Print Page - NFL Anthem Protests...Hegelian Dialectic to Usher in Legalized Sports Gambling?

http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-gets-online-gambling-governor-signs-revised-bill-015308436.html

2/26/13

New Jersey gets online gambling as governor signs revised bill

(Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday approved online gambling within the state's border, a move that he hopes can help boost state revenues and revive Atlantic City casinos.

The measure, announced the same day that Christie unveiled his new budget plan for fiscal 2014, will legalize Internet gaming to New Jersey's 9 million residents and also create opportunities for European companies with expertise in running online gaming operations.

New Jersey, the 11th most populous state, will become the largest so far and the third in the United States to allow online gambling after Delaware and Nevada, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Nevada, home to international gambling Mecca Las Vegas, last week became the first U.S. state to allow interstate online poker.

"We are offering a responsible yet exciting option that will make Atlantic City more competitive, while also bringing financial benefits to New Jersey as a whole," Christie said in a statement.

The Republican governor signed the legislation after Democratic lawmakers agreed to make several changes, including a provision to review the program after 10 years to gauge its impact on problem gambling.

By legalizing internet gaming, New Jersey could see a huge jump in state casino revenue, to an estimated $436 million in fiscal 2014 from $235 million this fiscal year, which ends June 30, according to budget documents.

Earlier this month, the prospect of a quick approval of online gambling in New Jersey spurred gains among gaming companies on both side of the Atlantic amid hopes it could unlock a market worth up to $1 billion.

(Reporting by Tiziana Barghini and Hilary Russ; Editing by Eric Walsh)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/njs-christie-committed-sports-betting-202902943--spt.html

NJ's Christie committed to sports betting fight
3/7/13

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie says he'll take the fight to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.

Even after a recent federal court defeat, Christie said Thursday he plans to continue his push for sports betting in his state.

Last month, a federal judge in Trenton upheld a 1992 law that bans sports gambling in New Jersey and 45 other states. Only Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware are exempt. The four major pro sports leagues and the NCAA have sued to stop New Jersey's efforts.

''I'm appealing it, so if they (the NCAA) think I've changed my mind, they're wrong. I'll appeal it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if I can, and will,'' Christie said after visiting a group home in Robbinsville for people with disabilities.

The state must first appeal the judge's ruling to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A defeat there would leave the Supreme Court as the last legal avenue, though there is also the option of amending the 1992 law in Congress. Two New Jersey congressmen have proposed bills that would give New Jersey and other states the chance to approve legal sports betting.

Christie made his remarks a day after the NCAA told The Associated Press it has reversed a ban on New Jersey hosting NCAA-sanctioned championship events. It put the ban in place last year after Christie vowed to move ahead with plans to license sports betting operators.

The ban cost Trenton the chance to host first- and second-round NCAA women's Division I basketball tournament games this year and may have cost Newark's Prudential Center arena a chance to play host to an NCAA men's basketball regional in 2015. Some New Jersey college teams have had to play individual tournament games away from campus that they normally would have hosted.

Christie said the NCAA has the right as a private organization not to choose venues like the Prudential Center to host tournament games, but he noted that the economic impact of that decision is far less than the impact of keeping sports betting illegal.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/njs-casinos-launch-internet-gambling-145516048.html
10/4/13
NJ's casinos to launch Internet gambling Nov. 26

Shuffle up and click: Internet gambling can begin in New Jersey on Nov. 26, after 5-day trial

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey residents and visitors will be able to start gambling online on Nov. 26, after a five-day trial period to make sure the systems operated by the city's 12 casinos work properly.

The state Gaming Enforcement Division told The Associated Press on Friday that Atlantic City's casinos may begin a "soft play" period on Nov. 21 for invited guests. If all goes well, the casinos can begin full Internet gambling at 9 a.m. EDT on Nov. 26.

Gamblers would have to be physically located within New Jersey's boundaries to play. New Jersey will be the third state in the nation to offer online gambling, along with Nevada and Delaware.

"I think this is going to be a significant revenue stream," said Robert Griffin, CEO of Trump Entertainment Resorts, which operates two casinos here. "It has the potential to make up 20 percent of our revenue."

He said state regulators have not yet explained how the guests who are invited to participate in the trial period are to be selected, but said it would have to be a significant enough number to test the system's capabilities.

Online gambling is designed to give the struggling casinos new revenue, though some worry the in-person business will simply migrate to computers, leading to casino job losses. Atlantic City's casino revenue has plunged from a high of $5.2 billion in 2006 to a little more than $3 billion last year and could dip below that mark by the end of this year. Thousands of casino jobs have been lost already as many gamblers choose options closer to their homes in Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland.

Regulations governing online gambling will take effect Oct. 21.

Nine of the city's 12 casinos have acknowledged lining up partners for Internet gambling, and a 10th is widely rumored to have selected a partner, as well.

The Tropicana Casino and Resort has joined with Gamesys Limited, which runs the jackpotjoy.com website. The four casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment — Caesars Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City, Harrah's Resorts Atlantic City and the Showboat Casino Hotel — are partnering with 888 Holdings.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is partnering with bwin.party for online gambling.

Resorts Casino Hotel has joined with PokerStars, the world's largest poker website, which had tried to buy the Atlantic Club earlier this year before the deal fell apart.

The Taj Mahal Casino Resort chose Ultimate Gaming, which began offering Internet gambling in Nevada earlier this year. Trump Plaza is widely reported by industry publications to have chosen Betfair, the British online gambling firm, although neither the casino nor the company would comment.

The Golden Nugget Atlantic City is offering its own brand of Internet gambling using Bally Technologies.

Revel Casino Hotel and The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel have not divulged their online gambling plans.

TRUMP CALLS FOR BOYCOTT...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-urges-fans-boycott-nfl-over-anthem-protests-133012310--spt.html

Feud With Athletes Escalates...
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-re-ups-feud-with-pro-athletes-who-protest-1506259612

Has 'nothing to do with race'...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/nfl-controversy-nothing-race-trump-says-222330098.html

President's criticisms spark more protests at NFL games...
https://apnews.com/5beb440ee1c24a738e48a1030de901b7/President's-criticisms-spark-more-protests-at-NFL-games

Goodell Hits Back...
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-urges-fans-consider-nfl-boycott-over-player-142001108--nfl.html

BOB KRAFT 'DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED'...
https://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/1381478

Brady locks arm...
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots/the_blitz/2017/09/tom_brady_says_anthem_decision_was_about_showing_love_for

100 players take knee...
http://nypost.com/2017/09/24/about-100-protest-national-anthem-in-loud-nfl-statement/

League to air unity ad in prime time...
http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/24/media/nfl-unity-ad-trump/index.html

NASCAR owners side with Trump...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2017/09/24/nascar-owners-trump-protests-response-petty-ganassi-childress/698122001/

WSJ: The Politicization of Everything...
http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/24/media/nfl-unity-ad-trump/index.html

NFL TAKES KNEE
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-urges-fans-boycott-nfl-over-anthem-protests-154638135--spt.html

NOW BASEBALL PLAYER TAKES KNEE...
http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-Bruce-Maxwell-first-MLB-player-to-kneel-for-12223798.php

Oprah leads heated debate on president for 60 MINUTES...
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oprah-winfrey-leads-heated-debate-trump-first-60-minutes-segment-1042574

London Mayor Khan compares Trump to ISIS...
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4537520/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-compares-donald-trump-to-isis-over-call-for-a-total-shutdown-of-us-borders-to-muslims/

http://mashable.com/2017/09/25/dale-earnhardt-jr-nascar-anthem-protest/?utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial#v5iaeB_P.mqW
9/25/17
NASCAR's biggest name tweets message of support for anthem protests

As the ongoing controversy involving President Donald Trump and national anthem protests at sports events continues to roil, NASCAR's biggest name has publicly opposed the organization's anti-protest stance.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., defending 14-time winner of the stock car racing organization's "Most Popular Driver" award, tweeted Monday morning to say that Americans are guaranteed a right to a peaceful protest and quoted JFK.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
✔
@DaleJr

All Americans R granted rights 2 peaceful protests
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable-JFK

Earnhardt's statement came after several NASCAR team owners, including car racing legend Richard Petty, came down strongly on any potential anthem protesters following the growing debate over NFL protests and Trump's comments.

