Paul Zeise: The Steelers need to sign Colin Kaepernick immediately

[BurghBoy412]

the long and short of it all should be this from the NFL business perspective ...

viewership dictates TV deals , TV deals have a direct impact on profit and player salaries , cap numbers ...

viewrship down last year after protests began , viewership will continue to suffer as long as it happens ,,,

this was seen outside a Cleveland VFW this past week

I didn't know the NFL was a dictatorship. You don't honestly believe we should start taking people's freedoms away do you? Simply stop pointing a camera at these guys and the so called problem goes away. There are far more important issues in this World. Personally I would never sit during the anthem. That doesn't mean I have to become ferociously unaccepting of those who do the opposite.

[Mojouw]

Viewership being down has nothing to do with the protests. Here is a pretty solid breakdown on why the ONLY survey that attempted to put #'s to all this was so flawed that despite what Rovell says, it actually shows the opposite effect - most people watched MORE games. http://deadspin.com/how-to-mangle-a-...ell-1797307721

Viewership is down because people don't have cable. I watch portions or all of 2-3 games a week and since I watch none of them over traditional TV methods, my viewership doesn't count.

The NFL seems to be slowly awakening to this (their experiments with Twitter and Facebook last season) but the people covering it seem totally perplexed that large swaths of Americans are not shelling out 1-2 hundred dollars monthly to sit on their couch for 8 hours every Sunday. People don't want to do that anymore - so they simply aren't.

Folks want the game in a mobile platform. They want to watch it when they want to watch it. They also want to watch the game they prefer, not their in market telecast. That drives all of those folks to illegal streaming, DVR, or other workarounds. Most of the college age students I interact with, if they can't do it on their phone -- they don't give a crap about it. Sure, hardcore fans are going to be in front of the TV - but each generation is going to represent a change in habits. The NFL needs to adapt to what people actually want.

Viewership would skyrocket if people could purchase a stream of the game they wanted that they could access from anywhere for like 24 hours. Then you could watch what you wanted, how you wanted, where you wanted, and when you wanted.

[Dwinsgames]

I didn't know the NFL was a dictatorship. You don't honestly believe we should start taking people's freedoms away do you? Simply stop pointing a camera at these guys and the so called problem goes away. There are far more important issues in this World. Personally I would never sit during the anthem. That doesn't mean I have to become ferociously unaccepting of those who do the opposite.

you mean they don't already take freedoms away ? come on man ...

can you celebrate a TD ?

if you are a bronco or Seahawk can you smoke weed prior to games ? ( it is legal in their state )

need we go on ?

[BurghBoy412]

you mean they don't already take freedoms away ? come on man ...

can you celebrate a TD ?

if you are a bronco or Seahawk can you smoke weed prior to games ? ( it is legal in their state )

need we go on ?

So, you do believe in taking another freedom away then. Cool Bro!

[BurghBoy412]

I'm watching a game right now and Cameron Meridith just got injured. They didn't show the replay because it was "too gruesome". Why can't they do the same thing with the non saluter's? See how easily you're hooked and dragged into anger?

[Mojouw]

I'm watching a game right now and Cameron Meridith just got injured. They didn't show the replay because it was "too gruesome". Why can't they do the same thing with the non saluter's? See how easily you're hooked and dragged into anger?

Agreed. Don't people realize that this whole situation is being used to manipulate opinions?

[Moose]

the long and short of it all should be this from the NFL business perspective ...

viewership dictates TV deals , TV deals have a direct impact on profit and player salaries , cap numbers ...

viewrship down last year after protests began , viewership will continue to suffer as long as it happens ,,,

this was seen outside a Cleveland VFW this past week

LOL !! Love it !!

[BurghBoy412]

Agreed. Don't people realize that this whole situation is being used to manipulate opinions?

And it's not the NFL that is showing or promoting this. It's CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and the likes... The media is perpetuating this.

