NFL to play 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' before National Anthem in Week 1 (2 Viewers)

This thread has moved far beyond the workings of the NFL. It now belongs on the EE forum.

Saintfan in CO said:

Why on earth would this bother anyone? When American and Canadian teams play each other they play both anthems.

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Why would this bother anyone? Because it separates us. It's almost like back to the days of "separate but equal" mentality. We've moved beyond that a couple of generations ago. We are one United States citizenry of many ethnic backgrounds. We have one anthem that serves us all. We do not play ethnic/cultural anthems such as cajun, hispanic, or asian at national gatherings. Now if the country as a whole decides to change the song, then fine, there's a process to do that. But in the end, we should have only one that unites us all.

St. Mich said:

Why would this bother anyone? Because it separates us.

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That was the original question that should have been asked when Kaepernick first began his protest silently kneeling during. the anthem. The NFL and fans across the league pretty much ignored it. So again, why would that bother anyone? It began to bother people when they were told they should be bothered. And they were told to be bothered because it separates us.

The NFL was so concerned about the influence that one idiot in power would have on their viewership that they were forced into making an unforced error. If they had simply moved on, ignored the faux outrage and made no changes, we would not be talking about this issue right now. But instead, they acted like a jittery QB seeing a pass rush that wasn't coming.

The NFL's response to this is a glaring indication of piss-poor leadership. If anything, competent leadership would have instructed their camera operators and broadcasters not to focus on the player protesting. A competent leadership would have made sure to focus on all the people in the stadium laughing, talking, drinking beer.....all during the anthem. That act itself would have completely destroyed the "disrespecting the flag" made up BS.

I’m done. I pay over $5,000 a season to get away from all the stresses in life. If I want to go to a protest I’m not going to pay to go. I guess some consider themselves more black than Americans. Between the cost of tickets, hotel rooms, restaurant bills I’ll save over $10,000. Roger needs to take a close look to where the revenue comes from because I’ll bet most of the season ticket holders think more like me than the BLM crowd. I just hope the teams become so infested with Covod, the season is cancelled and I get a refund. I just calculated the cost for the past 15 seasons, over $160,000. Chump change for the NFL but real money for me.

Saintfan in CO said:

Why on earth would this bother anyone? When American and Canadian teams play each other they play both anthems.

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If kneeling bothered em, a song they have to sit through is going to make them livid.

Ah well, more space for the rest of us

This is soooooo stupid lol.

dd said:

I’m done. I pay over $5,000 a season to get away from all the stresses in life. If I want to go to a protest I’m not going to pay to go. I guess some consider themselves more black than Americans. Between the cost of tickets, hotel rooms, restaurant bills I’ll save over $10,000. Roger needs to take a close look to where the revenue comes from because I’ll bet most of the season ticket holders think more like me than the BLM crowd. I just hope the teams become so infested with Covod, the season is cancelled and I get a refund. I just calculated the cost for the past 15 seasons, over $160,000. Chump change for the NFL but real money for me.

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All it took was a song before one game to get you gone?

It took one guy kneeling for some. Of course most came back after their dramatic announcements of departure.

Man, imagine if this logic was applied to everyday life. "Someone played music I don't like at my favorite restaurant.. I'm done with it forever". I've been going to games all my life and had some good and few bad experiences. I don't call it quits because of something I don't like.

dd said:

I just hope the teams become so infested with Covod, the season is cancelled and I get a refund.

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To hell with their lives and well-being, I guess........you'll get a refund, I guess that's what's important.

LOL @ "covod"

It seems like a hollow gesture. Doing it only before the first game smacks of tokenism to me.

I'm indifferent. I usually don't tune in until kickoff. But the hypocrisy of the NFL regarding the decals is unbelievable. They wouldn't let Dallas do it to honor the fallen officers in that ambush a while back, but it's ok now.

AARPSaint said:

It seems like a hollow gesture. Doing it only before the first game smacks of tokenism to me.

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just about every AA person i've read or heard from has been like "oh cool, you're giving us another thing we didn't ask for"

yes a token move, the only real problem is if it's ONLY a token move
if it is part of sweeping changes then cool

that being said, i don't see it as too different than MLB putting "God bless america' in the 7th inning stretch


(sorry i just jumped to the end -which i really don't like when other posters do that - if this stuff have been covered already i apologize)

dd said:

I’m done. I pay over $5,000 a season to get away from all the stresses in life. If I want to go to a protest I’m not going to pay to go. I guess some consider themselves more black than Americans. Between the cost of tickets, hotel rooms, restaurant bills I’ll save over $10,000. Roger needs to take a close look to where the revenue comes from because I’ll bet most of the season ticket holders think more like me than the BLM crowd. I just hope the teams become so infested with Covod, the season is cancelled and I get a refund. I just calculated the cost for the past 15 seasons, over $160,000. Chump change for the NFL but real money for me.

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think of it this way
the NFL is a huge business and i'm sure cost-benefit analysis is 1 through 10 of the ways they look at an issue
a few years ago, they ultimately came down on the side of the reactionaries esp when very amplified outside voices weighed in
now they are coming down on the other side
so they've already factored in the cost of losing you and others like you
and they've determined that is the smaller price to pay

and i get that this is the fuel for a LOT of the anger in the country right now
a chunk of the population who always got its way is seeing their influence on a rapid wane
here's the thing - your anger can't change that
it might slow the change down a bit and spread your perceived to others who have had centuries to bear that suffering
but the di is cast
i suggest you make peace with social evolution

Will I be allowed to protest during the black national anthem?

dd said:

Will I be allowed to protest during the black national anthem?

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You can do whatever you want to at your house. You can write "Black Lives Don't Matter" on a sheet of paper and take a sheet on it in the comfort of your living you. You just finished telling us how you were done, remember?

dd said:

I’m done.

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Pepperidge Farm remembers....

guidomerkinsrules said:

just about every AA person i've read or heard from has been like "oh cool, you're giving us another thing we didn't ask for"

yes a token move, the only real problem is if it's ONLY a token move
if it is part of sweeping changes then cool

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Thank you, this is exactly what I was getting at in the Redskins thread prior to no longer being welcome to post in it. Which is fine, it probably wasn't a discussion for that thread anyway.

I have reason to believe from personal observation that many just talk a big game, but don't back it up with any real action. Doesn't require huge acts either. But just "oh hey that sounds like a good idea....see, I'm on your side!!!" as a reaction to every idea just seems pretty pretentious to me.