“Anybody that don’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period. If they don’t appreciate where they’re at … what got them where they’re at? The United States,” Petty said.

Richard Childress, one of NASCAR's most successful owners, said of any anthem protesters in his employ, “It’ll get you a ride on a Greyhound bus... anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America.”

That reaction certainly got the attention of Trump, who tweeted his approval.

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=96575
Angry NFL Fans Lash Out At Protesting Players!

9/25/17

Angry NFL Fans Lash Out, Burn Jerseys Over Protests: "You Can Take Your NFL And Shove It"

From Zerohedge:

With all of the grandstanding and emotional reactions from the NFL over the weekend, the sport's smartest executives seemingly proved that they have no idea they're fighting a battle that simply can't be won.

While it is clear as day to anyone who can disassociate themselves from the emotional response to being verbally attacked by a tweetstorm (as truly 'terrifying' as such a thing can be), the NFL doesn't seem to understand that while almost every American can agree that football is a great sport, roughly 50% of them will vehemently disagree with whatever political stance any given player or league exec decides to publicly announce. And, since the NFL's future depends on selling overpriced ad spots to massive corporations looking for a consistent number of eyeballs, alienating any group of viewers, for whatever reason, is just bad for business.

But don't take our word for it...here's just a couple of examples for what the fans had to say over the weekend.

"It's a disgrace. It's disgusting. They're getting paid to do a job...to play ball and do whatever the fans want them to do."

"They're paying these guys to do a job. They're not supposed to be involved in politics."

Meanwhile, this Ravens fan simply burned his jersey to the tune of the national anthem...

...while this Kansas City Chiefs fan (or 'former' fan as it were) was a little more vocal on exactly why he made the decision to burn all of his NFL gear.

"You can take your Kansas City Chiefs and you can take your NFL and you can shove it."

"Now, think about that and think about the millions a year that you people are making to play a game while we got soldiers overseas that get paid minimum wage to put their lives on the line for that flag."

"Protest does not belong in our NFL sports. It's a game."

But these videos were hardly unique as fans all around the country torched their NFL gear...

https://twitter.com/ArvinGibbs/status/912059054519877632

Finally, the owner of the Palmetto Alehouse in South Carolina took things to a whole new level after declaring that his restaurant would not air another NFL game until "all players pay respect to our flag and our country!!!"

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=96686
BREAKING: Trump Calls Out Behavior At Last Night's NFL Game!
9/26/17

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump

Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected!
5:28 AM - Sep 26, 2017

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump

The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard. Great anger
5:35 AM - Sep 26, 2017

More context, from Zerohedge:

President Trump continued his feud with NFL "kneelers" for the fifth consecutive day, when early on Tuesday he tweeted that ratings for NFL games are "way down except before the game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected."

The president noted the boos heard when the Dallas Cowboys knelt before the national anthem Monday night saying there was “Great anger.” As shown last night...

Jack Posobiec
✔
@JackPosobiec

Crowd erupts in boos as owner Jerry Jones and entire Dallas Cowboys team kneel live on Monday Night Football
7:33 PM - Sep 25, 2017

... the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones knelt before the anthem began, leading to boos from the crowd, but then stood as the anthem was sung.

Trump then said that "while Dallas dropped to its knees as a team, they all stood up for our National Anthem. Big progress being made-we all love our country!"

Following Trump's attack on Friday night in which he slammed on players who do not stand during the national anthem in which he said "wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a **** off the field right now. He is fired", more than 200 players kneeled after his comments during games on Sunday.

“Tremendous backlash against the NFL and its players for disrespect of our Country,” the president tweeted Monday evening.

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=96712
BREAKING! NFL Owner Threatens To Quit!
9/26/17

By Amy Moreno

The ONLY people who support #TakeAKnee are progressives, Black Lives Matter, and Hollywood elites.

The rest of America is disgusted.

A recent poll shows that a whopping 72% of Americans believe Colin Kaepernick’s stunt is “unpatriotic.”

Yet, the NFL and progressives keep pushing this divisive and anti-American protesting.

One NFL owner has had it.

He told the Daily Caller it’s “horsesh-t” and he’s “f-cking livid” and will quit the NFL if #TakeAKnee continues.

“I’ll give up football completely and find something else to do with my time if this continues,” said the owner, clearly fed up with the garbage coming from the divas in the NFL lately.

From (Link: dailycaller.com)

An NFL owner reached out to The Daily Caller Monday night to express his extreme displeasure with players protesting the national anthem.

“I am f*****g livid right now. I see this s**t and I lose my mind. It needs to end immediately,” the owner stated during the brief phone conversation on background Monday.

“I’ll give up football completely and find something else to do with my time if this continues,” he added. “This horse s**t must end. These players are so out of touch. They disrespect our flag and then wonder why Trump won. It’s a no-brainer. This is so disrespectful.”

“People will run to college football over the NFL in droves if these protests continue,” the owner concluded at the end of the conversation.

Protests swept across the league Sunday, and hundreds of players refused to get up and stand for the anthem.

To be clear, the owner we spoke with is a shareholder of the Green Bay Packers. We feel this makes him uniquely qualified to put his finger on the pulse of everyday Americans, as opposed to possibly out of touch billionaires that own other NFL franchises.

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=96845
The NFL boycott is real. Look what's happening to this store
9/27/16

Since Sunday when most Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the locker room for the national anthem, Susan Moedinger, owner of Steel City Sports in the Rockvale Outlets, has heard from dozens of customers who are now boycotting her store.

Rush Limbaugh, who is a big Steelers fan said he did not watch the NFL for the first time in 45 years. He said the NFL has lost its "mystique."

From transcript:

“I was so sad Sunday morning when all of this started falling out. I was not sad after Friday night when the president made his comments. And I had no doubt afterward what the reaction was going to be and I had no doubt where public opinion was gonna fall. And I had no doubt how people in the NFL from players to the commissioner to media people were gonna get it wrong, and they have, and they did.

But if you’ll permit me first, I was personally saddened. I did not watch the National Football League yesterday, and it was the first time in 45 years that I made an active decision not to watch, including my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was not a decision made in anger. It was genuine sadness. I realized that I can no longer look at this game and watch this game and study this game and pretend, you know, fantasize, everything a fan does. This whole thing has removed for me the ingredients that are in the recipe that make up a fan. The mystique is gone. That actually started vanishing a while ago. The larger-than-life aspect of it is gone. The belief, the wish, the desire that the people in the game were the best and brightest and special, and that’s why they were there, that’s gone. And it’s been politicized. It has been politicized and corrupted, and it didn’t start this weekend. It started years ago.

