Oh my. We are getting really close to this getting real ugly real quick. I urge everyone to stop and think through the implications of some of the words and images that are being used. I include myself in this as well.
Oh my. We are getting really close to this getting real ugly real quick. I urge everyone to stop and think through the implications of some of the words and images that are being used. I include myself in this as well.
1) that Highly visible setting is a workplace and lets not say it should not be league controlled because the league controls all sorts of things within stadiums weekly including how you can celebrate after a big play
2) you have a right to twerk to but the league sent a nice fine to Dupree for doing just that , again nobody is taking that right away , just attempting to force them to do it on their own time
3) has no bearing because NOTHING is being done but cause division with these so called protests , no conversations , nothing positive
4) the lack of understanding history makes the flag and anthem the worst possible target of the protest as it was that very flag that flew to victory that freed their ancestors from slavery and that same flag that brought us Independence as a nation ....thus no worse example of an item. object , symbol could possibly be used ...
I could go on and on as well ...
this is not meant to target you as a person , have known you on forums for many many years and always liked you but I could not disagree with you any more on any topic than this one and quite frankly I am shocked at how you look at this .
have a good night
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
Didn’t say anything remotely close to what you are trying to say there. Lol.
Personally, I stand for the anthem and I face the flag. I wouldn’t advocate kneeling or protesting during it but that’s just me. I don’t think it’s a positive message. I think they should be protesting the Police stations. However, I don’t worry myself with what other people are doing. They have the freedom to do that and that’s what I am standing and watching that flag for during the anthem.
As for these protests, they have ZERO to do with veterans, flags or anthems. It’s not what they are protesting but people can’t get past that. The media won’t let them. Again, I don’t give a shit what people do during the anthem, they have the right to do it. It’s what it’s all about. Some of these veterans are getting a little out of hand imo.
^ Pretty much this. The players have their freedom of speech and a national stage, but as 43Hitman pointed out "Just because you can doesn't mean you should".
The problem isn't that the protests are an insult to the flag or the veterans, the problem is they're an insult to the fans. They're paying money and sitting through commercials to see their team play football, not be subjected to politics.
This constant political grandstanding has invaded and ruined every aspect of entertainment because the people who are supposed to be entertaining us have taken it upon themselves to bestow us with their political opinions while they have a captive audience.
I'm tapping out.
-Slashy
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
Why is it that the players can protest anything they want about anything they want, but someone posting his displeasure about players protesting on a Steelers message board is being attacked for taking a stand?
The ultimate protest is for the people that pay for the whole fucking NFL experience to walk away from the game and voice their anger about the direction the game has been taking from a political standpoint.
To those of you who believe the players have the right to protest, how many among us that aren't self-employed are allowed to conduct a political protest of any kind when working for someone else? These guys have microphones shoved in their faces constantly. They can say anything they like to support their causes during press conferences or outside the building. All they would have to do is stand outside the gate, and microphones will come flying at them from all directions. They can call any radio talk show in the country and be granted a platform to deliver their message.
There are a million ways that they can protest and make their point. They are shitting on the American flag because that is exactly what they want to do. They want to piss everyone off. If you say otherwise, you are simply fooling yourselves.
Maybe if the media had any stones, they would be looking into any players that are protesting and find out if they have 10 children with 10 different mothers that they don't spend a second of their time with or support in any way other than an occasional check. Maybe they have criminal records. Maybe they beat women. Maybe they assaulted police officers. Maybe they committed crimes against people of another race. Wouldn't that be something? There are many people protesting that are complete pieces of shit as human beings, made out to be Gandhi in cleats....while regular citizens are told to shut up and eat shit if they don't like it.
It's amazing to listen to people try to shout down someone with an opinion on a public message board, but think employees of NFL organizations should be able to say whatever they like....including not respecting the flag on national television while they're on the clock at work.
If someone thinks they've seen enough of the nonsense and decide to stop watching a product because they're spoon fed political bullshit daily, I completely understand. I've been angered before by things the NFL has done, but it was never enough to ruin it for me. But for the first time that I can remember, I just don't have a burning desire to watch professional football right now. I get sick to my stomach every damn time I turn on a TV or listen to a sports radio talk show, I am pummeled with this horseshit about the protest and told how I should feel about it. I've never felt like this before about pro football. I follow college football. I evaluate players and prepare for the draft. I check out this message board daily, and think about football all the time. For the first time in my life I just feel like I'm wasting my time caring about something that spits in my face and doesn't give a rats ass about me or any of us. They just want our money, and we can eat shit about everything else.
