Every time I see a photo of a player kneeling down I see bigots online screaming they are done with the NFL.

and on FB and on OKP I see a few people boycotting because Kap is out of the league...

y'all hanging out at Chik Fil A parking lots or nah?

Folks thought those bus boycotts wouldn't amount to anything as well

organically. I keep hearing that other players are following Kaps example, that right there could grow into something

https://youtu.be/s18WO484JTA?t=20

i KNOW how and how not to spend MY energy

told her it's about to go down..
bills vs panthers
she goes, "you're not boycotting"
me: "nah. that ain't my fight"

she was like "oh"

the white slogan since forever

gotta be the worst response ever lol

the boycott is isn't just about Kap

it's about the reasons he was kneeling in the first place

"not my fight" is just dismissive apathy

i don't really care if people are down with the boycott (i'm not) but that justification is cringeworthy

it's individualistic apathy combined with small picture perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veOlmLR8uas

im uncomfortable with "you" determining what "everyone" should fight for.
it's personal. If it's based on others then I question what you're standing up for...

they'll be folks with you and without...

something about the situation. but that's false, it can be everyone's fight or place to do something.

I think more accurate is to say " I don't care" lol

But technically, it should be everyone's fight bc some stuff just goes against basic humanity and decency.

.. :-)

you can not be for the boycott and still be for the fight

if you are black...it's likely your fight...

that's why i said dismissive...bc it's ok to not fight the fight as others do or to pick different ways to fight...

but not my fight either says..."the issue is not an issue (to me)" rather than "i don't want to suppor the fight that way"

so it's not like she doesn't know what she is saying.

this is wild to me

i've never heard someone basically say

"just bc im black doesn't mean i should be concerned about black rights"

like holy shit lol

>>
>"just bc im black doesn't mean i should be concerned about
>black rights"

I can't control how you understood it but, the discussion is about a particular issue not black rights.

In essence I guess it does mean I don't care. My thing is this though..your determination of a person blackness or womanliness because they don't support a cause. Like, its should be automatic...

Our differences are philosophical so I don't know if we'll ever agree. I'm cool tho. I believe whatever you're standing up for, you should be moved or driven to act. I mean, you know the feeling, lol (like, the same feeling you have in your responses to me) You can't just go blindly...because you're black - then it become just numbers. Shit, that's what happen with Judas lol

I respect what's going on but, nah I'm not with it just because I'm black...

I'm watching.

also feel like the only people boycotting are the people who were on their way out to begin with..

and that's cool for them.

but I'm watching.

Like really weird?

Here's why I am. I was watching curling on TV some months ago, just curling. And it was Team USA vs Team Canada or China (can't remember). But this was may just a month or two after the election and watching that fandom, just felt super uncomfortable. It doesn't help how white curling is as a sport and fanbase, but it just felt weird.


As far as the NFL, I don't really watch. I've always been more of a college football fan and the NFL is just for social events. But a few months ago I started thinking about why that man doesn't have a job. For lightweight saying "cops should stop killing black people" and the owners and police are like nah, that's not a cause we can get behind. And on the face the fact that he doesn't have a job is silly, but the more I've thought about it the more the message from the top down is "we're ok with the state of police violence" ... and I just can't. I just couldn't ride with that.

So in all sincerity, how do you reconcile with that?

what's weird...different is expecting everyone to be moved because you are. martyrdom does not come without consequence...

In the same way that numerous black people stopped fucking with Cracker Barrel or Journeys or Dennys.

wife beaters - playing
accused of rape - playing
attempt murder before the super bowl - playing
drugs/alcohol/steroids - playing

kneeling for black equality - owners scrambling like randall cunningham

its so blatantly disrespectful...
even if someone signed kaep now... its over

i'm a giants fan... the giants had just signed that kicker who had been beating the shit out his wife. when he said he got letters from fans and wouldnt ever think about signing a kneeler....

i was done

yall go ahead and cook. though

they tell trans they cant use the bathroom of their choice...shit gets shut down

you say the f-word or some other homophobic remark and you going down...

but n words???... u can do anything to n words and they take it smiling and supporting

it's entertainment. Just like rap, rock n roll, movies, etc...

I applaud anyone who sticks to their convictions and boycotts every industry/company as soon as they see an injustice. But that ain't me.

However, folks who say "I watch college cause.."

How many college players knelt this weekend?

sorry, if you watch college you are watching a sport that is worse than the NFL when it comes to exploiting Balc players and shitting on Black coaches. The people in charge of the NCAA aren't any better than the NFL.

and the NFL players are still free to kneel so I don't get the boycott. I could see if they stopped kneeling in the NFL but that isn't the case.

>How many college players knelt this weekend?
>
>sorry, if you watch college you are watching a sport that is
>worse than the NFL when it comes to exploiting Balc players
>and shitting on Black coaches. The people in charge of the
>NCAA aren't any better than the NFL.


Exploitation is a different issue.
I think the labor union for the NFL is exploitative as well as the combine, but I didn't boycott because of that. Same way I don't boycott NCAA basketball.
I think the NFL exploits cities and tax bases on stadium deals, I didn't stop watching because of that either.

I'm talking explicitly about the content providers (the owners) black balling an entertainer because of his views and stance on black deaths via the hands of police. Now if it had been veganism, or hell even a war, I probably wouldn't feel so personal. But in this case the owners are siding with the tragedy. A tragedy that reflects me and could touch me at any time.

we started the Rooney Rule
Rooney came out and publicly supported Obama
gave Mike Vick AND Plexico a job
and we were the only team to vote against the current CBA

so nah... I wouldn't say every owner feels the way the Baltimore Raves and the Seahawks do.