I couldn’t predict this specific event, but my sadness actually began years ago when all of the attention focused on the danger and the supposed attempt to hide all of that, not specifically just the concussions. The whole aura that that created. The sports media began to criticize that which they report on. It just became politicized. It simply just became politicized. And the people politicizing it, since we’re talking about politics, the people that politicized it are people on the left. And when that happens, things change. It’s just over.”

http://atlantafalcons.blog.ajc.com/2017/09/27/falcons-to-lock-arms-encourage-fans-to-do-the-same/
Falcons to lock arms, encourage fans to do the same
9/27/17

FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the team will lock arms during the national anthem and will encourage the fans to do the same before they play the Bills on Sunday.

“For us, we will lock arms together during that time, and we would encourage our fans to do the same,” Quinn said Wednesday. “I think that would be kind of a nice tribute as we’re getting started. It’s an important time in our world. There are a lot of issues that are really important to talk about, and we’ll spend some time and we have as a team talking through some of those.”

Most of the Falcons, along with owner Arthur Blank, stood and locked arms during the singing of the national anthem before they played the Lions in Detroit on Sunday.

Defensive tackles Grady Jarrett and Dontari Poe knelt. Several other players stood alone off to the right at attention.

“For us, you know how many things we do together as a group and that would seem appropriate for us,” Quinn said.

He expects all of the team to stand and participate. He said he spoke with Jarrett and Poe, but would not reveal if they requested that they stand or if they were ordered to stand.

“No, we don’t,” said Quinn when asked if he expects any of the Falcons to kneel. “The solidarity … and I think it’s interesting to note … by no means was it ever a protest of the anthem. This weekend was a difficult weekend that showed I’m pissed about something, or I’m upset and I want to react in a certain way.”

Quinn said he never foresaw that he would be organizing a protest as a head coach in the NFL.

“As you go through different things, sometimes there’s history that gets written right while we’re going through it, and this is one of those times,” Quinn said. “How do we handle those situations in the very best way?

“What’s fortunate is that we live in an area where civil rights had a pretty strong foundation on our country for years and years and years, and we’re really honored to be here and to be a part of this as a team … and our best way to show how solid we are is by showing everything that we do as a group.”

One of Quinn’s major projects since taking over the Falcons has been to get the team to bond. He moved lockers around and broke up the offensive and defensive players. They often refer to their closeness as “The Brotherhood.”

“You’ve heard me say that I wish the rest of the world could see our locker room, and to understand that Matt Ryan, who grew up in West Chester, Pa., and Julio Jones, who grew up in Foley, Ala., they didn’t grow up on the same block,” Quinn said. “I wish they could see how tight they are, and the friendship that they share.

“Although Matt can’t understand and hasn’t lived some of the same experiences, he wants to support players and teammates like crazy, and I really admire that about our team. We come from all walks, different spots, different groups and we recognize those differences with each other.”

The team has discussed its diversity in team meetings.

“We talked about it in the team meeting today, where I talked about Matt Ryan and Devonta Freeman, who grew up in Liberty City, Fla., it couldn’t be the same, but what I can tell you is how connected they are and the love that they have for one another,” Quinn said. “I think that’s really important for the rest of the country to see how it can be, and I often have told how close this group is. . . and the way they connect on the field. It’s a real brotherhood that they have, and it’s an example of what it can be.

“I always think they provide such a unique example for so many people. I’m really proud of who they are.”

He wasn’t surprised that Poe and Jarrett knelt during the anthem as a reaction to President Donald Trump referring to NFL players who knelt as “son of bitches.”

“There was a lot of people that felt a certain way over the weekend, and that’s OK,” Quinn said. “It’s OK to have those feelings and have those emotions. How can we best show what we can be and provide the best example for our community in lots of ways?

“I think there were lots of ways, some real reactions this weekend, and that showed all through the country. You guys were witnesses to it, too, but the best way we generally can show that is to do it together.”

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_6b714690-a397-11e7-953b-0b40e1fb1d0b.html
Most NFL teams — including Saints — see marked drop in Facebook followings after anthem protests

BY JEFF NOWAK | Jnowak@theadvocate.com Sep 27, 2017 - 10:20 am

If a Facebook "like" is currency, many NFL teams saw their stock drop over the past several days.

Of the NFL's 32 teams, 28 saw a marked decrease in fan following on their team Facebook pages. The drop came after increased, leaguewide demonstrations during the national anthem in Week 3 prompted by several rebukes from President Donald Trump.

Many teams had players lock arms or raise their fists while the anthem was performed. One or more players on 18 different teams took a knee; players on five teams sat on the bench; and three entire teams remained in the locker room.

BY THE NUMBERS

Total Facebook following of NFL teams: More than 100 million
Top 5 drops in following: Steelers, Saints, Ravens, Seahawks, Broncos
Teams who gained followers: Cowboys, Cardinals, Eagles, Texans
No team lost more than 0.48 percent of total following
Saints lost 13,300 followers total
Saints followers lost accounted for 0.33 percent of 4,030,000
Saints following is down a total of 32,000 year-over-year
24 teams have increased their following year-over-year
Aggregate following across teams up 1,939,800 year-over year

In all, the audience among team Facebook pages decreased by 88,610, according to data compiled by Crowdtangle, a tool that tracks social media trends and analytics. All data is representative of figures accurate as of Sept. 26.

The three teams that did not take the field — the Pittsburgh Steelers (other than former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva), Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans — saw some of the most precipitous drops.

GRAPHIC: HOW EACH NFL TEAM DEMONSTRATED DURING ANTHEM

In the two days following the protests (Sept. 25 and 26), the Steelers lost a total of 17,400 followers, the most of any team, and the Seahawks' total fell by 10,200. The Titans lost 4,100 followers, which represented the second highest percentage of their relative total of any team.

The New Orleans Saints saw the second-highest drop of 13,300 over the two-day span (5,100 on Sept. 25 and 8,200 the next day). The totals for most of the 28 teams dwarfed the attrition totals for recent months. For the Saints, their next highest total of followers lost in a single day was on Sept. 16 with 384.

Saints players Cameron Jordan and Drew Brees have said they've been working on a symbol of unity ahead of their Week 4 game against the Dolphins in London.

more

https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/news/early-lead/wp/2017/09/27/aaron-rodgers-and-the-packers-urge-fans-to-lock-arms-for-the-national-anthem-at-lambeau-field/?outputType=accessibility&nid=menu_nav_accessibilityforscreenreader
9/27/17
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers urge fans to lock arms for the national anthem at Lambeau Field

If Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have their way, fans at Lambeau Field on Thursday night will make a statement during the national anthem, taking the show of unity into the stands and continuing on-the-field demonstrations that took place at games across the country into the NFL’s fourth week of games.

Rodgers, who stood for the anthem and linked arms with his teammates Sunday before the Packers’ game against the Bengals at Lambeau Field, hopes fans will emulate him and the team in what he says is a show of unity, “starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people” Thursday night at the stadium, which seats 81,441.

“This is about equality,” Rodgers said Tuesday (via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky). “This is about unity and love and growing together as a society and starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people.

“But we’ve got to come together and talk about these things and grow as a community, as a connected group of individuals in our society, and we’re going to continue to show love and unity, and this week we’re going to ask the fans to join in as well and come together and show people that we can be connected and we can grow together.”

Packers tight end Lance Kendricks said the idea to get fans involved came from Packers tight end Martellus Bennett, whose brother, the Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Bennett, allegedly was assaulted by Las Vegas police after the Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight last month.

