The NFL taking a knee issue sprang from a lie about black oppression by cops
James Robbins:
The protest sprang from the "hands up, don't shoot" lie after the death of a man who engaged in a strong arm robbery and then tried to take a cops gun when he was being questioned. The Obama Justice Department after an extensive investigation found that the dead man never said "hands up, don't shoot" despite the widespread acceptance that he had by some players in the NFL.
In fact, cops are 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black man than vice-versa. The whole project looks like a misguided racial grievance scam by some people on the left. The suggestion that this is a free speech issue is absurd. The players are free to say anything they want on their own time and in their own space. But a waiter at a restaurant would be fired if he harangued customers about politics. So would an employee at a hardware or a grocery store.
...There is more.
Defenders of the kneelers say the protest is itself an expression of Americanism, invoking the First Amendment and tradition of dissent. But this is not a First Amendment issue. Employers are allowed to regulate speech in the workplace. The NFL Personal Conduct Policy says that all employees “must refrain from conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL,” which these protests surely are. The league regularly clamps down on social messaging, like wearing cleats commemorating the heroes of the 9/11 attacks or decals honoring slain Dallas law enforcement officers. Taking a knee for God can also be problematic, just ask Tim Tebow. But the anthem protests are explicitly league-sanctioned activities.
The kneelers drew President Trump’s ire, who said that the proper response to the protests should be, “'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He's fired!” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell bizarrely responded, “The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture,” which is the exact opposite of what the league is doing. The New Orleans Saints stated they “believe strongly in honoring our flag and the national anthem and what it represents,” while encouraging the contrary. Meanwhile former Saints fan Denise La Grange Fox public burned her team memorabilia, saying the team had “ruined and taken the fun out of sports.”
Sports are supposed to be fun, but these protests are divisive, distracting and pointless. They are a public relations nightmare that the NFL shows no sign of stopping. Goodell and others want to preach about free expression, but most fans probably prefer their football free of guilt-tripping toxic politics.
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The protest sprang from the "hands up, don't shoot" lie after the death of a man who engaged in a strong arm robbery and then tried to take a cops gun when he was being questioned. The Obama Justice Department after an extensive investigation found that the dead man never said "hands up, don't shoot" despite the widespread acceptance that he had by some players in the NFL.
In fact, cops are 18.5 times more likely to be killed by a black man than vice-versa. The whole project looks like a misguided racial grievance scam by some people on the left. The suggestion that this is a free speech issue is absurd. The players are free to say anything they want on their own time and in their own space. But a waiter at a restaurant would be fired if he harangued customers about politics. So would an employee at a hardware or a grocery store.
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