When Colin Kaepernick took his knee during the playing of the National Anthem it was his way of saying that he wouldn’t stand in respect of, or to honor a country in which the group Black Lives Matters says is racist, and cops are killing black men without just cause pretty much all of the time. His wearing of socks depicted as pigs was very out of uniform and designed to do exactly at it did, to draw attention to his thoughts about police in America. So, he said two things at the same time.
When other players began joining him in kneeling during the National Anthem, they were saying that they were willing to join him in what he was saying. That simple. But, it also added the idea of solidarity. Here is why that is important. It allowed players to say that there agreement with the first two things might be less than as committed as his, but they were with him in raising the whole discussion. This is perhaps the most critical part of the progression of the current situation. It allowed them to move the situation from being in solidarity with a Police hating America hating, disrespectful Kaepernick to joining the whole Freedom of Expression movement by the left that physically attacks anyone who dares to speak out against them.
The majority of football watching Americans, I believe tend to lean toward rejection of hating police, belief that police are hunting black men, the Black Lives Matters narrative they believe was based on a police officer defending his life and not an innocent black man being murdered. I also believe most Americans reject the Antifa and the rest of the Left’s attempt to silence others in a ridiculous claim of defending Freedom of Speech, and using the right to peaceful protest to organize physical attacks on fellow Americans.
When, the football players chose to dishonor their country in England, the statement was huge, and most patriotic Americans had had enough. That was over the line. The NFL knew the shit was going to hit the fan, but I think even they may have been jolted by the amount of distaste Americans had with more than the players. The owners of the businesses called teams had thrown in with the Kaepernicks. By evening, America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys had made it clear that they would all stand for the National Anthem. America waited, tuned in to see if there would be a team that didn’t throw in with the America Hating Kaepernicks. The Cowboys came out, linked arms together and led by their owner, Jerry Jones, he joined the Kaepernicks and they all in unison took a knee. But, they tried to hide it by standing back up for the Anthem and the giant flag. Then they asked the people in the stands to join them in a show of unity. Trouble is, the standing straight, with hand over heart is American’s way of showing unity, not linking arms in unity with the Kaepernicks. It was not only wrong, but it counted on the people being stupid. It counted on the fans, fellow Americans to know even notice that they had joined in the Kaepernick movement. Bad move, compounded by a really insulting move towards their customers.
It is easy to understand why the NFL, the players and coaches, and the owners, have united, but it is a stick in the eye of their own customers. At least half. Well, they have decided they can live off of the business they get from those willing to continue doing business with them. They have every right to do so. It may work out well for them. It may be a brilliant move. Time will tell.
But, here is the thing. Our country has become more divided than I have seen it since the 1960’s and even then Americans still believed in America and disagreed about what America was doing. Now, the entire institution is being attacked as being illegitimate. It must be torn down to the ground. rebuilt on the backs of whites this time, for some “social justice”. Naturally, for many Americans, proud of their country even though it has never been perfect, not those who turn their pride on and off depending who is president, that doesn’t sit well.
That is a really, really sticky situation. Unlike most businesses, NFL owners and teams, ergo players and coaches, are financially subsidized by the tax payers and voters. Stadiums are built and paid for by taxpayers and the keys are handed over to the owners to make money while the taxpayers pay all of the bills. It is supposed to be because of the revenue the games bring in. Cut that in half and there are quite a few teams that will be allowed to go somewhere else. But, the bidding will drop.
I waited until this morning to write this to see if anything had changed over the past week. It didn’t. They did it again, in England, and most of the players have chosen the chicken shit cowards way of standing, with arms linked in solidarity with the Kaepernicks, rather than putting their hands over their hearts as they should and would in their respect and honor for their country outweighed their allegiance to their team. It comes down to a choice between being on the American team or the Kaepernick team. Sunday’s will be great days to go fishing and getting things done around the house.
He is and always will be a Miner, so I wish him the very best. I hated the way he started and thought that he could have done all of the right things without having to besmirch the previous coaches and players as he did. But, his failure to pass the fricken ball down field was just inexplicable. For whatever reason/excuse. I honestly felt like he was in over his head and would have had considerably more empathy for him had he not set the tone for empathy for coaches, himself at the start. Won’t it be interesting watching this one play out. The coaching fraternity is very tightly knit and they are all connected. There are AD’s that come from inside the fraternity and there are those who come from outside. It is no surprise that those AD’s that come from the coaching fraternity look to their immediate coaching family first, quite often. Business people approach it very differently. Stull had already planned to give the new AD the problem of dealing with Kugler, or there was already an agreement in place between the two regarding Kugler and Stull. So, I don’t see Stull jumping in to hire anyone. My guess is he will leave that open for the new AD. By the way, I strongly believe that the new AD is probably already chosen and the powers that be are going through the necessary motions.