If fans want to give the NFL and the players a message of their own. I'm all for it. I believe they need a good kick in the nuts....errr......wallets. It's the only thing they seem to care about.
NFL football is supposed to be entertainment. I've been listening to people tell everyone to lighten up for years and to let them celebrate, have a little fun....it's just a game.....right? It has become something other than that and I don't like it. It's supposed to be an escape from all the bullshit we deal with in real life. Football is no longer that escape. It has become something else.
As for me, I don't know what I'm going to do yet. It's been part of my life for as long as I can remember as a player and a fan. I'm considering my options.
And to respond to a statement above that the Constitution provides your freedoms....yes it does, but only because of the blood spilled by American soldiers fighting and dying defending the flag and providing the freedom that gives the Constitution the ability to be our most important document. Without the sacrifices of men and women who have served and defended this country...many making the ultimate sacrifice, the Constitution is a piece of paper.
I understand both sides of the debate, but ultimately I have no problem with fans staying away from the game and costing the NFL billions of dollars. I wonder how many players would still be sitting or kneeling for the anthem if the salary cap dropped $50 million?
Just a thought.
The best solution to avoiding all of the unnecessary drama I could think of is to simply turn it off. I deleted it from my Sirius radio and will keep busy this Sunday doing something else. I think I will live.
All Defense!
Well said and I agree! I've been watching the Steelers since the early 60's and i'm a thread away from throwing in the towel. I feel exactly as you do, My gut is in a knot over this political bullshit. I suppose I'll wait and see if this shit continues this weekend. I've seen there are teams trying to get the fans involved to take a knee, that will do it for me. Now, I'm going to stop now because the more I type , the more pissed I get. Have a good night.
The truly sad part of this for the team, is they were trying so hard to stay out of the political conversation and ONLY play football. Instead they end up being the poster team for the day and forgot how to play football this week.
Don't be surprised if it bleeds into Baltimore also. They may say they are moving on, but they are human just like us and they go home at night and see the news too. The media isn't letting this go away just yet, they'll carry it through this weekend for sure, they have to see how teams react, blah, blah, blah.
Yep
They started out meeting as a team and allegedly agreed that whatever they did they needed to do as a team.
AV then asked to change the plan - Ben and Heyward agreed to do so without telling the rest of the team or obtaining a revote. (I am assuming Monday's version of events as recounted by AV is accurate - if he was lying (and I do not believe he was since he was so clearly distressed about what happened) he is very good at it and has a promising post-football future in politics or the financial services industry).
After a hastily called players-only meeting Saturday night, the plan was for the team to remain in the tunnel during the anthem. Before the game, after getting text message from veterans, Mr. Villanueva, the former Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan, approached Mr. Roethlisberger and asked if they could find some middle ground.
Mr. Villanueva wanted to be somewhere close to the field where he could see the flag and stand for the anthem. Mr. Roethlisberger and Mr. Heyward agreed to the plan and wanted to stand by Mr. Villanueva in a show of support.
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/s...s/201709250189
No surprise that running that audible (which was in nobody's playbook but that Ben and AV drew up on the fly) did not end well
By way of contrast, the Seahawks had similar strong differences in their meeting deciding what to do as team
Why the Seahawks Decided To Stay in the Locker Room for the National Anthem
Seattle's locker room was far from united on the issue. They debated for more than an hour on Saturday morning after the walkthrough, and then again with coaches participating at the end of an extended team meeting Saturday night....
Sherman said players were ultimately seeking a unified response, and some dissenters from the majority opinion conceded that abstaining from the anthem altogether would shield them from answering questions about why they stood while others knelt or sat. A quorum of leaders including Wilson, Sherman, Bennett, K.J. Wright, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas agreed the best response was to skip the anthem and remain in the locker room.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/09/25/se...anthem-protest
Unlike the Steelers, the Seahawks stuck with their plan to shield everyone on the team by abstaining from the anthem
I call Bullshit to the " trying to stay out of making a political statement or even statement in general"
if one is looking to NOT make a statement they would go on with business as usual .....
changing what you normally do IS making a statement , like it or not ....
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
respectfully disagree ...
Business as usual is saying look , this is who we are and this is who we will continue to be ....
changing what you do is making a statement be it in unity with those who sit or be in in protest vs what the president stated ...
but the act of changing normal routine is a statement in itself like it or not , only to go on as usual not letting outside forces effect you are you not making a statement
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
Yeah soon, if not already, all these protests will be about Trump, Nevermind they started last year when Obama was President.