While some teams need a QB, others do not so it's not a "every owner is against Kap" type situation.

>we started the Rooney Rule
>Rooney came out and publicly supported Obama
>gave Mike Vick AND Plexico a job
>and we were the only team to vote against the current CBA

the fuck I look like boycotting cause 10 to 15 other teams won't sign Kap? This might be the last season Bell, Bryant, Brown and Ben play together.

Fuuuck that.

Plus, I still wonder if Kap is boycotting or sitting back watching these games while eating popcorn.

Did he even ask us to boycott?

So would you say you're watching the Steelers more than the league?

I watch college too.

I'm from Pittsburgh. We are born into this shit B.

>told her it's about to go down..
>bills vs panthers
>she goes, "you're not boycotting"
>me: "nah. that ain't my fight"
>
>she was like "oh"
>
>

I don't need validation because the opinion is mine...

"all cancers matter"

how does the nfl know whether or not EYE watched a game? i don't have a nielson ratings box or any other kind of ratings box.

>how does the nfl know whether or not EYE watched a game? i
>don't have a nielson ratings box or any other kind of ratings
>box.

The ratings are based on mostly (largely) middle american white families. So if it's affecting ratings that's who's not tuning in. Linda and Bobby Lee Wheatstrom

It's like polling. They derive group statistics based on sample analysis.

b/c i'm not in a Nielsen household.

but it is about Internet clicks for me. i'm avoiding those.

i'm considering not watching (i haven't so far...but i'm struggling...the shit is like drugs and i'm jonesing) b/c i keep thinking about what i'm 'supporting' by engaging w/the NFL. and i'm increasingly bothered by it. Colin's situation and especially the Ravens statement about not signing him was the tipping point. i'm just sickened by the whole enterprise.

but damn.

i see how many NFL tentacles i have around me. at work i checked out of the fantasy league a couple of years ago b/c i already know i don't want to play at being an NFL team exec. and frankly not having to get up early on Sunday to watch tv coverage and keep track of injured players and who's available and how my guys are doing is a bit of a relief. yes, winning at fantasy was great (i won 2 - 2 different leagues. b/c i'm The Shit) but not doing it is fine w/me. i don't miss it. but anyway, here at work there is a Survivor League and i decided not to participate this year (so far). ppl here are talking all about the games yesterday. the games are all over tv...but i have dozens of channels to watch. my family talks about the NFL. my friends are watching but some are also not watching in protest and some never watched. my mom watches. the shit is powerful. and really it's kind of microcosm of America. right down to the slave auction feeling w/the way players are 'bought' and 'traded' and whatever. and then one of them makes a little wave and this is the fucking reaction? fuck that shit.

anyway.

i'm thinking about avoiding it all just b/c i'm a bit disgusted by all of the scandal. the crimes players commit or just caught up in...the danger the players face (they all accept it but still)...the way the execs treat the players. all of the fucking MONEY being made by a small number of ppl. all of whom are hardcore Trump supporters, btw. they represent the worst of the 1%. everything you can think of - that's them. immensely powerful too. the NFL's power over various aspects of American society...i mean, SHIT. it's absurd. and for what?

i dig football generally (increasingly bothered though b/c that CTE shit is for real and i just...i dunno, man). and i like the NFL (college is great and also problematic). but...i dunno.

and the owners just don't give a FUCK about any of this. that's the worst part. they're not even trying to make this better. b/c they know they don't have to.

i want them to want to have to give a fuck.

and i know my watching won't make them.

which just makes me really not want to watch.

b/c...fuck them.

the ratings are calculated based on whether or not your tv is on and tuned into a particular program. So....if you're actively boycotting the NFL, the best plan is to watch a network that's not showing the game.

Networks use their ratings to justify the prices on their ad buys. If the ratings go down, the ad prices eventually could have to change to reflect. If advertisers are pulling out of specific programming, that could lead a network to stop carrying the program.

With the NFL, I would suggest people don't buy anything that directly goes to the NFL or its teams as well as not watching the games through an official source (CBS, Fox, ESPN, NFL Network). Just bootleg that shit off Kodi.

It doesn't seem like a lot, but numbers eventually add up if done correctly and consistently.
---------------------------------------


---------------------------------------

or both?

i don't see how you can get paid per view
they have whole ass games on twitter now

i'm boycotting by not buying tix and merch
i can't not watch and don't see how that is gonna hurt them

or shopping at the NFL shop...but I'm watching football, man. Hell, I was pulling hard as shit for Michael Bennett yesterday and I'm not even a Seahawk fan.

but won't

especially for my team...i didn't cop merch that ray rice debacle season

waited till last year to re-up...now this lol

but yeah...imo...hit certain sponsors/advertisers and don't contribute any $$$$ to THEM

even when the tickets are free. The TV experience is much more fun (although tailgating is the shit).

but for all yall that do NOT boycott the NFL, let's give an effort to see how the response is for MNF's "are you ready for the football?" theme by the newly resigned Hank Williams Jr. does...

i dunno if they still have what's-her-face from Idol doing it but they got a good one there.

hell, the whole Sunday Night Football thing on NBC is genius. i hope whomever came up w/that idea got a new yacht. b/c it's perfect.

Is ESPN so no surprise.

well, I'll boycott that song.

but they did hire Limbaugh back in the day, so I should have seen this coming.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/08/22/jerry-jones-players-protest-national-anthem-protest

You can take a selfie protesting and protest.

