Taking a Knee

            The National Football League (NFL) is in trouble, but it apparently does not realize how bad their situation is. The powers that be in the NFL decided to allow football players to show disrespect to the national anthem, and now they are seeing the consequences but not recognizing them. American citizens have been patient but are now fighting back.

            Breitbart posted the following statement on their Facebook page and an accompanying picture of a partially empty football stadium.

Dear NFL: We will not support millionaire ingrates who hate America and disrespect our Armed Forces and Veterans. Who wins a football game has ZERO impact on our lives. Who fights for and defends our nation has EVERY impact on our lives. We stand with the Heroes, not a bunch of rich, entitled, arrogant, ungrateful, anti-American degenerates. Signed, We the People.

            Among the commenters on this post, this writer saw calls to boycott the NFL. There were also calls to boycott the sponsors of the NFL, stating that the sponsors will pull their support from the NFL if their investment stopping paying dividends.

            These commenters seem to know what they are doing. Kim Smith at Conservative Tribune posts two pictures of stadiums in Los Angeles and San Francisco with many empty seats and shares the following thoughts. 

Nevertheless, with the NFL seemingly encouraging players – or at the very least giving a pass to players who protest the national anthem, that trend may be diminishing. Many fans have expressed their frustration with the league by turning off their televisions and choosing not to attend games.

Last week was the first week of the league games, and one of the first things people noticed was empty seats in the stadiums.

Empty seats in stadiums indicate a serious problem for the NFL. When stadium bleachers have gaping holes where fans should be sitting, it looks especially bad. It indicates that fans do not care enough to pay for a ticket and watch their favorite teams play.

Empty seats also hit the multi-million dollar franchise where it hurts – the pocketbook.

            People were staying away from the games previously, but now President Donald Trump has called for a boycott of NFL until the players stop the disrespectful behavior.

 If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our country, you will see change take place fast….Fire or suspend!

            Is the President right? Would the disrespect of the anthem stop if the owners and coaches made a stand? The Dallas Cowboys team is a good example of what happens when the owner and coach set the appropriate example in word and behavior. The owner and coach of the Cowboys shared their feelings last season, and as far as this writer knows, no Dallas player has taken a knee during the anthem. Last September Cowboy owner Jerry Jones made this statement.

We strongly, strongly support the flag. In every way, we support – it’s almost ridiculous to be saying it – the people that for generations and generations have given it all up so we can get out here and show off in front of millions of people on television. We respect that so much. That’s the real business.

The forum of the NFL and the forum on television is a very significant thing. I’m for it being used in every way we can to support the great, great contributors in our society and that’s people that have supported America, the flag, and there’s no reason not to go all out right there. For anybody to use parts of that visibility to do otherwise is really disappointing.

At the Cowboy training camp held in Oxnard, California, in August 2017, Jason Garratt, the Cowboy coach, held a news conference at which he spoke about the national anthem protests.

There’s no question in my mind. The national anthem is sacred. Our flag is sacred. And our team has demonstrated that….

We’re so fortunate to live in the country that we live in. It’s a great tradition. It’s a great song. In a lot of cases it can become an emotional situation for all of us. You think about all the people who have fought for our country and allowed us to raise that flag as proudly as we do, to live in the greatest land in the world. It’s a special moment for all of us. We want to make sure we handle it the right way.

            The Cowboy players are standing out of respect for the anthem, the flag, and those who have fought to protect and preserve our freedoms, or they are standing to protect their jobs. Either way, the Cowboys are showing a good example to the rising generation, and they are being rewarded by the fans who are filling their stadium. Other football franchises could learn from the Cowboys – or they can continue to bleed fans as a result of having no spine.