In an un-bylined article, the SBNation blog bitterly complains about the politics of those who oppose NFL protests while fully supporting the left-wing political activities of players who protest the flag and the veterans who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. SBN also praises the political activities athletes are taking off the field, undermining the reasons they protest on the field.
Politically active NFL players (photo demonstrates the four most active teams in Thursday's NFL exhibition game protests) "have a good reason for protesting," but they are being "exploited for political purposes that have nothing to do with the reason the protests began." In 2016, Colin Kaepernick began the protest "to bring attention to police brutality and the systemic inequality faced by people of color in the United States. It was not about the anthem itself and had nothing to do with U.S. troops."
Former NFL player/protester Eric Reid, who has sued the NFL for "collusion" and is currently unsigned, wrote in a New York Times op-ed last September: "We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy.”
It galls SBN that "some people were angry" about the protests. "Instead of listening to the players about the actual issues involving systemic racism, they warped the issue into one about the military and the flag."
And even though the protests were strategically directed at the flag, former Army Ranger and current Pittsburgh Steeler Alejandro Villanueva, said last season “Nobody thinks that when you’re taking a knee, you’re offending the flag ... and I don’t think anybody that’s standing for the flag is not respecting the fact that there are a lot of injustices and racial divides in our country.”
Fan outrage continued, and it was fed by President Donald Trump's "appetite for cheap political gain by criticizing players — even after public dialog with players, veterans, and others showed it wasn’t about the anthem, the flag, or the military. It was about the suppression of black voices that attempted to shake the status quo. ... Trump took the issue and escalated it to new levels in bombastic fashion."
SBNation's NFL Editor Ryan Van Bibber said, "It’s red meat for Trump’s base, easy political fodder to cite in support of a hateful, racist agenda. And it’s a big problem for the NFL.”
"The players have done a lot of good work to try to fix the problems they’re protesting against." Prior to football games, they're taking a knee, sitting down, raising an arm in defiance and they're active off the field. If they are active off the field, then why do they need to be offensive on the field? SBNation fails to see the inconsistency.
Active players Demario Davis, Benjamin Watson and Doug Baldwin endorsed a Louisiana voting rights bill, which is right in line with Democrat politics. Other left-wing political initiatives by players include education reform (NEA style?), a review of police training (Eric Holder style?), demands for pardons of criminals (like gangsta rapper Meek Mill), lobbying Congress for a criminal justice reform bill, and of course, Kaepernick donated money to an abortion business.
Unwittingly, SBNation has drawn a distinction between the politics of those who appreciate the sacrifices made for liberty and those who have high-jacked patriotic pregame ceremonies for the advancement of left-wing politics.