[Dwinsgames]

So, you do believe in taking another freedom away then. Cool Bro!

you can not be that dumb ...

you said the league isnt taking peoples freedoms away and I gave examples of how they do ... don't twist my words

[AtlantaDan]

this was seen outside a Cleveland VFW this past week

Devastating news if you want to watch the Browns, do not own a TV and the only place you know that has one is that VFW hall

Look forward to the followup story that the VFW hall TV is not tuned to Browns-Steelers in week one - apparently there might be some second thoughts about how many days in a "no longer"

The veterans said if the demonstrations stop they will reconsider their decision.

http://fox8.com/2017/08/25/local-vet...ongsville-vfw/

[BurghBoy412]

you can not be that dumb ...

you said the league isnt taking peoples freedoms away and I gave examples of how they do ... don't twist my words

Who's twisting words here bro? I never said the league doesn't take away freedoms. They do all the time. That doesn't mean they should take another.

[ThorndikeFFA]

No, thank you on Kaepernick. He had one decent and one good season. Since then he has sucked.

[Born2Steel]

If the league came out tomorrow and made a rule that ALL PLAYERS MUST STAND, WITH HAND OVER HEART AND HEAD UNCOVERED, or ANY PLAYER CAN DO AS THEY WISH ON THE SIDELINE DURING THE ANTHEM, it wouldn't make any difference to the discussion. Only then, league rules would decide how players behave during that time. Would THAT make everything better?

[BurghBoy412]

If the league came out tomorrow and made a rule that ALL PLAYERS MUST STAND, WITH HAND OVER HEART AND HEAD UNCOVERED, or ANY PLAYER CAN DO AS THEY WISH ON THE SIDELINE DURING THE ANTHEM, it wouldn't make any difference to the discussion. Only then, league rules would decide how players behave during that time. Would THAT make everything better?

I don't believe it would. Either way someone is gonna be pissed off.

[Dwinsgames]

I didn't know the NFL was a dictatorship. You don't honestly believe we should start taking people's freedoms away do you? Simply stop pointing a camera at these guys and the so called problem goes away. There are far more important issues in this World. Personally I would never sit during the anthem. That doesn't mean I have to become ferociously unaccepting of those who do the opposite.

game set match go troll someplace else

[BurghBoy412]

game set match go troll someplace else

As usual my point completely flies over your head Secondaryconcerns. I don't mind if you consider me a troll. Have a nice day my friend!

[polamalubeast]

This thread needs to be locked before it goes too far.

This is a football thread, not politics....

[Mojouw]

Well, so much for calm rational discussion.

Regulating on the field behavior and drug policy is a far cry from impinging on Constitutionally sanctioned freedoms.

For those that say it is a private sector workplace - I agree. But while the private sector obviates many free speech protections, it still must account for discriminatory practices.

http://corporate.findlaw.com/law-lib...revisited.html

"Even though the First Amendment free speech criteria do not apply to private employers, determine if there is some other interest that governs the employee’s ability top speak freely. The following are some examples:

• Is this employee’s speech being restricted or punished because the employee is expressing religious or other beliefs that are different from the employer’s or from co-workers?"

Long and the short is that the NFL or any other employer can not compel an employee to do anything for the anthem or it is a discriminatory practice. To the NFL's credit, they have wisely stayed out of this legal minefield and let the situation kinda play itself out.

Like it or not, this isn't going away and will continue to be a behavior engaged in by members of the NFL. While, again, I want to stress I am not attempting to sway anyone's opinion on how they should personally feel about all this -- I once again ask, what is the big deal? It is about the easiest thing in the world to shrug off and ignore. That being said, how many posts do I have in this thread?

Hey, that rhymes...

[AtlantaDan]

This thread needs to be locked before it goes too far.

This is a football thread, not politics....

Of course this is exactly what Paul Zeise wanted with his Kaepernick column - he knew the Steelers were as likely to sign the Man in the Moon as Kaepernick and was just trolling to stir stuff up

Could move it to the Soapbox forum, which is pretty quiet these days

[BnG_Hevn]

Due to the Patriots buying 5 super bowls, the relaxing of "celebration penalties" which will have every chuckle nut player thumping their chest to get attention and the whole "kneeling for the anthem", football to me is becoming like baseball and basketball: no interest.

if the Steelers sign Kaepernick (sp) I am officially done with the NFL.