“Aaron spoke first,” Kendricks said of the Packers’ team meeting, “and he kind of laid it out and laid out the fact that he’s on our side and he understands the message being conveyed and trying to get across. And then Marty wrote a statement, and in the statement he said we’re going to lock arms and he’s going to challenge the fans to lock arms as well, so it kind of puts them in a position where it’s like, ‘Look, you’re either going to unite with us or you’re not.’ I think that’s really cool, because it puts them in a position where it’s like now we’re talking to you, so you make a decision, peacefully make a decision.”

Later Tuesday night, the Packers furthered Rodgers’s comments, saying in the statement that coaches and staff would join them.

“Those of us joining arms on Thursday will be different in so many ways, but one thing that binds us together is that we are all individuals who want to help make our society, our country and our world a better place,” the players said in part in the statement. “We believe that in diversity there can be UNI-versity. Intertwined, we represent the many people who helped build this country, and we are joining together to show that we are ready to continue to build.

“Let’s work together to build a society that is more fair and just.”

The demonstrations during the national anthem, which ranged from players linking arms to taking a knee to the Cowboys taking a knee and then standing with arms linked for the song, took place in stadiums across the country in response to President Trump calling any player who kneels during the anthem to raise awareness of social injustice and police brutality a “son of a ****.” Trump went on to urge owners to fire or suspend those players.

Rogers has supported Colin Kaepernick, who started the anthem protests in the summer of 2016, telling ESPN that he thinks Kaepernick is being blackballed by owners. “I think he should be on a roster right now,” he said. “I think because of his protests, he’s not.”

In that interview, Rodgers explained to Mina Kimes the evolution of his thinking. He intends to stand for the anthem “because that’s the way I feel about the flag — but I’m also 100 percent supportive of my teammates or any fellow players who are choosing not to,” he says. “They have a battle for racial equality. That’s what they’re trying to get a conversation started around.”

Indeed, that was Kaepernick’s purpose, as he stated from the beginning. The protest wasn’t directed at the military; rather, it was to raise awareness of other issues. He may not be on a team now, but he started a locker room conversation and has increased awareness among players.

“I think the best way I can say this is: I don’t understand what it’s like to be in that situation. What it is to be pulled over, or profiled, or any number of issues that have happened, that Colin was referencing — or any of my teammates have talked to me about,” Rodgers told Kimes. “But I know it’s a real thing my black teammates have to deal with.”

https://nypost.com/2017/09/27/ray-lewis-anthem-kneel-starts-heated-shannon-sharpe-feud/
9/27/17
Ray Lewis’ anthem kneel starts heated Shannon Sharpe feud

Ray Lewis once told Colin Kaepernick to stick to sports and keep his social activism off the field. It’s a take that’s been echoed even before President Trump’s bewildering comments last week that players should be fired if they don’t stand during the national anthem.

But Lewis dropped to two knees with several other Ravens on Sunday during the national anthem before their game against the Jaguars in London. It marked the start of a league-wide protest against Trump, with more than 200 players and organization members joining by locking arms or kneeling together.

Lewis’ about-face shocked former teammate Shannon Sharpe, who himself was disgusted by Trump’s remarks, but also “disappointed” in Lewis, a close friend, who appeared to follow along with everyone else after previously speaking harshly against protest on the field.

That didn’t sit too well with Lewis, who claimed his kneeing was not a protest at all.

“I dropped on two knees, both knees, so I could simply honor God in the midst of chaos,” Lewis said on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” Tuesday night, clarifying his Sunday actions.

“[Sharpe] goes out and tells someone why he’s so disappointed in me. First of all, I’m 42 years old with six kids. I’m a grown man, so to be disappointed in me really sparked me,” Lewis said. “Now, all of these people are going off of his soundbites of how he’s so shocked that I dropped on a knee to protest. Really? You’ve got my phone number, brotha.”

Lewis, who emphasized it was his “First Amendment rights” to kneel down, was seen next to other Ravens, but indeed, was the only one on both knees. He said that players should either “stand or pray, but not [on] one knee.”

Sharpe criticized Lewis on Fox Sports’ “Undisputed” after Sunday’s event, questioning what exactly Lewis was kneeling for.

“Ray Lewis sat in that chair right there and said that he could never kneel,” Sharpe said. “He could never not stand for the national anthem, because so many people died, and he had family members that fight for this country for the opportunity — and the flag means so much to him. And he kneeled. Not on one knee, on both knees. So what were you kneeling for? You kneeled, you showed solidarity, because of what President Trump said? And when Colin Kaepernick is trying to draw attention to the injustices going on, you deem that inappropriate?”

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/world_nation/nfl-players-and-coaches-talk-trump-chance-of-more-protests/article_4744501c-69ca-51ff-aeac-21985b8d1731.html
NFL players and coaches talk Trump, chance of more protests
9/27/17

Three days after NFL players locked arms to protest President Trump's criticisms of those who kneel during the National Anthem, the topic remained on the minds of many around the league.

Players and coaches took podiums during the NFL's weekly media day to field questions about the protests and whether they'll demonstrate again this weekend. Trump, meanwhile, continued to hammer the league for its handling of the protests.

"The NFL is in a very bad box. You cannot have people disrespecting our national anthem, our flag, our country. And in my opinion, the NFL has to change or you know what's going to happen. In my opinion, their business is going to go to hell," Trump said outside the White House.

Here is what some players and coaches had to say Wednesday:

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin

"If an American can't air their grievances to the republic for which it stands, then where can they air their grievances? And when you have the President of our country basically saying, 'I don't want to hear your protest, I don't want to hear your grievances,' then I think that's where we have the challenge."

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman

"Our President gets into the 'we' and 'them' kind of conversations and, you know, sometimes you wonder, who's 'we' and who's 'them'?"

Sherman added, "I think when you're the President of the United States and you're talking about fellow Americans, you always have to say 'we' ... or you become divisive."

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy

The coach said he would stand with his players in locked arms ahead of the Packers' "Thursday Night Football" showdown against division rival the Chicago Bears.

"I was proud of the players. .... They've put a lot of time and energy and thought into it. They've met. They've had a chance to discuss, each and every guy, to express his opinions. I think, like anything in life, you're never going to have everybody feel 100% the same way, but it's just something we talk about a lot as a football team. I always want to make sure that the why -- why are we doing this -- is explained. And you want them to have the opportunity to disagree... And I think this is an example of that. So the process that they've gone through, I'm proud of them. Their approach is one of a positive nature, and that's definitely the preference. So, locking arms and honoring the flag I think is a very good thing."

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees

"Certainly, I respect the cause and I think what you saw last weekend was a direct result of the President's comments. Unfortunately, he put all black and minority athletes into a corner and forced them to take action... I don't blame the guys for feeling like they needed to do something as a reaction to that.

"We want to find something that we can do together that shows unity and not division ... how can we do that in a respectful manner?"

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan

"It was like, 'Hey, you were sitting down for the National Anthem.' Of course I was, of course I'm in complete solidarity with the entire movement. But as I'm sitting my hand is on my heart, as I'm sitting my eyes are searching for the flag, as I'm sitting I'm singing as I have done every time for as long as I remember. At the end of the National Anthem I'm still kissing the flag ... that being said, it all starts with wanting to bring to light everything we have to go through."

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy

"See the type of words, things (Trump's) saying about us, I mean, it just got to me. It really did. Every week will be different. We talk about being together as a country, so it's the same thing with this team, we want to be together. And it's ok to express your feelings a different way, but I don't want to make it where every week we're addressing this, every practice we're addressing this, taking away from our job."

Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor

"We've got to keep talking about it. One thing we're going to do here is continue to support the players. Like I said last week, after the game, we believe in love and equality so if guys want to keep doing that then we're going to support them, but we can't let that take away from our focus from this week's game. ... Last week was kind of a special moment because the President had said something two days before a game. But like I said, we can't let that take away from our focus this week on the football game."

Baltimore Ravens safety Eric Weddle

"A lot of guys on this team were affected a great deal with what our President said, emotionally. And for a guy on this team that loves my teammates, it was hard to see. I was affected, but a lot of guys were ... it wasn't a good sight to see."

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco

"Nobody's trying to pick sides. We're trying to stand by each other as brothers. ... Obviously there's a big time African-American influence in the NFL and those guys want to show support for their communities. And that doesn't mean they're picking sides. It just means they're showing support for their communities, just like any of us would, and our message is to stand by everybody on the team in unity and respect each other."

Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson

"We've talked about it as a team. We love each other in that locker room. We support each other in that locker room. That's a few days from now. Right now we're focused on the Steelers, as we should be, preparing for them. And when that time comes, just know that we always support each other with whatever we do. "

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh

"I understand that there are injustices in our country and across the world. Our players understand that as well, but it's really important to make it clear that our players have great respect and great appreciation for the military, for the police, for the first responders that give so much to all of us every single day."

http://www.theadvocate.com/article_ca86b20a-a469-11e7-b8ec-3f00c5028f3f.html
Fearing fights, Central High cuts national anthem from pep rally, then returns it after outcry

BY CHARLES LUSSIER | clussier@theadvocate.com Sep 28, 2017

Worried about potential fights breaking out if students protested, Central High School earlier this week decided not to have students sing the national anthem Friday afternoon at a school pep rally, but after a parental outcry the school will play the song after all.

“We’ve learned a very valuable lesson,” said Sandy Davis, assistant superintendent of Central public schools.

Parents in the suburban, politically conservative Baton Rouge school district took to social media Wednesday and Thursday to complain about the school’s decision not to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the pep rally, prompting the reversal Thursday morning.

The initial decision to not sing the national anthem was made earlier this week by Central High Principal David Prescott in consultation with Superintendent Michael Faulk. It was sparked by protests at recent NFL football games where athletes kneeled during the singing of the national anthem to signal their opposition to incidents of black men being killed by police.

Faulk was out of town Thursday, so Davis intervened. She and Prescott spoke and agreed that the high school should sing the anthem after all.

Davis said there was concern about having so many students in the school gym.

“We know that kids feel strongly on both sides of this issue, because they have heard from their parents about it,” Davis said.

She said the national anthem was always going to be played at Friday night’s football game, adding there are fewer safety concerns at the stadium.

She also posted a note late Thursday morning on the district’s Facebook page, explaining what was happening.

Davis told The Advocate that schools hold pep rallies regularly but don’t always sing the national anthem at them. In this case, the school released a program for Friday's pep rally showing the choir singing the anthem, but then changed the agenda. Davis said she thinks that’s where the news first spread.

She said all school faculty will be interspersed throughout the school gym Friday afternoon to prevent any fighting.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ray-lewis-statue-20170927-story.html
Extra security placed near Ray Lewis statue after petition urges its removal
9/27/17

Extra security has been added near the statue of retired Ravens star Ray Lewis at M&T Bank Stadium after he joined current players Sunday in kneeling during the national anthem, provoking calls to remove the likeness.

As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, more than 36,000 people had signed an online petition on change.org that advocates for the removal of the Lewis statue “because of his refusal to stand during the National Anthem.

“That song honors our country and our veterans who fought for it,” the petition reads. “To kneel during it is disrespectful, regardless of what you are protesting.”

Given recent statue-related protests and vandalism, the Maryland Stadium Authority didn't wait until this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to take precautions.

“There is additional security at the statue plaza at this time," said Rachelina Bonacci, a spokesperson for the authority, which is the team’s stadium landlord.

“Certainly observers can notice the presence of uniformed security officers at M&T Bank Stadium, which includes the statue plaza,” she said. “The additional officers and other security enhancements have been in place since Sunday afternoon.”

On Sunday, Lewis — who retired from the NFL after the 2012 season — knelt on both knees alongside a group of current Ravens as the anthem was played before the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Many other NFL players took a knee during the national anthem in response to President Donald Trump's comments Friday that called for owners to fire players if they didn't stand for the anthem. Some teams didn’t emerge from their locker rooms.

Lewis said he was praying.

“I dropped on two knees — both knees — so I can simply honor God in the midst of chaos,” he said on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.”

The Ravens declined to comment on the petition. Team spokesman Kevin Byrne referred a reporter Wednesday to earlier comments in which he said the team was “hearing a variety of opinions — some showing disappointment with the players who demonstrated and others showing support.”

The Lewis statue — depicting the dance the player made famous as he entered the field — was unveiled in 2014.

Earlier, Lewis had advised Colin Kaepernick — the first NFL player to kneel in protest over racial inequality and police brutality — to return to the sport, saying: “Let your play speak for itself.” The quarterback became a free agent this offseason but has not been picked up by a team.

https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2017/09/28/the-slow-death-of-the-nfl-n2387297?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=
9/28/17
The Slow Death Of The NFL?

I should say at the outset that I’ve never really been a big football fan. I grew up in Detroit and played hockey, so I love the Redwings. Besides, we didn’t really have a professional team in Detroit; we only had the Lions.

Jokes aside, I watched it nearly every week. Not intently, but it was on in the background because it’s easy to do other things with football on. Whether it’s cleaning, writing or whatever, there are long stretches of time during a football game where nothing much happens. And if anything interesting does happen the announcer’s voice and crowd noise give it away and you can look at the TV. If you miss that, they replay it immediately.

It’s the perfect sport to ignore while you get other things done. Now it’s become, for me, a sport to simply ignore – period.

I’m done.

HGTV was my refuge. Watching a marathon of real people get their houses remodeled was much more entertaining than watching pampered millionaires wrestle in taxpayer-funded stadiums while disrespecting the national anthem and the American flag.

Since I wasn’t a rabid fan the NFL won’t really notice that I’m gone. But I’m not alone. Through my radio show, social media, and life I have heard from scores of people who are diehard fans, and they’re done too.

More importantly for the NFL and the players, they’re beyond angry. Lifelong fans feel betrayed. Anger fades with time, but the sting of betrayal lingers.
CARTOONS | Henry Payne
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This was a foreseeable eventuality, akin to being hit by a train because you were playing on the tracks and refused to move.

The damage to the NFL began when Commissioner Roger Goodell chose to side with left-wing activists over the game in the hope of placating them and absolving himself from his failures to properly address domestic violence by some players.

Activist groups were vocal critics of slaps on the wrists for players abusing their wives or girlfriends. But left-wing activist groups don’t stop, ever. Even when something is (eventually) made right and harsher penalties were handed out. Because they can fundraise off of it and, equally as important to them, they hate professional sports.

Activist liberals always have hated sports, even when they use it. They hate competition – championing ending scorekeeping in youth sports – because there are winners and losers, and they hate meritocracy. If professional sports is anything it is a meritocracy. Only the best survive, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and all the other boxes liberals have created to divide people.

Professional sports has no time for any of that; there’s too much money in winning. And professional sports is a business.

At least it used to be.

It has evolved from an organization that fined Jim McMahon for writing messages on his headbands to one that ignored players perpetuating the lie of “hands up, don’t shoot.” From blocking the Dallas Cowboys from honoring five police officers who were murdered by a militant racist inspired by anti-police activists to ignoring Colin Kaepernick wearing socks portraying police as pigs.

