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I happened upon a read on this subject.

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NFL should follow NCAA lead on national anthem at games

Kerry Dougherty, News columnist  /  September 23, 2017

Can we all agree that college football is more fun to watch than the NFL?

And not just because the pros are filled with grown men grinding for a paycheck, while most college players are barely out of their teens and prone to both crazy mistakes and brilliant plays.

Sure, college teams in the Power Five are sprinkled with freaky athletes who have taken cash and swag under the table, but there are plenty of absolute amateurs: players who were overlooked in high school and guys simply playing a sport they love, knowing they’ll never go pro.

Shoot, you didn’t have to be a Clemson fan to find yourself cheering for Cinderella wide receiver Hunter Renfrew in last January’s national championship win over Alabama. The Myrtle Beach native joined the Tigers as an undersized walk-on, only to become the star of the best team in college football.

There’s another reason to prefer the NCAA over the NFL right now: The relative absence of politics and protests.

At many college games, the national anthem is played while the players are still in the locker room. This has been the case for many years and apparently has to do with television schedules and the need to be ready to kick off at the precise moment the cameras blink on.

I thought of that last Saturday night as I stood in the stands at Cal Berkeley. The players for both teams were off the field when the marching band began to play “The Star-Spangled Banner.” I saw thousands of football fans in this left-leaning oasis proudly wearing “Cal” jerseys, with their hands over their hearts, warbling the lyrics loudly and off-key just like fans everywhere.

It was a beautiful moment.

So why don’t NFL owners adopt the same schedule?

Play the anthem while the players are in the tunnel. That way team members aren’t pressured to stand. And ticket holders are spared the spectacle of players kneeling.

Problem solved.

By now even those who don’t know a tailback from a touchback are aware that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee during the anthem last season. That attention-grabbing act, by a player whose career was already in a slump, ignited other protests with players on various teams sitting or kneeling during the anthem as fans fumed in the stands.

As I wrote last year, Kaepernick had a right to his nonviolent protest, just as some of us had a right to call his behavior rude.

Look, politics are everywhere. And most of what passes for politics is ugly.

Football is where some of us go to escape.

We don’t want to be lectured or drawn into divisive debates while there, whether the instigators are players, owners, announcers, or quite frankly, the president of the United States.

In a red meat speech at a political rally for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Luther Strange in Alabama on Friday night, President Donald Trump foolishly waded into the NFL controversy. He suggested that the protests would end if fans simply walked out every time players fell to their knees during the anthem.

What, and miss the game, Mr. President? Those season tickets cost big bucks. Plus, people love football.

The president urged owners to fire protesting players.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, ” Trump intoned, launching yet another controversy.he’s fired,’

Our bombastic president is partly right, owners can hire or fire players at will — depending on their clauses in their contracts, that is. But by popping off about the issue, Trump virtually guaranteed that the protests will continue.

And spread.

Look, standing for the national anthem is simply a sign of respect and affection for our imperfect nation. It doesn’t suggest agreement with everything going on in the country.

If it did, no one would stand.

Instead of kicking protesters off them team as Trump urged, owners should urge their players to follow their consciences. Tell them that they’re free to stand, sit or kneel.

In the locker room.

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NFL lost my interest last year anyway.

This year, haven't seen any games...been busy making the FEMA dough-nuts

College ball is good. Many players are playing for their future. Some that don't make it BIG end up back in their hometown, no real education, selling drugs, getting shot,......

Success is only a stones throw away.................................................................for a Palestinian

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Watching the one sided media circus surrounding this is awful. Those players have every right to to protest. What they are forgetting is freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom of consequences for their actions. 

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The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.

The government can only "give" someone what they first take from another.

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But, what exactly are they protesting about?

Edited by 41chevy
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"OPERTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK"  Thomas Edison

 “Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit, what a ride!’

P.T.CHESHIRE

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I heard jerry jones knelt with the players before the national anthem BUT stood up and respected our flag. I thought it was a very classy way to handle it without furthering controversy either way. 

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The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.

The government can only "give" someone what they first take from another.

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11 hours ago, 41chevy said:

But, what exactly are they protesting about?

41chevy, you're exactly right. If you want something to change, you have to take it upon yourself. If you sit on your butt and/or collect your fat paycheck from the NFL, don't expect any change to happen (that is, if anything needs changing).

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If I were a coach or team owner and a player decided to sit during the national anthem, I'd assume they enjoy sitting and that's exactly what they'd be doing a lot of during the game.  If you want to play, show respect to the nation you live in where opportunities such as the one you have been enjoying are possible.  If you want to protest against police brutality, do it some other time...on your own time...and when you aren't wearing my uniform.  Make sure you've got your facts straight, too.  Anyone who assaults and attempts to murder a cop is probably going to get shot.  Doesn't matter what color you are, try to murder a cop and the cop is probably going to do his best to neutralize (i.e. KILL) the threat.  The "gentle giant" in Ferguson had just robbed a convenience store, tossing the clerk around like a rag doll...and then beat the hell out of a cop INSIDE the cop car as he tried to take that officer's gun, and was shot in the process.  This latest on in St. Louis was a known felon and drug dealer leading police on a dangerous high speed chase, not only using the car as a weapon but also waving a gun around inside the car as he was fleeing.  Bottom line, you assaut the police and present yourself as a threat to not only the officers but to the general public, well, you're probably not going to like the outcome.  I may not like the police, but I will defend the ability of ANYBODY to remove a threat to their safety.  Try to kill someone...ANYONE...and I will defend their right to end yours instead.

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When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way!
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23 minutes ago, Maddog13407 said:

fire em all, fuck em. way overpaid to begin with. don't wanna stand for our anthem, instant fired, end of story. No football on tv? hmmmph, oh well, find something more constructive to do.

Yes I agree totally.   I haven't watched  since the Steelers had Bradshaw and the steel curtain.  And back then Chuck Noll would not have put up with the crap that is happening today.    And there are always reruns of Andy and Barney on some channel.   I believe MackTechnician is being sarcastic saying they don't have a safe place on that field.    Well look at the  Rodeo cowboy or the clowns/ bull fighters,   they deal with bulls and buckin horses that weigh 1500 to 2000 pounds,  by themselves. And only get a check if they do well.   AND THEY STAND FOR THE ANTHEM.

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Well said Paul. The problem is even when shown cold hard facts th majority of our country believes the bs spewed on the "news" channels. The US is in for some trouble unless we get some politicians who care more about the good of our country than being reelected. 

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The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.

The government can only "give" someone what they first take from another.

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