New season, same Trump: The president again blasts NFL players as the NFL protest heats up again.

[Logic Over Emotionalism]

President Trump was quick to respond to the first player protests of the new football season, tweeting Friday morning that “the NFL players are at it again” after a few teams’ members knelt or performed other symbolic acts during the national anthem before preseason games Thursday night.

By his two tweets, the president signaled that for a third straight season, he would stoke the divisive issue he first fanned as a candidate just before the 2016 election. Yet again, Trump ignored both the complaints of racial injustice and police brutality that many African American players have sought to highlight by kneeling during the pre-game anthem, and their free-speech rights.

The president often has falsely suggested the players are protesting against the anthem, the American flag and the U.S. military. In his latest attack, however, he portrayed them as ungrateful for the opportunity to play in the NFL. In doing so, he exaggerated their overall share of league proceeds.

“The NFL players are at it again — taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem,” Trump tweeted. “Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their ‘outrage’ at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love......”

https://www.google.com/amp/www.lati...-trump-nfl-20180810-story.html?outputType=amp

Some sliced the swooshes right out of their socks. Others lit their shoes aflame, and filmed while they burned in their yards. All had strong feelings about Nike's new "Just Do It" campaign and one of its newest faces: Colin Kaepernick.

Nike revealed on Monday that Kaepernick — the out-of-work NFL quarterback who generated controversy for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality — would be featured in its 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign.

"Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything," read a teaser for an ad Kaepernick tweeted.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...rotest-colin-kaepernicks-just-do-it-campaign/

While Papa John's was quick to blame the NFL for lackluster sales at its pizza restaurants during the third quarter, Pizza Hut is singing a different tune.

On Wednesday, Papa John's, which has been the official pizza sponsor of the league since 2010, said the combination of declining NFL viewership and negative consumer sentiment associated with the league caused its sales to slump. Some football fans have been critical of NFL players who have been protesting during the national anthem.

However, Pizza Hut, the pizza division of Yum Brands, said Thursday that it is "not seeing any impact" from NFL player protests on its business in the third or fourth quarters of this year.

In fact, sales at Pizza Hut are doing quite well. On Thursday the brand posted its fifth consecutive quarter of positive same-store sales growth. The brand saw growth of 1 percent, exceeding forecasts for a 0.7 percent decline in the third quarter.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cn...-impact-from-nfl-protests-on-pizza-sales.html

 

[Logic Over Emotionalism]

Now everyone has an opinion on the Anthem protest and I respect both sides. This protest of not standing for the flag first took place with Jackie Robinson who was the first black person to play for a major league in 1947. Martin Luther King Jr. honored Robinson as he said "legend and a symbol” who “challenged the dark skies of intolerance and frustration.” So this protest has been apart of sports for awhile only now are people complaining about it. It was Army Special Forces veteran Nate Boyer who suggested Kaepernick kneel and many service members support the protest as they understand it is not disrespectful to them or the flag.

I have seen people use pictures of dead soldiers to push the stand for the Anthem agenda. What is more disrespectful kneeling or parading someone's dead husband or wife for a political stunt? Seana Arrechaga has asked people on Facebook to stop sharing her picture with her deceased husband (Ofren Arrechaga) as it has been shared countless of times and is still bring used for stand for the flag. Also in the case of the widow of Pat Tillman has asked Trump to not use her husband's photo to push a political agenda as her husband valued freedom. If we truly respect our fallen heros let's respect them and not use them to push agendas regardless of the issue. It seems our president and the stand for the flag crowd is more disrespectful then the kneeling crowd. In our country we focus on kneeling/standing issue instead of providing mental health care to soldiers dealing with PTSD and our soldiers who live on our streets homeless. Yet somehow people not standing is seen as the ultimate disrespect when our soldiers fought for this right.