It seemed like a league held hostage by Kaepernick’s racism; in fear of being called racist itself. Now it’s an enabler of ignorance.

Putting aside the ignorance of the issue, because it doesn’t really matter what the protests are about. The method is what is destroying the NFL.

There could not have been a worse target for a protest than the national anthem in a sport that has marinated itself in patriotism. Sure, it was paid for – nothing in the NFL is free – but they cashed the checks.

When Kaepernick chose to protest during the national anthem all people saw was a protest of the national anthem. That Goodell and his highly paid PR team didn’t recognize this fact and squash it like they did DeAngelo Williams’ desire to pay tribute to his late mother by wearing pink to raise breast cancer awareness is a testament to the fear and desire for self-preservation that has marked his tenure. You can’t claim to support the First Amendment rights of your players when you deny them the ability to honor their mothers or excessively celebrate touchdowns.

Yet that’s what the NFL tried to do. And it failed, miserably. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to stop the hemorrhaging by kneeling before the anthem with his team, then they all stood for it. Would’ve been smart to think of that before, now, for many, it’s just too late.

I won’t miss it because I was never really emotionally invested in it. But the NFL has millions of fans who’ve happily handed over their hard-earned money for years who are now feeling like they’ve been conned the whole time. Maybe they were.

http://newschannel9.com/news/local/cleveland-businessman-calls-nfl-protests-unpatriotic-pulls-ads-during-games
Tennessee businessman calls NFL protests 'unpatriotic,' pulls ads during games
9/28/17

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WTVC) - Check Into Cash founder and Cleveland, Tennessee native Allan Jones weighed in on the ongoing NFL national anthem protests Tuesday night. Jones posted to his Facebook page that he is pulling all commercials for Check Into Cash, Buy Here Pay Here USA, and U.S. Money Shops during NFL games for the rest of the season.

In 2014, Cleveland business Hardwick Clothes was fighting bankruptcy and it seemed like its more than 130 years of experience might not make it another season.

That's when Jones stepped in to give the clothing brand a new chance.

In his Facebook post, he says not to look for Hardwick Clothes on the NFL either.

Cleveland, TN businessman pulls NFL ads

This week, WTVC NewsChannel 9 also spoke with former Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix, who now lives in Chattanooga.

Local former NFL General Manager weighs in on kneeling controversy: Allison Levine reports.

Nix told us he stands with those who see the protests as as a sign of disrespect. "I believe firmly in standing for the national anthem and being respectful to the flag in this country. I don't think there's any excuse for not doing that," Nix said.

A local restaurant owner also told us he will no longer play NFL games in his establishment.

Baxter's owner Matthew Wolcott says those actions disrespect American veterans.

As this story continues to develop, depend on WTVC NewsChannel 9 for continuing coverage.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/09/boom-nfl-ticket-sales-18-week-since-mass-anti-military-anthem-protests/
BOOM! NFL Ticket Sales Down 18% in Week Since Mass Anti-Military Anthem Protests
September 28, 2017

This had to hurt.
NFL ticket sales down 18% down this week.

BOOM! NFL Ticket Sales Down 18% in Week Since Mass Anti-Military Anthem Protests
September 28, 2017 by Jim Hoft 103 Comments

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This had to hurt.
NFL ticket sales down 18% down this week.

Last Sunday over 200 NFL players knelt during the US national anthem on Gold Star Mothers Day.

StubHub announced a 10% discount in NFL tickets this week.

And now this…
NFL ticket sales are down 18% compared to last year at this time.
The Washington Examiner reported:

The National Football League is feeling the impact of the “Trump Effect.”

Ticket sales since he called on team owners to fire players who take a knee to protest the National Anthem have cratered.

The online ticket reseller TickPick told Secrets that sales have dropped 17.9 percent, far more than the usual Week Three fall.

From TickPick:

17.9 percent decrease in NFL orders this week compared to the previous week.
Last year the drop was 10.8 percent in orders on Monday & Tuesday following Week Three games.

“We have seen a massive decrease in NFL ticket purchases this past week in comparison to years past. Week 3 seems to usually have less ticket orders than week 2, but this year ticket purchases are down more than 7 percent from this time last year,” said TickPick’s Jack Slingland.

Several Chargers players torched their shirts and jackets this week.

NEVER underestimate an American's Love for our Flag.

We stand UNITED in protest against the #NFL

.@realDonaldTrumppic.twitter.com/hNLNo0pGBs

— 🇺🇸Patriot 24/7🇺🇸 (@TrumpTrain45Pac) September 28, 2017

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/28/inside-the-beltway-incoming-here-comes-the-nfl-boy/
Incoming: Here comes the NFL boycott

By Jennifer Harper - The Washington Times - Thursday, September 28, 2017

A growing population of sports fans is prepared to shun the National Football League following controversy over athletes who chose not to stand during the national anthem. The movement is escalating. Such hashtags as #BoycottNFL have emerged on Twitter, while there are not one but three Boycott the NFL sites on Facebook which have already accrued over 100,000 followers. One is asking Americans to turn off the games on Veteran’s Day next month.

News organizations in both Chicago and Boston report that local bars and VFW posts will no longer show NFL games on their premises. Bill DeFries — a military vet and restaurant owner in Beavercreek, Ohio — says he got “overwhelming” support from customers after imposing his own NFL ban. Then there is Schilling Distributing Company, a veteran-owned Louisiana beer distributor that is pulling all Bud Light products that use the NFL as a point of sale from their sales list.

“There is no need for us to ask our retailer partners to promote such controversial organizations to help sell product,” Vice President Charles “Buddy” Schilling noted in a statement.

Now there’s a call for a formal boycott of NFL games on Sunday.

“Protesting the national anthem not only distracts from the sport that pays these players millions but, more importantly, disrespects the men and women of the military who risk their lives to allow them that opportunity. This is a spectacle designed to score political points, and the public is sick and tired of it,” declares Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, which is now tracking frequently biased NFL press coverage.

“People tune in to football to enjoy themselves, not to have to subject themselves to attacks on our flag because spoiled players don’t like the politics of our president. The public needs to have its voice heard. This Sunday, I ask football fans to support our flag and turn off the NFL. One week without football to support our flag. We should not continue to give attention to players who refuse to show respect for our great nation,” advises Mr. Bozell.

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=97160
Look Who Knelt At The Tomb Of Unknown Soldier
9/28/17

Kneeling and disrespecting the country seems to be a common thing these days.

This protestor has taken it to a whole new level by kneeling at The Tomb of Unknown Soldier.

From American Military News:

A photo that has gone viral while circulating among the online military community shows a man at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, kneeling down on one knee reportedly during the playing of taps, and is sweeping across America, outraging thousands.

“Taps” is a bugle call played at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals by the United States armed forces and is regularly played at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Not standing for Taps is incredibly disrespectful.

The picture is sparking intense outrage on social media. It is unclear exactly why the man seen in the photo is kneeling during taps while everyone else is standing, but most people online are assuming it is in protest.

If that is the case, it follows in the footsteps of NFL players’ protests – close to 200 NFL players and coaches took a knee during the U.S. national anthem on Sunday. The protests were started by football player Colin Kaepernick last year to protest what he believes to be problems in America, namely police brutality and black inequality. Kaepernick was not signed by a professional football team this year.

Protocol at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is that you stand, and many times the Soldiers who guard the Tomb will directly address people who are not standing and demand they stand.

