrupt others with your self centered views.

My point was I feel it wrong to use your employers time and a platform that you do not rent or own to force your views down the throat of others people

which they are certainly doing