Kaepernick anthem protest: Police threaten boycott

[AkydefGoldberg]

What are the thoughts on Colin's stance? Police threatening not to cover games for his club is the latest development.

I do admire him standing up (no pun) for his beliefs and principles but it has come abit out of the blue. I think he'd have had more sympathy if it had been in the aftermath of some of the prominent murders of black people by law enforcement but as the situation has quietened down slowly, but maybe he wasn't confident to speak out then until now but intrigued by opinions and views on this.

[Messiah]

Anyone else find it funny, and downright pathetic, that the police are threatening to (basically) not protect citizens that attend to game just because someone won't stand up for the national anthem?

That pisses me off to no end. Who the hell cares who respects you? That shouldn't matter. Its your duty to protect. That is what you agreed to do. If they seriously don't cover the 49ers game, then they deserve no respect and I hope they all lose their job. I usually don't get pissed off or bothered by stuff that happens in the news, but this really stuck out to me. Fuck those cops for threatening to do this.

Its stuff like this why people, right or wrong, dislike cops. This is NOT an appropriate response. Do your damn job instead of letting one person dictate whether or not you protect others.

[Circled Square]

Colin should have the right to say whatever he wants politically. It sucks that he's just regurgitating popcorn political talking points and acting like he can speak for someone like me when he's like half cac and was raised by white people.

[War Daddy]

Sorry, bur you can't pick and choose who you protect when you're a cop.

I mean, they been doing it for years but you can't do it.

Fuck it, they gon do it.

[DBSoT]

I am completely indifferent to the whole thing. I really don't care if someone sits during the national anthem. It's a song made 100s of years ago that is only remotely relevant to today's culture. With that said, Kaepernick's protest is lazy. Sitting down during the national anthem and wearing Cop Pig socks is more attention seeking than actually making a difference. Does he really think that people are going to become more aware because he sat down for 3 minutes. Also, he isn't exactly the best representative of the cause. He grew up in an upper class white family and went on to make millions in the NFL. I am not saying he can't call out injustice, but he isn't as likely to be taken seriously by the ideological opposition.

[Everlong]

Posting here to remind myself to rant when I get back to a keyboard.

[Hanley!]

I'm kinda worried that I wouldn't be able to adequately explain how stupid I think this is without offending some people. Which is the only reason I haven't replied.

[Str8Shooter]

What I don't get is why people who come out and support Caepernick's decision are still standing during the anthem themselves? If you support what he's doing, then why aren't you sitting your ass down too?

I'll be honest, at the risk of getting pounded for saying it, I'm not 100% behind him on this either, although obviously I'm a Canadian so it's a little different. My mind says, it's the "land of the free" and he absolutely has the right to do whatever he pleases in this situation, yet something about sitting during the anthem still feels wrong to me in my heart. I mean as much of a point as he may have, the US still seems like a pretty damn good place to live to me, especially compared to a lot of other places in the World, there are lots of people who would die just trying to get a chance to live there.

I also question just how much of an actual effect him sitting has. Sure it brings up the conversation, but is it really doing it in a positive way? All it's done is create a shitstorm about disrespecting the anthem and the troops and his point about police and African American treatment almost has gotten lost in the shuffle in the din of all the shouting and name calling.

A man with as high of a profile as an NFL QB, making millions and with plenty of free time in the offseason, I can't help but think Kaepernick has the means to make a bigger difference in the lives of young Black people and relations between Black and White and the police. Instead he's put a target on himself that might actually hinder any chance he has to do that now.

Just my two cents, might be worth less than that.

[War Daddy]

What I don't get is why people who come out and support Caepernick's decision are still standing during the anthem themselves? If you support what he's doing, then why aren't you sitting your ass down too?

I'll be honest, at the risk of getting pounded for saying it, I'm not 100% behind him on this either, although obviously I'm a Canadian so it's a little different. My mind says, it's the "land of the free" and he absolutely has the right to do whatever he pleases in this situation, yet something about sitting during the anthem still feels wrong to me in my heart. I mean as much of a point as he may have, the US still seems like a pretty damn good place to live to me, especially compared to a lot of other places in the World, there are lots of people who would die just trying to get a chance to live there.

I also question just how much of an actual effect him sitting has. Sure it brings up the conversation, but is it really doing it in a positive way? All it's done is create a shitstorm about disrespecting the anthem and the troops and his point about police and African American treatment almost has gotten lost in the shuffle in the din of all the shouting and name calling.

A man with as high of a profile as an NFL QB, making millions and with plenty of free time in the offseason, I can't help but think Kaepernick has the means to make a bigger difference in the lives of young Black people and relations between Black and White and the police. Instead he's put a target on himself that might actually hinder any chance he has to do that now.

Just my two cents, might be worth less than that.

*pummels you into the ground for having an opinion*

[Everlong]

Ok now that I'm at a computer I have a few things about this to say:

1) The fact that people actually care enough about this to get pissed off about a shitty QB's decision to shit or stand during the anthem is mind boggling to me.

Like, this has been the dominant story in the NFL for more than a week now. It's been all over not just ESPN and Sports Illustrated, but national news stations. Every pundit across the spectrum is providing their hot take on this story. And I just can't for the life of me figure out why the fuck it's a big deal at all.

People are going nuts criticizing this guy, calling him un-American, ungrateful, ignorant, stupid, whatever adjective you want to use. People are suggesting he's becoming a Muslim/ISIS sympathizer, and telling him "if he doesn't like 'Murica he can just giiiit out." Which is so, so fucking stupid.

What's mind boggling to me about all of this is that the people who are getting the most upset about this are the exact same people who talk about how we're living in a society that is "too easily offended/outraged," and are the same people who are fed up with political correctness. Exactly what could be more politically correct than standing up for some nationalistic ritual that to be completely honest hardly means anything, simply because right wing hardcore PATRIOTS will tear you apart if you don't?

2) The fact that a police union would turn this into an "US VS THEM" situation and try to get some press out of it is completely disgusting and abhorrent. Just do your job. How the fuck could this possibly matter that much to you? And why wouldn't they refuse to work games where there are people who have committed far worse acts? Just... ugh.


I've never really understood nationalism to begin with. like, I like living in the United States. I feel like I've got it pretty good here. But the whole "MURICA IS THE BEST AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT GIIIIIT OUT" attitude that emanates during stories like this is both toxic and ignorant and it's absolutely mind boggling to me how something as benign as sitting during the anthem can become a national headline because of it.