“Someone actually had the nerve to [take a knee] at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. That is the definition of absolute trash,” one Twitter user posted.

http://deadline.com/2017/09/packers-win-thursday-night-football-ratings-down-bears-national-anthem-cbs-nfl-1202179245/
Packers Win As ‘Thursday Night Football’ Ratings Drop In CBS Season Debut
9/29/17

There were weather issues, national anthem protest concerns and a helmet-to-helmet hit from the Chicago Bears’ Danny Trevathan that put Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams in the hospital last night on the season kickoff of CBS’ Thursday Night Football.

Despite all that, and a 47-minute delay after the first quarter due to lightning, Green Bay beat the Bears 35-14 at Lambeau Field. The weather couldn’t slow the Packers down once the game restarted and, with players and fans linking arms in unity, no one took an increasingly controversial knee last night during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

However, it still was not a good result for CBS and the NFL as the matchup went late and delivered 9.9/18 in metered market ratings. That’s down 13% from the 2016 TNF opener on CBS and NFL Network when the New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills 37-31. In the first of five TNFs that CBS has this year, last night’s game was shown on NFL Network and made its live debut on Amazon Prime.

On a night of no competition from the other nets and with the matchup being shown live on Twitter, last year’s September 15, CBS kickoff game ended up with 15.4 million viewers and a 5.4/21 rating among adults 18-49. The start of the third season of TNF on the House of Moonves, those 2016 numbers were a 27% and 29% fall, respectively, from the 2015 TNF debut on CBS and NFL Network.

As for Thursday’s overnight numbers, the latest decline comes as the league, broadcasters and cable networks are biting already chewed nails over last year’s ratings and what could be coming down the line.

While ratings this year overall are actually up a tiny bit over last year right now, the 2016-2017 NFL season saw a nearly 10% decline from the year before. That’s a big hit for the big-money league, and the sting is being felt again with the likes of heavyweight Sunday Night Football hurting this year. Then, there is the increased political spotlight in the usually conservative NFL after President Donald Trump called for a boycott of the league and berated players for following now ex-San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick publicly protesting police brutality and racial injustice by not standing for the national anthem. Last night’s linking of arms by both teams was an attempt to deflect some of that attention.

Then again, yesterday also saw the former Celebrity Apprentice host tell Fox News that team owners have told him that they are “afraid” of their players, and it is up to the NFL to stop the “disrespectful” attitude towards the flag. “They can stop it,” Trump said on Thursday of the NFL. “They have rules for everything: You can’t dance in the end zone. You can’t wear the pink socks, relative to breast cancer…They have rules for everything.”

Unlike last year, the TNF opener on CBS faced some real competition off the field. ABC and NBC had the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy and the anticipated return after more than a decade of Will & Grace among their offerings – with both possibly seeing additional benefits due to the delay in last night’s game. Competition, along with those weather delays, that could prove a mitigating factor for this year’s opener’s numbers.

We’ll update with more TNF numbers and results of the other shows on the Big 4 last night when we get them. In the meantime, two things to take away from last night’s Packers-Bears game. One, it as up 6% in MM over the last time the two teams fought it out on CBS and NFL Network’s TNF on October 20 last year. Two, last night’s game peaked with a 11.3/19 in the 9-9:15 slot, just before play was stopped for almost an hour because of those weather issues.

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/fox-news-announces-will-no-longer-broadcast-national-anthem-games-prevent-player-hijacking/
Fox Sports Announces They Will No Longer Broadcast The National Anthem During NFL Games To Prevent Player Hijacking
The first major broadcast domino has fallen. In response to crashing ratings, plummeting ticket sales, and a public backlash fueled by none other than the leader of the free world, Fox Sports has decided to cry Uncle! Becoming the first major NFL broadcast partner to publicly say that they will no longer air the national anthem.
10/1/17

The first major broadcast domino has fallen. In response to crashing ratings, plummeting ticket sales, and a public backlash fueled by none other than the leader of the free world, Fox Sports has decided to cry Uncle!

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is how you get things done. Not broadcasting the National Anthem during the game takes away the players ability to hijack the moment for their anti-American protests. Agree or Disagree with Fox Sports decision? Comment below.

Becoming the first major NFL broadcast partner to publicly say that they will no longer air the national anthem. Instead, Fox Sports is now saying that they will go back to what they had done in the past, namely, not showing the playing of the anthem during game broadcasts, according to Newsday.

Calling this year, “one of the more bizarre starts to the season that we have ever had,” Fox Sports President Eric Shanks released a statement saying: “The standard procedure is not to show them because of the way the commercial format works and the timing of the anthem to get to the kickoff,” Shanks said Tuesday at an event to promote Fox’s soccer coverage of the 2018 World Cup. “So I think we’re going to pay attention to events.

“Who knows what’s going to happen? A lot of time is happening between now and then. But I think the plan would be to get back to a normal schedule. I think that’s where we sit today on a Tuesday . . . It seems like there’s more than 24 hours in a day now, doesn’t there?”

But liberal sports reporters are already crying foul with the move to “get back to football.”
Fox Ignores NFL Players Kneeling During National Anthem During Live Broadcast:

For the first time, players kneeling in protest were not shown during the telecast of the game. Fox Sports further decided to pull the plug on broadcasting the National Anthem at all to ensure that player protests would no longer have a forum.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing, for instance, is furious with Fox for taking away the players’ forum to protest against the country, especially because it will cut off a way to attack Donald Trump.

Yoder slammed Fox saying, “it’s impossible to go back to a normal schedule now when the NFL and its athletes are in the middle of a culture war with the sitting President of the United States.

“The anthem will be a huge story this week and likely will be throughout the remainder of the season as well,” the Awful Announcing writer insisted.

Clearly, Yoder and his liberal media pals want the turmoil to continue, want fans enraged even more, and want to give players who hate the country a platform to announce it to the world.

Yet, Yoder fails to realize something crucial to the equation: Fox didn’t decide to not air the anthem in order to sabotage the athletes in their “culture war” with President Trump. They decided to not air the anthem because the athletes have already lost the culture war with Donald Trump.

A fact that’s been driven home in a recent national survey which showed, not just how wildly unpopular the NFL protests have become, but also that most Americans agree with the president. If the athletes had won the battle of public opinion, and most Americans were either supportive or neutral to their cause, then the networks wouldn’t hesitate to show it. However, the athletes lost the battle over public opinion, bigly.

Which is why many teams are beginning to abandon the protest movement. Remember, despite the claim that these protests are not against the flag, the country, or our soldiers, that is absolutely not what the instigator of these protests said.

In his own words, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick specifically said that his protests were a stand against the U.S.A.

This is what Kaepernick said of his protests last August:

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder
In his own words, he told us he couldn’t stand up for the flag or the country.

So, don’t fall for the revisionism. These protests are set to occur during the song that pays homage to this great nation, and the inventor of the protests was counting on just that to erect the platform for his stand against the United States of America. source

http://www.news-press.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/10/01/nfl-protests-national-anthem-players-demonstrations-kneel-stand/721045001/
49ers' protest highlights scaled-back NFL demonstrations during national anthem in Week 4
USA TODAY Sports Published 1:02 p.m. ET Oct. 1, 2017 | Updated 8:32 p.m. ET Oct. 1, 2017

One week after protests and demonstrations swept the NFL in response to President Trump, players and teams continued with the displays on Sunday.