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/how-do-you-show-game-day/?source=ad_fb_chargers_091017

>Every time I see a photo of a player kneeling down I see
>bigots online screaming they are done with the NFL.
>
>and on FB and on OKP I see a few people boycotting because Kap
>is out of the league...
>
>y'all hanging out at Chik Fil A parking lots or nah?

seems like the NFL has made a huge push for women for obvious reasons.

something that doesn't get talked about enough is there is a difference in the pedigree(and paycheck) of today's modern black nfl player and let's say.....idk....the nba


nfl niggas today are what the nba dudes of the 80s n early 90s are...keep quiet and get these checks cause ain't none of them protesters gonna be able to pay me... or provide me all these yt girls



nba cats today don't have that same fear because of more financial security and a VERY open-minded commissioner and they realize THEY are the product thus have the power... NFL is all about team this, team that, the shield, the logo etc...and it's run for, of, and by...old southern/midwest yt men and all of their principles and ideologies

53 players vs 12. It's much easier to talk shit when your money is guaranteed and you can win games damn near all by yourself.

less abt police brutality/kneeling/Kaep and even further BELIEVE in the same shit their coaches and talkin heads are spewing...Essentially there are PLENTY of Shady McCoy's and wayyyyyyyyyyy less Bennett Bros


hell ALL the nba players didn't come out n speak out...

the top ones did

i ain't heard shit from OBJ...Dez gave niggas his ass to kiss...AB corny ass tryin to be Russell Westbrook and only worried abt him...Cam is a coon ...Von Miller **crickets**
i can continue?

bubble players or 'trouble' players like a idk....Zeke...i wouldn't expect to be on the front lines like that

NONE of them would be in financial trouble if they knealt, spoke out or gaf in general

but i would bet my paycheck most don't know...don't show...or don't care what goes on outside of their insulated world

However, when you got the top stars making 20 mill a year Guaranteed? It's much easier to speak up about politics.

But as we type this I can prolly say a good 15 to 30 dudes have knelt over the weekend in the NFL and a few white players have stood next to them in support.

Not sure if it's the team/military mindset that has more NFL players staying silent or maybe it's because there are less basketball players.

How many basketball players are kneeling?

nba wise they ain't kneeling
that was the nfl/kaep strategy

and i'm not saying cats gotta kneel...yt or black
but they damn sure ain't quiet or silenced abt social issues or whatever the hell they want tbh


but NFL niggas are indoctrinated with/brainwashed by the 'shut up and play' mentality....and it shows


look at the goofy shit w/ Cleveland...We gonna lock arms in unity with these same people who are paid to protect and serve...currently we have protests against how they treat people...they said they won't protect n serve us no more...now we are all together, arm in arm to show unity

if they don't get ALL the fuck the way outta here with that bullshit

I bet that was due to 12 players kneeling in the preseason.

still think NBA isn't a good comparison because it's not like you can move on when 2 or 3 of your stars speak up. They pretty much hire and fire coaches due to some of the best players in the NBA voicing complaints.

I feel you tho... I wonder if it's due to having so many players and a much shorter window to earn money?

Also, with helmets it gets much harder to put faces on these guys. How many people boycotting could point out Michael Bennet in a photo right now? I watch a shit load of football and I couldn't tell you more than half the players without their jersey on.

and one more thing. Yes, 10 to 15 out of 1600

But how many basketball players are speaking up out of 300 or so? Those basketball players aren't as easy to replace as football players. I definitely wish more Black QB's would speak up but like you said, niggas ain't built like that in the NFL. I wonder what the real reason is? Ant just be team first mentality.

today's nba?

because of roster size? lol


i will say the dichotomy between Stern and Silver (similar to Goodell and Silver or Right vs Left or Cons vs Lib) are probably the underlying reason for the nba player freedom on top of their union...but the number of players??...nah not really


in the end you(NFL) need MORE players speaking out collectively...
yet they are silent
but let it be cancer...or natural disaster...or **checks today's date**

I think having less players on your team makes it easier for you to speak up since you can't replace that type of production.

Steph and Bron speaking up won't get them on their owners shit list.

I will say that even tho the Pats won look how many players refused to go to the WH? Many were outspoken immediately after the game too.

I just think NBA vs NFL is a lil different.

and you've gotta throw the fans into that indictment. Fans push the idea that every player is expendable ("next man up!") as hard as the coaches and owners.... but the coaches and owners know that isn't true because they'll bend over backwards to cater to players that contribute greatly to winning or the bottom line.

If the average players are expendable, so are their views. And that gives the NFL owners and coaches the cover to just throw away players that aren't contributing enough to the bottom line or winning.

I still can't deny the financial aspect though... the lack of financial security is certainly keeping alot of players quiet. Considering the long term health risks, I think I'd need $5-10 million in the bank to really feel financially secure in the NFL.

but a few Big named/league/club representing level players to do so

and they got a bag secured

Bengals should sign him after the game Dalton had... bout to throw 68+ INTs this season.

It feels like most people who are boycotting weren't huge fans to begin with so it's an easy sacrifice.

Hard to see how it hurts the NFL when folks barely watched to begin with.

It's like boycotting Chik Fil A when you only went 3 times a year. Ok. They really gonna miss you and change their ways? Has to be more than that. Not saying folks aren't doing lore but I see some folks who act like they really putting in work by not watching some shit they didn't really care about.

Now those who loved football and boycotted. More power to you.

if i'm boycotting anything, it's gonna be because of all the stupid stoppages and over-marketing. i just wanna see something fluid.

these living room twitter activists on both sides of the aisle who say they're boycotting are probably still *following* every major sports outlet/writer/athlete in their feed. i'm taking nunnadem seriously.

GTFOH

and listened to the radio broadcast.

that'll show them!

what's funny is there's mad deals to be had. i renewed sunday ticket max for only $100 just by calling dtv up and being like look muhfuckas, i've had it for 10 years straight.... i ain't paying full price while you sitting there giving it to new subs for free.

life changer bruh..

i was never a huge football fan to begin with, but the Raiders are leaving California, so #TeamKap

People who were already not that interested who are now boycotting.