They did not start with the Steelers until last weekend
Tomlin said the comments by the President were a tipping point for some players
Tomlin said that while he understood some of his players who have not knelt during the anthem - no Steelers have - likely would have following the president's comments
http://www.pennlive.com/steelers/ind...rt_river_index
Cameron Heyward also indicated it was a factor for the Steelers in what happened last Sunday
“You know, everybody is given their platform. And there's a lot of people that look up to us and we appreciate every single person. We appreciate the troops, we appreciate everybody that risk their life for us, but we all should appreciate our fans. We appreciate the people that lose their lives. And one person – to say call shame on multiple people, to say we should lose our jobs because we care, that's just not right.”
http://www.pennlive.com/steelers/ind...rt_river_index
Thanks for the post
I agree both sides have legitimate points to make. I also recognize how someone can no longer enjoy the games they have watched for decades when they regard their core values to be under attack and mocked by the players.
I currently am watching Ken Burns Vietnam, which skillfully reviews events I am old enough to remember. If anyone thinks the country has never been this divided they were not around in 1968 as I was (two assassinations/Tet Offensive/riots after Dr. King murdered/protesters and police battle in streets of Chicago).
One action taken by a subset of the antiwar movement that was counterproductive was to attack the U.S. troops personally and wave the NLF (National Liberation Front aka Viet Cong) flag at antiwar rallies ("Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh - the NLF is going to win"). That was both unpatriotic and provided an opening for the entire antiwar movement to be described as unpatriotic (which IMO it was not - others disagree)
While I personally do not think players kneeling for the anthem should be disciplined and understand why this boiled over last weekend I would not do it or recommend it be done. It forfeits patriotic symbols to one side in the debate over issues related to the anthem protests in which Americans are engaged in these tempestuous times - neither side has cornered the market on patriotism or love of country.
Peace
did the potus go a bit to far , absolutely ..... however it was not unprovoked and was by far avoidable and could have ended before Trump was ever in office had Goodell done his job properly ...
I mean this is a guy who wants to control players every action and every celebration , every uniform choice , every sticker on every helmet and every patch on every jersey but he won't make people give a little respect to the country which enables them to play a game and make millions of dollars doing so
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
Regardless of who, what, where, when, the Steelers created their own distraction, they fucked up a plan because they forgot they had to cater to a veteran teammate, made him look like a fool due to some creative media photography. As a road game is not distraction enough, they add thi, lose an easy win, have this distraction carry over on the road in Baltimore where they will most likely lose again and now instead of being 4-0 and winning the games they should, they risk finding themselves 2-2 and potentially one game behind New England.
If this team doesn’t get home field advantage and has to go to New England or Kansas City, it’s over.
After sayang all that, you can’t compare the Steelers to any other team. The Steelers have a war veteran on their squad...it’s a different situation than anyone else.
It may not be that dire. If anything, the Ravens could be more distracted. If we want to play the distracted narrative. Ray Lewis' recent sideline appearance has apparently earned death threats and bomb threats. So while I haven't been really keeping up with it, that team is dealing with its own media crap-fest.
Baltimore Sun stories on Ray Lewis kneeling
Extra security placed near Ray Lewis statue after petition urges its removal
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...927-story.html
Ray Lewis defends kneeling with Ravens in London on Sunday
On Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” Tuesday night, former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis explained why he dropped to both knees and interlocked arms with wide receiver Mike Wallace and linebacker C.J. Mosley during the U.S. national anthem in London on Sunday.
“I didn’t drop on one knee in order to protest. … I dropped on two knees – both knees – so I can simply honor God in the midst of chaos,” Lewis said on the show.
When asked why his mouth was moving during the national anthem, he said he was praying. “I have First Amendment rights – myself. We got people standing. We got people bowing. We got people don’t even want to respect the flag. If we want to make it right, make it two ways. You can only stand or pray. Haven’t I done that …”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/r...926-story.html
Story on Lewis defending kneeling includes video of Harbaugh's comments on this (could not embed this video linked below)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/94711523-132.html
Nice touch by Harbaugh to wear Salute To Service gear while making his remarks - guess that was simply what he happened to have available to wear that day
hey now we do not want to talk about football here , that belongs in the steelers section of the forum
this is for bitching
Kenny Pickett is who I though he was .. Eagles problem now
In my book, the only thing acceptable is STAND, Right hand over HEART and Helmet under you Left. These moron's don't even know what they are protesting.