The NFL players are making a powerful statement to this country about what's been going on in a peaceful manner. Players in the NFL used to stay in the locker rooms during the national anthem prior to 2009 but because of paid patriotism players are now on the field to show how patriotic they are. Saying that the flag is being protested by the NFL players refusing to stand is like saying Rosa Parks protested mass transportation when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. Or that marching on the street is a protest against traffic. That is nonsense as these players love this country and so do the soldiers who agree with this form of protest. There is currently no rule against kneeling or raising a fist silently as others stand. Here are sources for everything I just said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna804746

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.nine.com.au/article/13605a15-1052-4764-8843-5404737886e1

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cb...-paid-14-nfl-teams-54m-to-honor-soldiers/amp/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.nine.com.au/article/13605a15-1052-4764-8843-5404737886e1

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jackie-robinson-anthem/

https://www.military.com/undertheradar/2016/09/kaepernick-meets-veteran-nate-boyer-kneels-anthem

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/veterans-knee-support-national-anthem-protests/story?id=50075609

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cb...kes-a-knee-to-support-protesting-nfl-players/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cb...-knee-protest-injustice-city-council-meeting/

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.si.com/nfl/2017/09/29/nfl-national-anthem-protests-kneeling

https://www.myajc.com/news/band-bro...-nfl-protests/eUryyMkGD7aa8DTSCUic2I/amp.html

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/08/31/us/veterans-for-kaepernick-trnd/index.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...d-other-nfl-protest-misconceptions/701409001/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theund...-veterans-in-support-of-colin-kaepernick/amp/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59cf0bb1e4b09538b5086602/amp

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...tch-because-of-those-protests/article/2636892

http://nchv.org/index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/veteran-kaepernick-take-a-knee-anthem/

 

[Sistrin]

Nike revealed on Monday that Kaepernick — the out-of-work NFL quarterback who generated controversy for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality — would be featured in its 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign.

Kaepernick began his protest in an effort to keep from being cut from the team, and it worked. It was a stunt, nothing more, designed and utilized to place the team in the position of facing backlash if they cut a player after he initiated protest. Subsequently Kaepernick was offered a new contract, and he refused it.

If he is an out of work quarterback, it is so by his own choice.

 

[John 12:25]

Interesting..didn’t know the NFL still had any fans, or that people still wore Nikes. Looks to be yet another dog and pony show on all sides..from carnival barker Trump, to the kneelers, to Nike signing a militant leftist former athlete to promote their poorly made junk.

Seriously, Nike makes the flimsiest shoes I’ve ever seen, if you step in a puddle or get stuck in rainy weather, the soles fall right off the shoe. It’s like they use silly putty to hold them together. If the protesters wanted to destroy their Nikes they didn’t have to resort to burning them..a brisk walk on soggy ground would have done the job.

 

[Logic Over Emotionalism]

Kaepernick began his protest in an effort to keep from being cut from the team, and it worked. It was a stunt, nothing more, designed and utilized to place the team in the position of facing backlash if they cut a player after he initiated protest. Subsequently Kaepernick was offered a new contract, and he refused it.

If he is an out of work quarterback, it is so by his own choice.

That's not even true. From first link below:

former Army Green Beret Nate Boyer... wrote an opinion piece for Military Times this week where he talked about his conflicting emotions when he saw Kaepernick's protest at lats week's game. He met Kaepernick and 49ers safety Eric Reid in San Diego and the three men talked for 90 minutes before the game.

When the anthem played before the game, the two players took a knee instead of sitting.

"We were talking to him about how can we get the message back on track and not take away from the military, not take away from pride in our country but keep the focus on what the issues really are," Kaepernick said after the game. "As we talked about it, we came up with taking a knee because there are issues that still need to be addressed and there was also a way to show more respect for the men and women that fight for this country."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mi...ck-meets-veteran-nate-boyer-kneels-anthem/amp

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/veteran-kaepernick-take-a-knee-anthem/

 

[Logic Over Emotionalism]

Interesting..didn’t know the NFL still had any fans,

The NFL has a total of season attendence of over 17 million people. Plus the protest has not hurt the franchise it seems.

https://www.statista.com/topics/963/national-football-league/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna824646

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a2ec3cbe4b0e5443a092a9b/amp

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ro...y-the-nfl-is-thriving-not-failing-200922/amp/

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-...-mostly-false-claim-nfl-ratings-are-way-down/

 

[Sistrin]

That's not even true.