>i was never a huge football fan to begin with, but the
>Raiders are leaving California, so #TeamKap

the raider nation ostensible boycott was pretty funny actually.

"they're moving?! i'm sooo done with them!!!"

3 days later... season tickets to the oakland coliseum are sold out for 2017.

It's not that hard to boycott a wack ass sport.

get yo pockets up...fk them

And said "hey, we having extreme financial power in 31 large american cities, how can we act to solve all of these issues together?"

All the rest is a distraction..

-He isn't Aaron Rodgers
-But in my workplace
-We want to hear him plead for a job
-Its disrespectful to soldiers
-My paw-paw served
-Cut his hair
-Get his woman in line
-But he made racist whites not watch too (This is some bitch ass shit you posted by the way)

All very weak distractions from the real points of contention that Kaepernick, right today, is working to solve.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732670-colin-kaepernick-anthem-race-in-america

I like how it dispels the preferred narrative that he's a dumb jock that doesn't know what he's doing. That there are others pulling his strings.

And that what really makes people mad is not really the kneeling during the anthem. It's the fact that they have absolutely no control over him

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

the 'i respect their right but i think they should find another way...' types now like 'yeah gon and take that knee' lol.

trump may be effectively changing the framing from a protest against the flag/military/etc to a protest against him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZY87RWhAl-/

https://twitter.com/deray/status/911949663997132800

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DKfpG6DXUAQr30S.jpg

that's just a PR statement for the sake of his billion-dollar business. he's like the "publicly disappointed" GOP senator who still keeps voting with Trump on everything that matters.

I suggest the context of the knee-taking has widened. It's also about the value of free speech and expression at this point. And there's nothing more American than that.

Great to see the response today.

about disrespecting the anthem

and one raised the fist.


http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/national-anthem-singer-falcons-lions-game-takes-knee-article-1.3518000



http://abcnews.go.com/US/singer-national-anthem-seahawks-titans-game-takes-knee/story?id=50065070

fox intentionally didnt broadcast the anthem and any protests.

they go to joe buck and hes like "welcome to philly where the conversation on the field is about how unseasonably hot it is today. 88 degrees." yeah ok joe. im sure thats what everyone is talking about.

to rub it in he goes "we just heard a beautiful rendition of the national anthem. truly chilling". lol what a dickhead.

1st this:
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/912048333413330944

then this:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/912276850793213952

then this:
https://twitter.com/DaleJr/status/912284220067893248

looking forward to that part

nascar royalty?

pretty ballsy going against his base like that.

no fucks to give

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/dale-earnhardt-jr-charlottesville
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/06/dale_earnhardt_jrs_stance_on_t.html
http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/news/4481655-dale-earnhardt-jr-rips-jeremy-clements-racial-slur-n-word-mtv-interview-daytona

Not all southerners are horrible - just most of them.

(I am from Louisiana, so I know horrible.)

Not all southerners are horrible - just most of them.

(I am from Louisiana, so I know horrible.)

against leagues and team owners who take a hard line stance.

but what does it really mean? that response was to trump. the actual reason for the protest was lost in being reactive to the big Cheeto.

Not in these numbers but they been doing it and white players have showed support as well.

But I guess one of that mattered unless Kap got a gig.

and this level of publicity.

Kap getting a job, unfortunately, prolly won't happen, but also hopefully is not mixed up with the reason for the protest. everyone knows why he aint working and it likely won't change with the up tick in people kneeling.....even thou Kap supposedly wouldn't kneel if he had a job this year.

It's not about injustice in the justice system anymore. It's now a protest against Trump.
Since he framed it in terms of patriotism and respect for the flag and the troops, kneelers are anti-American

It's an affirmation of American values. I haven't researched this issue in depth....but the only Kap statement I've read I didn't really agree with. But I would've kneeled out there today because I support freedom of speech and expression. Especially nowadays with the misguided forms of protest like non-platforming rampant. Kap's kneel is a great example of how to protest without infringing on the rights of others. He's not grabbing the mic from the singer or blowing an airhorn. He's kneeling. And that's a very traditional American form of dissent that is the basis of modern society.

What Kap started IS American patriotism imo. I might not agree with the particularities of his statement....but I fully support him in every other way. And that's why I would've knelt today if I was out there.

without it, the whole thing would prob end up a footnote like muhammad abdul-rauf...maybe a little bigger since a few others followed suit, but still a footnote.

lol didn't think the cowboys were gonna come through and harlem shake the kneel

The reason for the protest is still getting out there. Trump got people on this board scared.

https://www.sbnation.com/2017/9/25/16359268/nfl-protest-anthem-donald-trump-colin-kaepernick

‘Unity’: The word the NFL is using to avoid talking about Colin Kaepernick
by Zito Madu@_Zeets Sep 25, 2017, 8:50am EDT


On Friday night in Alabama, Donald Trump said if an NFL owner saw one his players kneeling in protest during the national anthem he should make that “son of a bitch” leave the field. The NFL responded Sunday by showing solidarity. That solidarity came under the branding of “unity.”

Players responded to Trump’s words on Twitter after the comments were made on Friday. Then on Sunday, many teams and individual players engaged in some form of protest against his words. Some took a knee like Colin Kaepernick, who was the originator for the protest. Others linked arms. Some teams stayed inside the tunnel during the anthem. Dolphins players wore shirts in support of Kaepernick, and some players raised their fists in the air during the anthem or after scoring touchdowns.

