For Trump to tell these men to Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!” he needs to mind his f*ing business. He is not the king who can tell everybody what to do. This is not about money either. These men make millions yes. So it would be easy for them to make their money and care about nothing else. But they are standing up for their people and making a statement and I am proud of them for that.

Also Wil, I see you post a lot of stories which is good. But when are you going to join in the discussion and give a opinion? Me and Truth would love some more involvement.

Roughly half of all Americans are against the protests in some form, according to multiple surveys, but it’s worth noting that the protesters aren’t a horde of unpatriotic malcontents looking to stir up trouble. The players are fully aware of the potential consequences of protesting, and do so anyway. The players understand that they are risking their entire careers, and they protest anyway. To carry this a bit further: it’s almost as if they believe in something more than just making money and playing football.

“As a man I gotta stand for something,” Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith said after staying in the locker room during the anthem. “I love my team, I’m dedicated to my teammates and that’s what we’re talking about. I did what I did. It was love. I hope people see and respect it. I respect different views. I love the military. I wore my Salute to Service cleats today. It’s love.”

And then the president weighed in.

“The NFL players are at it again – taking a knee when they should be standing proudly for the National Anthem,” Trump tweeted. “Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their ‘outrage’ at something that most of them are unable to define. They make a fortune doing what they love………..Be happy, be cool! A football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch and enjoy, is no place to protest. Most of that money goes to the players anyway. Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!”

The protests began nearly two years ago, when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt to protest social inequality and police brutality. Trump claims in these latest tweets that players are showing “outrage,” a word which he places in mocking quotes, “at something that most of them are unable to define.” This is simply not true. Not only have the players “defined” their reasons for protesting on literally dozens of occasions, they did so this summer in a direct letter to Trump himself in the New York Times.

Trump echoes common refrains of protest opponents: the players are rich, so why can’t they be happy; a football game is no place to protest. But again, that sidesteps the entire point of protests: it’s possible to be concerned with larger issues than one’s own paycheck. And a protest done in a way that’s comfortable for the intended audience is a protest that gets ignored.

Glad you posted on this topic DJ: “The Star-Spangled Banner is not sung or played prior to most other public gatherings, including concerts, Broadway shows, operas or lectures. So why is it so sacred prior to sports?”

Exactly! I haven’t heard one good reason yet. In fact, I think the anthem’s “sacred” status has actually been diminished by that, now, very common act.

“And why is it sacrilege for someone to utilize their 1st Amendment right and kneel?”

It isn’t and THEY (mostly racist rabble rousers) know it. I look forward to the day when the majority of pro Black athletes have the Courage to kneel in a United manner for such a Righteous cause.