Speak Out 10/3/17

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

NFL about to learn

a lesson in politics

NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart recently said the message the players and teams are trying to express is being lost in a "political firestorm."

He said they are under attack and their original message has been forgotten.

Maybe Mr. Lockhart has forgotten that the political firestorm began when the NFL overlooked Colin Kapernick when he first kneeled during the national anthem. They continued to ignore it as others followed suit.

What the NFL apparently doesn't realize is that they caused this political firestorm by allowing it to happen despite a clause in the players' contract calling that the flag be respected.

President Trump said the owners are afraid of the players and I think he is correct. While I don't always agree with Trump it is refreshing to see a president who isn't shackled by "political correctness" and is not afraid to call it like it is.

The NBA, seeing the NFL ratings tumble over the incident, issued a statement saying when its season starts in a few days all its owners and players have been told they would stand and show respect during the anthem.

But the NBA is guilty of entering the political arena, too. During the bathroom controversy in North Carolina, the NBA said it would pull its all-star game from the state unless it dropped the bill requiring people to use the bathroom listed on their birth certificate. The NBA and the NFL also threatened Texas when it put forth a similar bill.

So, who started this political firestorm? It seems like it began when the NBA and NFL started to flex its political muscle.

Politics has no business in sports. People tune into the games for entertainment and escape from political issues.

Yes, athletes do have a right to exercise their political beliefs, but it needs to be done on their own time and not doing working hours.

Fans are fed up. The NFL is about to learn a political lesson of its own. The fans have rights, too, and those rights could make a big dent in their bottom line.