Owners and teams and even the league itself released statements condemning the divisive words of the president. These statements made clear that the NFL has always been a unified community that asks its employees to do their part in helping the greater community. Shad Khan, owner of the Jaguars, joined his players in linking arms. Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington NFL team, did the same with his players.

Trump, in trying to encourage punishment against protesters and divide the country even more, unified the NFL in a way that hasn’t been seen before.

But then, it’s bemusing why it took Trump for this to happen. Or rather, this unity seems more about the league standing behind an empty word — unity — rather than standing behind the original reason for Kaepernick’s protest. The deep irony of this entire situation is all of this is happening while Kaepernick himself is unemployed, and owners who refused to give him a chance because of his protest, now stand, arms linked, in protest to Trump saying that protesters should be fired.

It’s become a protest against Trump, rather than what it was intended to be.

It’s worth revisiting that Kaepernick’s protest was so divisive that he did so alone and was condemned by owners, talking heads, fans, and anonymous NFL executives; a protest that’s been discussed and picked over so many times that it has been distorted into something it was never about.

Kaepernick was protesting racism. He kneeled during the anthem because he thought the United States was not living up to its own ideals of freedom. The form of racism that he was concerned with was police brutality. Kaepernick thought that unarmed and harmless minorities, black people especially, shouldn’t be killed by the same police officers tasked with protecting them. And the officers shouldn’t do so with impunity.

Kaepernick kneeled as a plea for humanity. He thought that human beings of a different race should be given the same respect, compassion, and fair treatment as other human beings. He wanted police officers to not profile or kill minorities in a disproportionate fashion. He asked this because he loves the U.S. and knows that love isn’t pretending that what you love is perfect, but shows itself in wanting the object of your love to be the best version of itself.

That plea for compassion, in a country that believes itself to be the greatest civilization, is what is at the heart of all of this anger. That people should be treated fairly seems like a mundane sentiment, or it would be if the U.S. was more like the ideal of itself and not the work in progress that it is right now.

His protest was never in disrespect to the flag. It wasn’t about those who serve in the armed forces. It wasn’t against police; it was against police brutality. It wasn’t about the NFL and it most certainly wasn’t about Donald Trump.

If the word “unity” that the NFL now stands behind meant something, then Kaepernick should have been backed by the entire league from the beginning. He should still have a job. But what happened was that he saw a fault in the country that he loved, said that we should be unified in an effort to fix it, and was roundly condemned for it.

Now, removed from Kaepernick, who is on the outside looking in, with his stance distorted by arguments cowardly trying to look away from the original issue — claiming he kneeled against things that he didn’t — and with the spotlight pointed at Trump rather than police brutality, the NFL has decided to protest without really protesting anything. The same people who thought a call for equal treatment was too divisive to keep Kaepernick employed are now saying they’re unified against an ambiguous something that’s definitely not racism. It’s less of a protest now and more of a branding exercise.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/25/opinions/trump-tweets-revenge-on-nfl-pearlman/index.html


(CNN)"Let him buy an NFL team and then he can decide who gets fired ... He can't fire anybody and that's the funny thing about it. He just doesn't have control over us and that's what bothers him the most, I think."
— Chris Long, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle
The three men met inside a suite in New York City's Pierre Hotel.

There was Pete Rozelle, the NFL's longtime commissioner.
There was Donald Trump, Manhattan-based real estate mogul and owner of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League, which was in its second year.

There was Leslie Schupak, senior managing partner at KCSA Worldwide, the USFL's marketing and public relations firm. I spoke with Schupak on multiple occasions last year as I was reporting my eighth book, a look back at the long-defunct USFL.

The meeting, held in March 1984, concerned Trump's desire to possess an NFL franchise. Although he owned the Generals and spoke publicly of his love for the USFL, Trump (according to many people who knew him) anxiously wanted to ditch the upstart for the money and fame of the bigger league. Hence, said Schupak, Trump invited Rozelle (a man he knew casually through scattered social encounters) to meet, and had Schupak -- with whom he had bonded -- tag along.

Schupak remembered it well. "They arrive, and even before Pete can stop talking on a casual basis, Donald starts his diatribe on how great he (Trump) would be for the NFL, and what it would mean to the NFL to have him as a franchise owner," he said. "Donald is going on in his typical style, telling Pete Rozelle what he believes in, why he would be wonderful. It was typical Donald, in that Rozelle couldn't get a word in."

According to Schupak, Rozelle, who died in 1996, seemed to be under the impression Trump extended the invite to discuss relations between the two leagues. When he realized what Trump was after, he turned cold and blunt. "Mr. Trump," Rozelle told him, according to Schupak, "as long as I or any of my heirs are involved in the NFL, you will never be a franchise owner in the league."

The meeting ended shortly thereafter. Not surpisingly, Trump remembered the meeting very differently, in testimony he gave in 1984 during the USFL's antitrust case against the NFL (which we will get back to shortly). Trump told jurors that Rozelle promised him an NFL franchise. He did not get one. Donald Trump was never a franchise owner in the NFL.

When many people first heard the President's comments in Alabama about owners needing to fire those who dare kneel during the national anthem, they presumed the words stemmed from racism.

No question, Trump has made it plain over the years where he stands. From calling for a return of the death penalty after the arrest of the Central Park Five (and continuing to believe in their guilt even after DNA exoneration) to spending five years insisting Barack Obama was a Kenyan-born Muslim, to the recent Charlottesville vileness, Trump's history with regard to African-Americans, and indeed anyone who's not white, is dreadful.

Yet if Trump's anti-NFL stance is race-driven, it is also driven by an impulse that is arguably stronger, more personal and more difficult for him to control in himself: payback.

