By: Phil | 09-24-2017 | News
Photo credit: globalbuzzlive.com

NFL's #TakeAKnee So Much Smoke and Mirrors

NFL? Hold on, I've got this. I KNOW it's one of the sportses. Waitaminute… it's the one with the funny shaped ball with the pointed ends, right? The North American helmet game? Ok, then, I've got this. Football, one of the most lucrative and popular of all modern iterations of Coliseum game distractions is trending so despite (or perhaps because of) my feelings about the game, which range from deep antipathy to mild enmity, I decided to try my hand at the latest controversy.

<a href="http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2017/09/24/ravens-jaguars-anthem-kneel/">Football players are deciding to "take a knee"</a> during the National Anthem. This is news. Big news! We just signed a permanent war bill but the <strong>real</strong> story here is a bunch of multi-millionaires in shiny spandex chasing after each other and patting each others asses have decided to "use their platform" to resist.

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Now, I personally have no problem with what they want to do. I use football as a metaphor myself. Whe people want to ban something they don't like I often bring up the fact that "I don't enjoy and am not a fan of football, I don't however feel that it should be banned because I don't enjoy it." If a millionaire wants to feel like a political vanguard by spurning the national anthem that's their choice.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m a vet and I’ll <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeaKnee?src=hash">#TakeaKnee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VeteransForKaepernick?src=hash">#VeteransForKaepernick</a> <a href="https://t.co/1861Wvnee0">pic.twitter.com/1861Wvnee0</a></p>&mdash; BasicCaucus (@comradejedi) <a href="https://twitter.com/comradejedi/status/912059209432354818">September 24, 2017</a></blockquote>

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They have a right to protest according to the first amendment. What I find interesting, however is the folks saying that "politics has no place in football." Perhaps not, but this is not the case. Football is a martial game and has often been associated with patriotism (beer, football, apple pie and freedom, amirite?). The cultural shift has affected even sporting events however.

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Beyonce's choice to pin a halo on the Black Panthers (who like the KKK have been known to commit atrocities and political violence) was a sign of this. Colin Kaepernick's "sit-in" was more evidence that football was moving into the realm of "social justice." It may be notable to mention that the trend of taking a knee to resist "Trump's America" all began under the Obama administration.

The football players live in the USA though, right? Ok, then they have the right to protest. Does the President live in the USA also? Yes? Ok, then, he has the right to voice his opinion about it. All these parties have freedom of speech, but not freedom from consequences. Multi-millionaires can voice their opinion by taking a knee. The President and fans can express outrage. The free press can then express how "X" side is right while "Y" is wrong. That's what freedom <strong>LOOKS</strong> like. Joe-Schmoe Football fan, if you don't like what these pigskin wranglers are doing then boycott the NFL. Don't watch the games, don't support companies that advertise on the NFL. Write letters, do the civic thing.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeAKnee?src=hash">#TakeAKnee</a> and we <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TakeAStand?src=hash">#TakeAStand</a><br><br>Country over football any day <a href="https://t.co/8Rx4qc4YwZ">pic.twitter.com/8Rx4qc4YwZ</a></p>&mdash; Ex-DemLatina (@ExDemLatina) <a href="https://twitter.com/ExDemLatina/status/912067892799168513">September 24, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Equally interesting is the fact that all the while "Knee-gate" sweeps news trends, the six NFL players who were nearly fined for wearing "patriotic 9/11" cleats goes seldom mentioned. Football is more than a game. It's an important part of the modern day "bread and circuses" sideshow and distraction. Take a look at the difference in the treatment of the #TakeAKnee story as compared to the 9/11 cleats. We are not on a Hollywood soundstage, but regardless of that fact when the lights come up and the sign shines "Applause" or "Boo" the masses (right and left) will do exactly as they're trained.

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