It is exactly true.

The 49ers might be about to cut Colin Kaepernick. Here's why

August 29, 2016

"Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer insisted the move doesn’t have anything to do with his political beliefs “whatsoever,” but is simply a football decision.

“Regardless of politics or not, he has a very, very big uphill battle to make this team,” Glazer said. “I’d be shocked if he’s on the 49ers by the time this season ends. It has nothing to do with political views whatsoever. He lost a ton of weight this offseason, had three surgeries, couldn’t work out, lost that double threat, that size-speed ratio. No political views, he just hasn’t been effective. He’s regressing as a player. I’d be shocked if he’s on this roster by the end of this year. He may not be on it in the next two weeks.”

End Quote. From March of that same year:

Why *wouldn't* the 49ers want to trade Colin Kaepernick?

"The continuing drama out of Santa Clara continued this weekend when a radio report suggested the San Francisco 49ers were looking to trade Colin Kaepernick, to whom they signed to a massive, though language-heavy, deal last offseason. The Niners quickly shot down the rumors.

One question though: Why wouldn’t the 49ers want to trade Kaepernick?"

End Quote. However the team subsequently decided to keep him on the roster, despite the earlier pronouncements he might not last another two weeks.

The 49ers finally make a decision on Colin Kaepernick's roster status

"The San Francisco 49ers have decided not to let a small controversy affect Colin Kaepernick's roster spot with the team."

Which is to say they let the controversy guide their decision.

And the American people at large understand this, which is why Niki's political move is blowing up in their faces.

 

[usexpat97]

The NFL is a good yardstick for how "democratic" the U.S. has become. It's supposed to be about the game's best FOOTBALL players playing it out. Yet you can be banned for not getting in line, standing for the anthem, no singing, no hand over your heart, no oath of allegiance. Sieg heil. And people support that. There are countries where I would expect that; but there was a time when I would have expected the U.S. was not one of them.

 

[brinny]

Kaepernick began his protest in an effort to keep from being cut from the team, and it worked. It was a stunt, nothing more, designed and utilized to place the team in the position of facing backlash if they cut a player after he initiated protest. Subsequently Kaepernick was offered a new contract, and he refused it.

If he is an out of work quarterback, it is so by his own choice.

Indeed.

Is Kaepernick going to take a knee for child labour?

Is Nike?

 

[usexpat97]

People take a stand for cause X, and other people call them hypocritical because they don't take a stand for cause Y.

 

[Jamsie]

.

 

[Jamsie]

President Trump was quick to respond to the first player protests of the new football season, tweeting Friday morning that “the NFL players are at it again” after a few teams’ members knelt or performed other symbolic acts during the national anthem before preseason games Thursday night.

Kaepernick is not the only one at the center of this trump manufactured controversary as trump's narrow definition of "patriotism" belies his real intent. A more critical look would reveal that trump's instigation of this arises from his vindictive nature with respect to his NFL failings. A little research will quickly reveal trump's real motivation which further supports the petty person wrapped in a phony facade.

 

[RestoreTheJoy]

The NFL players are making a powerful statement to this country about what's been going on in a peaceful manner. Players in the NFL used to stay in the locker rooms during the national anthem prior to 2009 but because of paid patriotism players are now on the field to show how patriotic they are. Saying that the flag is being protested by the NFL players refusing to stand is like saying Rosa Parks protested mass transportation when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. Or that marching on the street is a protest against traffic. That is nonsense as these players love this country and so do the soldiers who agree with this form of protest. There is currently no rule against kneeling or raising a fist silently as others stand.

Absolutely not. This isn't a powerful statement. This is merely grandstanding by ridiculously overpaid ball players, the equivalent of sending a "Take that!" tweet, and thinking you did anything important. Abject hypocrisy, considering these puffed up players are able to kneel in protest only because they live in a free country, represented by that flag. Others died to protect the rights they are enjoying by disrespecting the flag.

There is zero analogy to Rosa Parks, who was merely exercising a right that ANY person possessed to use public transportation, not grandstanding for public consumption.

Remember when Tebow took a knee to honor God (also not against a specific rule)? That was unacceptable.