See, Donald J. Trump does not do "no" well. He never has. In his mind, he is a winner; a champion; a "really smart" person, and a vanquisher of those who oppose him. As we have seen repeatedly, he will stomp you and pummel you if you get in the way of his goals.

Real estate empire? Check.
Reality TV dominance? Check.
Presidency? Check.
NFL owner? Never.

Trump first tried to purchase an NFL team in 1981, when he fronted a group that offered $50 million to buy the then-Baltimore Colts from Robert Irsay. When contacted by United Press International at the time, Trump said, "I have not given any offers for the team. Neither was I part of a group that did." This was categorically untrue. Irsay simply rejected the offer.

Four years later, as he loaded the Generals with one ex-NFL star after another, Trump (according to multiple interviews I've conducted) allegedly schemed to have the USFL fold and the NFL absorb his franchise for New York City. When that dream crashed, Trump convinced his fellow USFL owners to sue the NFL for anti-trust violations. He assured his peers that a victory was in the bag -- and he was right.
A jury awarded the USFL $1. With that, it was dead after three seasons.

In 1988, according to the Boston Globe, Trump had an opportunity to purchase the New England Patriots for approximately $80 million. Then Trump learned he would inherit the debts of the previous ownership -- and pulled out. It remains one of the worst business decisions of his life. The organization is now worth more than $3 billion, according to Forbes.

Finally, in 2014, Trump made a hard push to buy the Buffalo Bills. He found himself bidding against Terry Pegula, a natural gas billionaire who also owned the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. The organization was valued at $870 million, and Trump offered less than a billion. When Pegula came back with $1.4 billion, Trump once again shuffled away empty handed.

He did not, however, shuffle quietly. On October 10, 2014, the Bills had a press conference to introduce their new owner. Three hundred and seventy miles away in Manhattan, Trump tweeted while he watched Pegula speak. For some, it might ring familiar...
"The only reason I bid on @buffalobills was to make sure they stayed in Buffalo, where they belong. Mission accomplished."

The only reason I bid on @buffalobills was to make sure they stayed in Buffalo, where they belong. Mission accomplished.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2014

And then:
"Wow. @nfl ratings are down big league. Glad I didn't get the Bills. Rather be lucky than good."

Wow. @nfl ratings are down big league. Glad I didn't get the Bills. Rather be lucky than good.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2014

When Trump began his run of tweets about the NFL this past weekend, many suggested that the league was serving as a handy target for the President to dog-whistle about to his base; that, with his high-risk North Korea chest-pounding, and Jared Kushner's emails, and the Russia investigation looming, he saw the sport and its players as convenient distractions.
Truth be told, Donald Trump views the league as he does Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton and anyone who dare stand in his path.

He sees it as an enemy.

Sometimes I read shit like this...take a little step back....and just remind myself that ALL THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING lol.

It's just crazy.

They kneeled before the anthem and stoop up during.

Folks are just mad because blacks are starting to get uppity again

the most passionate plea cop.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZh_dwkjO6j/

swipe right (or click the right arrow) to see the 2nd part of the video too.

and can't or won't admit to it

and JB needs to let the top down on that sunroof.

knowing that JB is a preacher maybe he thought that nonsense would make sense. That fool doesn't know you can pray standing up?

We don't be pay any attention to Ray.

that way when I him on the field. he don't want no parts of the protests.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/steelers/2017/09/25/ben-roethlisberger-national-anthem-pittsburgh-steelers/701444001/


Ben Roethlisberger said he isn't on board with the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to remain in the tunnel for the national anthem before Sunday's 23-17 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears.

After Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he didn't want players to feel forced into taking a stance, the quarterback wrote Monday that he wishes "we approached it differently" and that he believes the playing of the song is not the right time for any protest.

"I was unable to sleep last night and want to share my thoughts and feelings on our team’s decision to remain in the tunnel for the National Anthem yesterday," Roethlisberger wrote in a statement posted to his official website. "The idea was to be unified as a team when so much attention is paid to things dividing our country, but I wish we approached it differently. We did not want to appear divided on the sideline with some standing and some kneeling or sitting.

"As a team, it was not a protest of the flag or the Anthem. I personally don’t believe the Anthem is ever the time to make any type of protest. For me, and many others on my team and around the league, it is a tribute to those who commit to serve and protect our country, current and past, especially the ones that made the ultimate sacrifice."

In a news conference with defensive end Cameron Heyward on Monday, Roethlisberger clarified that he wanted to be on the field.

"I just felt like I wish that we would have been on the field," Roethlisberger said. "That's just my personal feeling on it. I'm entitled to that opinion. That's what's great about this country and what the troops are for. I wish we could have stood out there. What was important was being united as well, and that's what we showed. We showed unity. Because that's what we need in this country right now. There's so much division. We need to stay together."




Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger released a statement on Monday saying he wished his team approached the national anthem protest differently. Time


Tomlin and several Steelers coaches stood on the sidelines during the anthem while players stayed back. Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger and graduate of West Point, stood outside of the tunnel with his hand over his heart during the song. Villanueva later said he did not intend to defy Tomlin and that he was only remained outside the tunnel because the anthem began before he could make it back inside.

Before the game, Tomlin explained the rationale for the move to CBS Sports' Jamie Erdahl.

"We're not going to play politics. We're football players, we're football coaches," Tomlin said. "We're not participating in the anthem today not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove ourselves from the circumstance.

"People shouldn't have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn't be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn't be separated from his teammate who chooses not to."

The decision followed President Trump's repeated calls for owners and the NFL to take action against players who choose not to stand during the national anthem.

Trump claimed at a rally in Pittsburgh last October that Roethlisberger "is a friend of mine." But Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he would not campaign for Trump or speak at any events because he did not want to get involved in politics.

