Good and interesting stuff in there.

I think Sharpe is right that this escalation happened for a pretty silly reason (known blowhard and mouth-runner Trump runs his mouth, news at 11), and the NFL vs Trump skirmish detracts from the root issue that Kaepernick was trying to bring attention to a year ago.

On the other hand, I kinda agree with the other guy that maybe bringing attention to that skirmish will also bring attention to the original issue, so maybe it is a net good thing.

Yeah, the owners aren't going to give a fuck until shit lands on their doorstep. Yeah, calling people a "son of a bitch" rates at about a 2 on the "Trump just said what?!" scale. Sharpe's cynicism about how we got here makes a lot of sense.

I didn't care about Kaepernick sitting for the anthem a year ago enough to pay attention. I wasn't against it. I didn't think the was trying to "disrespect" the flag / soldiers / country / whatever, but I wouldn't have really cared if he was. Aren't people allowed to be anti-war? Opposed to mindless nationalism?


Fast forward to today. The billionaires that Sharpe mentioned who donated big sums to Trump's campaign finally get upset when his shit lands on their door. His (comparably tame) "Twitter attacks" on the NFL kick off a dog-and-pony show that may possibly have been cunningly intended to distract from the much more weighty stuff that Kaepernick was trying to draw attention to in the first place, but I seriously doubt that Trump is that clever.

However, something good did come of it: I went from "meh" to paying attention. I went back and listened to Kaepernick's interview about why he was sitting for the anthem from a year ago (embed below), which I didn't watch at the time. I heard a rational, honest, and eloquent young man calmly and clearly explain what he was doing and why he was doing it.

He saw injustice, and wanted to do something about it. He had access to a soapbox that very very few of the people on the receiving end of that injustice have. So, he made up his own mind to do something to try to get conversations started. He was surprised and confused that anyone would see his actions as disrespectful towards soldiers / military, and was later persuaded (by a Navy SEAL) to kneel as opposed to sit for the anthem in an effort to make that more clear.

He seemed aware that he can only control what he does -- not how people will try to spin it, and not how people may react to it. And he also clearly accepted that his actions could have consequences, and that he didn't want to rope anybody else in to acting with him unless they were prepared to accept those consequences also.

So, yeah. Some good came of this recent escalation, even if it came for the wrong reasons. Because some of the people that get drawn in to the dog-and-pony show might decide that they care enough to go back and take a deeper look at it, like I did. And when they look deeper, they're going to see Trump's standard, everyday twitter nonsense on one side compared to a lot of more rational stuff like, say, perhaps actually listening to words of the person that got the ball rolling on the other side (Kaepernick, and others). I like the way that scale balances out.

*quality

Boosting this quality contribution up in the Hot Listing - declared quality by eric3579.

My hat is well and truly off to Shannon Sharpe.

Never heard of the guy before watching this, but who knew sports pundits could be so eloquent and thoughtful?

OTOH, I find America's hyper-patriotism deeply weird.

Don't get me wrong, I love both my country of birth and my adopted home, but that's because of the people that live there and the places I've been to. The idea that someone who has a problem with some serious issues in a country is not a patriot is just alien to me.

"I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."
- James A. Baldwin

I truly don't believe this has anything to do with patriotism. That's just the cover for raw racism. Saying they're disrespecting the flag and vets is more acceptable (even to racists) than coming right out and calling them "uppity". Not even Trump has managed normalize racism quite that far...yet.

Fair enough, but outside the context of this particular incident, the US, in general, is still INSANELY sensitive to even the perception of lack of patriotism.

For example, back when he was just a primary candidate, Obama got in trouble for not wearing a flag pin. You just don't see that in other countries.

I think it's maybe due to the history of the US. It's still a (comparatively) young country, born out of rebellion and suddenly finding itself the most powerful nation on earth (mostly due to accidents of history and geography).

Nothing to do about racism just good old American patriotism..

I can't go around wearing a Trump or Obama hat while on the job as I meet customers.... Company dictate rules of conduct. Politics do not belong in the work environment.

Trump is only properly pointing out how ungrateful some are by disrespect the very unity of America activity of standing for the National Anthem..

Sales of NFL tickets and clothing and ESPN ratings will dictate the true direction of this .

The draft dodger is worried about Patriotism? Nah, it's racism.

So..which is it? The company dictates the rules (in which case stop your bullshit whining because the owners all stand with the protest) or some new draconian theory where freedom of speech only exists at home in your own yard (unless the president likes your message, then violent protest is patriotic anywhere)?

Trump is only pointing out how uppity these negros got under the darky president, and he's going to make America great again by fixing that.

You really...REALLY need a civics class, Bob. It's obvious that, if you've ever taken one, the information didn't stick.
Are you even aware that the "tradition" of teams standing at attention is 8 years old and a paid for marketing ploy for the military's recruitment where players are encouraged, but not required, to stand facing the flag at attention.
http://people.com/politics/nfl-players-national-anthem-2009-government-payments/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/sep/25/short-history-national-anthem-and-sports/

Trump's claim that this is about lack of gratitude is just one more in an endless string of lies and misdirection. I would think you would be sick of being jerked around like that, but clearly not yet. That's just as true as his claim shortly afterwards that the repeal and replace bill had passed....(it didn't even get a vote), or his claim that his new tax plan won't benefit him (but using his last available taxes as a true representation of his finances, it would save him around $1 BILLION and raise the rates on the poorest by at least 20%).
The peaceful protest is about racial inequality...which Trump highlights quite well, even as he denies it's existence.

NFL product and ticket sales, and total viewers are reportedly up. ESPN is only one network of dozens.

An anthem that often has "brave" replaced with "chiefs". The flag that is worn as boxer shorts or used to sell cars. Good 'ol 'murican Paytrism.

Yah well, maybe there wouldn't be so much fuss if the POTUS wasn't trying to dictate to a company what their rules of conduct should be. NFL players aren't civil servants.

Unity by itself is no virtue. Nothing gets done by holding hands and singing some nationalist kumbayah. You sing your little song so you can feel like you are supporting vets while they come home from foreign lands and get...what? They can't pay their bills with your gestures.

Its not about Trump or racism. Deliberately missing the point.

The USA doesn't really have a middle ground for patriotism (except for the super rich, I mean THE one percenters).

You either grew up or learned to be fairly anti-patriotic, or vice versa super-patriotic.

This dichotomy has divided us since almost the beginning of the nation. I don't see it ever being solved as long as we remain one.

That said, there are smart people and idiots on both sides. I consider myself to be very patriotic to the nation itself, but I realize that there are plenty of things we must improve at. Sadly, there is always going to be the contingent that either thinks we can never improve or that thinks there is no need for it. Trying to explain logic to either of them is nigh futile.

As far as the NFL, I suspect the next move Trump will make is to push for the removal of their anti-trust exemption.