Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
NFL are the regulators of US football and I would assume they issue licenses to players. They should realise that politics creeping into the sport is bad for business because it's divisive, and they have the power to ensure it doesn't happen, or at least if it does they can fine or suspend players, or even revoke their licenses.

It's bringing the sport into disrepute, and they're allowing it.
First of all, on the disrepute front, the NFL has bigger fish to fry. Google "Aaron Hernandez"

Second of all, what you're saying makes sense to me, but public opinion seems to be going the other way. You wouldn't know this unless you follow the NFL closely. I'm sure you don't, because you live in a country that prefers pansy-ball.

This whole thing with kneeling for the anthem actually started last season, or maybe the season before by a Quarterback named Colin Kaepernick (sp?). CK is a guy who got a little hot in his first year or so, and then turned out to be a really really really shitty quarterback. As such, he is currently unemployed.

The discourse and overwhelming narrative during the preseason seemed to ask if CK was being denied a job by racist white team owners because of his activism. There were plenty of people on the side of "no, he actually just sucks", but the popular opinion was that he was being blackballed.

My two cents, he was being blackballed. He might be good enough to be a backup or something in the league, but he brings a lot of headaches and distractions. A team can't give the guy a contract without its owner, players, and coaches being harassed with questions about the guy and his politcs.

Look what happened to the Steelers this week. There are stories out about how the team struggled to agree on how to handle the national anthem. They wanted 100% team unity for whatever they did, and spent the whole week debating what to do. In the meantime, they must have forgotten to practice cause they got beat by the fuckin bears. For those of you who follow pansy-ball, the Steelers are a team that was one win away from the Super Bowl last year while the Bears are a team that went 3-13 last year.

Maybe they would have lost anyway, but its pretty obvious the team was not focused. And THAT is why no one wants the distraction of hiring CK. Furthermore, imagine if a team did sign the guy, and then he actually sucks and they cut him. It doesn't matter how bad he played (A LOT of teams have crummy QB's), cutting him would be a media shit-storm.

The problem is, this kind of sensible, logical analysis never makes it to the public discourse. Mostly because its too level-headed and boring. Instead, it seems that the public narrative is forcing NFL owners to make a choice. Side with the activists...or you're a racist.

And the absence of any sensible middle ground, is what irks me the most about this whole situation. If you kneel during the anthem, you're a traitor. If you stand for the anthem, you're a racist.