"I appreciate the unique diversity in my team and throughout the league and completely support the call for social change and the pursuit of true equality," Roethlisberger wrote to close his Monday statement. "Moving forward, I hope standing for the Anthem shows solidarity as a nation, that we stand united in respect for the people on the front lines protecting our freedom and keeping us safe. God bless those men and women."

Trump won this round

It has absolutely no meaning anymore.
Is it kneeling to demonstrate against injustices/police brutality?
Is kneeling to stand up for free speech?
Is kneeling to protest the President?

Everybody talking about who is going to kneel, who is going to stay in the locker room, who is going to lock arms, etc.

But few people are talking about the purpose. All of these demonstrations mean nothing.
Kaep and the early protesters did good. But their actions have been hijacked

Don't try

This method of protest or awareness building has run its course.

It's like if you were wearing a particular clothing item to bring awareness to a cause. And shortly afterwards everyone and their mama starts wearing it simply because it's trendy.

At that point the message is lost and it's time to find a new way to deliver it

Ask these kneeling folks why they are doing it and you will get hundreds of differing confused answers

>> It's like if you were wearing a particular clothing item to bring awareness to a cause. And shortly afterwards everyone and their mama starts wearing it simply because it's trendy.

I don't think it was initially done as part of a protest though

>This method of protest or awareness building has run its
>course.
>
>It's like if you were wearing a particular clothing item to
>bring awareness to a cause. And shortly afterwards everyone
>and their mama starts wearing it simply because it's trendy.
>
>At that point the message is lost and it's time to find a new
>way to deliver it
>
>Ask these kneeling folks why they are doing it and you will
>get hundreds of differing confused answers


Keep changing and the message will be lost. Can't change with the wind just because Trump coughs. Gotta stay on message like a politician in a debate.

Only way he wins is if they stop it this week.

how long will this last. especially if the players keep losing endorsements.

I think this week will tell us how it will go moving forward. I think this display was a fuck you to Trump but I want to see what the Steelers will do this week and if the Cowboys continue or not.

Even if it goes back to the 12 to 15 players it's effective.

But don't change it now. That would signal defeat.

It's not even about police misconduct or anything like that now. You got all these people telling you what you can and cannot Do? Sheiiiiiiiit

https://amp.usatoday.com/story/744966001/

Jerry Jones: Cowboys players 'disrespecting the flag' won't be allowed to play

Jerry Jones is taking a hard line on protests during the national anthem.

The Dallas Cowboys owner indicated after a 35-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday that anyone from his team who participated in such a demonstration would not be allowed to play.

"If there is anything disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period," Jones said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "We're going to respect the flag, and I'm going to create the perception of it."
Cowboys defensive linemen Damontre Moore and David Irving said they held up a fist Sunday at the end of The Star-Spangled Banner. Moore said he had been doing the same thing since Week 3, when he return from a suspension.
“It’s just something that I do,” Moore said, according to Pro Football Talk. “I’ve got my morals. I’ve got my values and my things that I think about. I don’t want to cause no attention to nobody else and bring unwanted attention, but on the same token, you know, there’s certain things that people are doing it for. So, for me, it’s just one of those personal things that I do.”

The Cowboys never issued a formal statement about the protests during Week 3, the first group of NFL games to be played after President Donald Trump's outburst about the NFL and its players. However, Jones took a knee with his club prior to the playing of the anthem before their Sept. 25 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Jones and the Cowboys did rise for the anthem's rendition that night.

"We cannot in anyway give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag," Jones said, according to the Morning News. "We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind, that the (NFL) and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag."
Earlier on Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence left the Indianapolis Colts' game after 23 San Francisco 49ers players chose to kneel during the anthem. Pence wrote he "will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem."
On Sunday night, the NFL Players Association said that discussions on social issues should not be stifled. Assistant executive director of external affairs George Atallah later wrote the union's statement was originally written in response to Pence.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also weighed in Sunday.
“He’s changed that whole paradigm of what protest is,” Ross said of Trump prior to his team’s home opener, via the (South Florida) Sun-Sentinel.

“And I think it’s incumbent upon the players today, because of how the public is looking at it, to really stand and really salute the flag."

I wish

like. real interesting.

I wish.

Fuck the flag in this context. I know where I live - I don't need to see it, much less kneel to it.


(In other context, such as on a ship I welcome it.)

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/video-dolphins-coach-apparently-snorts-cocaine-in-team-office-9733461

“So quick to make excuses for him but will roast a minority player over an anthem, dog fights, weed, domestic issues etc," Nige wrote on Facebook after posting the video. "But y’all keep saying ALL LIVES MATTER STFU??... if his ass was black they would be dragging him thru the face 1st.” -Las Vegas-based model named Kijuana Nige






This past Sunday, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross abruptly changed his tune on the NFL player protests. Ross, who'd previously supported players kneeling to raise awareness of police violence and racial inequality, told the Miami Herald's resident Kaepernick-basher, Armando Salguero, that since President Donald Trump had made the protests "about patriotism," he now disagreed with the move. Coach Adam Gase then forced three of his players to stay in the tunnel during the National Anthem rather than protest on the field at Hard Rock Stadium.

A few hours later, a Las Vegas-based model named Kijuana Nige took to Facebook to blast the organization for the move — and to fire back in the form of a video that allegedly shows offensive line coach Chris Foerster snorting lines of cocaine inside the Dolphins offices before a meeting.


“So quick to make excuses for him but will roast a minority player over an anthem, dog fights, weed, domestic issues etc," Nige wrote on Facebook after posting the video. "But y’all keep saying ALL LIVES MATTER STFU??... if his ass was black they would be dragging him thru the face 1st.”

Nige's point is hard to miss: While the owner, head coach, and president of the United States blast Dolphins players such as Kenny Stills, Julius Thomas, and Mike Thomas for continuing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's peaceful protest, another coach is apparently flat-out doing coke and sending explicit videos from the team's offices.

Foerster, a former college player at Colorado State, is an NFL veteran who has 34 years of coaching experience with more than a half-dozen teams. He's been in charge of the Fins' O-line since 2016.

In the video, he appears to vacuum up three hefty lines of cocaine. Nige, who goes by Starr Sherrod on Facebook, says she used to date Foerster. In the video, the coach says he's snorting the substance right before a meeting.

"I think about you when I do it. I think about how much I miss you, how hot we got together. How much fun it was. So much fun. Last little bit before I go to my meeting," Foerster says. "I wish I was licking this off your pussy."

It's no coincidence that Nige chose this past Sunday to put the Fins coach on blast. An organization that had previously stood behind the players carrying on Kaepernick's protest suddenly shifted course this weekend — with some shaky logic coming from Ross' owners box.

Here's what Ross told Salguero (who, incidentally, for months has been beating the racist drum against the protests in a singularly hypocritical fashion):

"Trump has made about patriotism,” Ross said before the Dolphins game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. “It's so important if that's what the country is looking at to look at differently.”

So Ross changed his tune because Trump pretended Kaepernick's protest was against the flag, the anthem, and the military — even though the former quarterback and his supporters have explicitly made clear that's not what they're protesting?

“Its a different dialogue today,” Ross tells Salguero. “Whenever you’re dealing with the flag, you’re dealing with something different. has changed that whole paradigm of what protest is. I think it’s incumbent upon the players today, because of how the public is looking at it, to stand and salute the flag.”



But Kaepernick and his allies have made it very clear they're protesting police killings of minorities and inequality in America. They sent a letter to the league spelling out precisely what they're upset about and how they'd like to see it addressed.

Two weeks ago, the Fins' Michael Thomas cried when describing his reasoning for taking a knee during the anthem. Apparently, all of that effort fell on deaf ears.

Foerster, at least, will likely pay a price for the revelations. The Fins say they're "aware of the video" and club sources have confirmed to the Herald that it indeed shows Foerster inside the team's offices.

Nige, for her part, says Foerster isn't the only NFL coach she has some goods on.

Update: Offensive line coach Chris Foerster issued the following statement Monday morning : “I am resigning from my position with the Miami Dolphins and accept full responsibility for my actions. I want to apologize to the organization and my sole focus is on getting the help that I need with the support of my family and medical professionals.”

I know the coach and owner were on the BS, but did the guy in the video actually do something to dissuade protesting?

then send it out ? Yes he went along with the BS

but somebody had to go

lol

He'd have quit long ago if it was about responsibility.

This is about being caught.

Fucking asshole trying to make it seem like he's a good guy.

https://theundefeated.com/features/nba-nfl-success/

Football players have helmets on and most fans can't point out half their team if they were in street clothes. This is why there is a disconnect IMO.

NFL is also the ultimate team sport so fans want players to fall in line and if they don't fans are quick to say "trade his ass"

NBA benefits from small rosters and the star players produce EVERY other night. If Kap was throwing 5 TD's and running for 100 yards every game while kneeling I bet money folks would tolerate it a little more but once you hit the bench and do that shit folks aren't trying to hear it.

NFL had huge growth but nothing goes up forever. Even without Kap kneeling did anyone think the NFL would never slide in ratings? With the amount of commercials, stops in action and constant rule changes it was bound to slide at some point.

I actually think/hope those white fans never return (they will, the always do).

I'll also ask.. why do we hear from every NFL fan on social media or in the news but NBA fans seem silent as fuck about any issue? It's like NBA fans have gag orders. Not sure if it's optics but the NBA has handled it well.

Now I will add... if the best team in the NBA looked like the Pats would the narrative be the same? If the Celtics had 8 white dudes on their roster and 4 black dudes and a chip or 2 would we be having this same conversation?

Rocks comments on baseball are spot on as well. As a life long Pirates fan I watched them go from We Are Family and Bonds & Bonilla to white white white players who SUCKED BALLS. They finally got some soul a few years back and had a few decent years. How can you field so many terrible white ass teams for so long?

But NFLers are more recognizable now then ever before in reference to the helmet angle...everyone can recognize the big names by face

It's getting hard to care about either bc of the race problems (Cardinals too white; NFL....). I used to watch religiously and went to multiple games per year. I was doing fantasy FB and all that. Not now. And I don't miss it.

Though if my Cards were in the WS I'd be all in. Lol.

https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/923982850394910725?refsrc=email&s=11

Texans players wanted to walkout today in response to owner Bob McNair’s comments, per @sarahbarshop. Had to be persuaded to stay.


Backstory
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/21183682/houston-texans-owner-bob-mcnair-apologizes-inmates-statement-players-owners-meeting

DHop missed practice because of his comments

^ similar idiom. I've heard both in many contexts. Without more I don't see this being about race. Poor choice of words given the situation. Apology given. Unless there's som'n else to the story that should be done.

it’s getting ridiculous. The whole message has been lost and it’s because everyone wants to be offended all the time.

While I agree with Kaps original intent I think it was a mistake to double down once Trump got involved because a lot of teams and players kneeling weren’t doing it for the right reason.

Ionno... I’ll prolly get flack for it but I don’t give a shit about why people aren’t watching at this point. I just wish they would stop posting about why they aren’t watching over and over again on FB.

I heard y’all the first 3 times. Who are you really trying to convince? Me or yourself?

and if one more nigga says “my team sucks so I don’t watch” ... nah, that’s not how this works.

What’s the endgame?