Approximately 30 players from the San Francisco 49ers, playing in their first game since Trump's comments targeting players who would not stand during the national anthem, chose to kneel together, though fewer players throughout the league did so this week. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick opted not to stand last year to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

"For more than a year, members of our team have protested the oppression and social injustices still present in our society," the team wrote in a statement. "While some may not have taken a knee or raised a fist, we have all shared the desire to influence positive change. Today, our team chose to publicly display our unity in a new way and, in turn, urge others do the same. Our demonstration is simply a representation of how we hope our country can also come together by putting differences aside and solving its problems."

The Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions were among the other teams who had individual players kneel or remain seated during the national anthem.

The New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars kneeled before the anthem and then stood, while the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders collectively stood for the anthem.

Among the players to kneel or remained seated during the anthem were Seahawks defensive ends Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Frank Clark; Lions linebackers Steve Longa and Jalen Reeves-Maybin; Bills fullback Mike Tolbert and cornerback Shareece Wright; and Dolphins tight end Julius Thomas, safety Michael Thomas and wide receiver Kenny Stills. Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who said he would continue kneeling until Trump apologized, was not on the field for the anthem on Sunday.

Lions owner Martha Ford asked players not to kneel for the anthem but said she would financially back their causes.

“As a team, we came together, talked to Mrs. Ford, the owners, and we understand the issues for the most part, generally," Lions running back Ameer Abdullah said. "Me personally, I definitely want to be an aid in growing the social awareness in this country, that it is a race problem in this country."

Raiders tight end Jared Cook told USA TODAY Sports that the Raiders decision to stand during the anthem was “influenced.”

Cook declined to elaborate on if it was coaches or ownership who pushed players to stand.

On Thursday, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears stood linked arm-in-arm for the anthem.

The displays come one week after more than 250 players engaged in some form of protest after Trump repeatedly called for NFL owners to fire players who do not stand during the national anthem.

Trump tweeted on Saturday night, “Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country.”

These anthem protests could very well be a big smokescreen, to ultimately usher in legalizing sports gambling. Declining tv ratings, potential future declining attendance at games...the land is becoming desolate...

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/06/supreme_court_agrees_to_hear_nj_sports_betting_case.html
U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear N.J. sports betting case
Updated on June 28, 2017 at 12:10 PM Posted on June 27, 2017 at 10:01 AM
36

By Brent Johnson and Jonathan D. Salant

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear arguments on whether sports betting should be legalized at racetracks and casinos in New Jersey.

The justices, as is custom, gave no reason for agreeing to hear the appeal of a court decision that threw out the state's latest effort to legalize wagering on sports games. The case would be argued during the court term that begins in October.

The court in January had delayed a ruling on the case, saying it first wanted to hear what President Donald Trump had to say on the issue. His acting solicitor general, Jeffrey B. Wall, urged the justices in May not to take the case.

Wall said that New Jersey's efforts to get around the federal ban on sports betting by repealing state laws and allowing such wagering to proceed without regulation "is no different than a positive enactment authorizing such gambling."

The nation's highest court could make its announcement Monday.

Daniel Wallach, a sports gaming expert, said getting the nation's highest court to hear the case was the "No. 1 obstacle blocking New Jersey's path" because the court grants fewer than 2 percent of petitions.

"This is the closest New Jersey has ever been to legalized sports betting," said Wallach, a gaming and sports law attorney with Becker & Poliakoff in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "This is a sea change in the whole movement surrounding sports betting in the U.S."

Wallach said if the court sides with New Jersey, sports betting could open at racetracks and casinos by next June, in time for the 2018 NFL season.

State officials have sought since 2011 to legalize sports betting to help revive the state's struggling racetracks and Atlantic City's struggling casinos. Estimates show $150 billion is illegally bet on sports games each year in the U.S.

But the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the four major professional sports leagues -- Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League -- have sued to stop them, even as some of the leagues have partnered with daily fantasy sports operations.

At issue is a 1992 law that banned sports betting in all but four states, Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon.

New Jersey's latest setback came in August 2016, when the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled in a 10-2 decision that sports betting is "clearly and completely legally prohibited" under federal law.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), the lawmaker who has led New Jersey's fight, said he now is "very confident" of the state's chances of prevailing.

"I've been knocked down five or six times," said Lesniak, a 40-year legislator who is set to retire from the state Legislmature in January. "You get a little groggy. But I never give up. And I expect to win."

State Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), who has worked with Lesniak on the matter, said the fact the court accepted the case bodes well for the state.

"If they had denied it, there would be no discussion at all," Caputo said. "This is very promising."

State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), another sponsor of the sports betting legislation, said legalizing such wagering would "spur economic growth and bolster our long beleaguered equine industry."

"These decisions should be made at the state level," Kyrillos added. "That's why this is an important case not only for New Jersey, but for every state in the nation."

Indeed, experts say a ruling in favor of the Garden State could open the door for states across the country to pass laws allowing such wagering.

Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia and Wisconsin have all joined New Jersey's effort to have the case heard by the Supreme Court.

The casino industry earlier this month announced a new American Sports Betting Coalition to try to get Congress to repeal the 1992 law and leave it up each individual state to decide whether to allow such sports betting.

In addition, U.S. Reps. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd Dist.) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.) have introduced legislation to allow New Jersey to have sports betting.

"The citizens of New Jersey overwhelmingly support legalized sports betting and acted in a referendum to show that support," Pallone said. "Both Congress and the Supreme Court should respect these actions."

LoBiondo called Tuesday's court action "a long time coming."

"I have long argued that legal sports betting will have a significant and positive impact on South Jersey, bringing tourism and tax revenue to the state and reinvigorating Atlantic City," he said.

The casino industry's trade group also welcomed the court action. Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive of the American Gaming Association, which has launched a national campaign to legalize sports betting, said he hoped it would "provide further encouragement for Congress to take the steps to create a regulated sports betting marketplace."

The cases are 16-476, Christie et al v. National Collegiate Athletic Association et al, and 16-477, N.J. Thoroughbred Horsemens Association v. National Collegiate Athletic Association et al. They will be consolidated before the high court.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/poll-for-first-time-majority-of-americans-approve-of-legalizing-sports-betting/2017/09/26/a18b97ca-a226-11e7-b14f-f41773cd5a14_story.html?utm_term=.31dca5b1edc2
Poll: For first time, majority of Americans approve of legalizing sports betting
9/26/17

With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to hear arguments soon on a case that could upend the country’s sports gambling laws, for the first time most Americans support making wagering on professional sports legal, according to new poll conducted by The Washington Post and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

A 55-percent majority approve of legalizing betting on pro sporting events, a flip from almost a quarter century ago, when a federal law went into effect banning the practice in most of the country and 56 percent of Americans disapproved of legalization in a Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll.

While the issue has been debated for decades, the coming months figure to be pivotal for sports gambling in the United States. With the Supreme Court agreeing to hear arguments on the state of New Jersey’s efforts to legalize sports wagering, major stakeholders from the professional sports world increasingly have showed an openness to the idea, and some see a growing sense of inevitably surrounding an issue that was contentious and divisive not long ago.

“Literally, we’re at the 1-yard line, and it’s first-and-goal,” said Daniel Wallach, a sports gaming law expert and attorney at Becker & Poliakoff in Fort Lauderdale. “That’s how close it is.”

The American Gaming Association is scheduled to hold a briefing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, and public sentiment appears to have moved in a direction that could make it easier for the courts or lawmakers — or both — to reconsider federal legislation that largely limits sports betting to Las Vegas. According to the new poll, the increase in support is broad-based and cuts across most demographics, with support among men and women, young and old and those from lower- and higher-income households.

According to the Post-UMass Lowell poll, just more than 1 in 5 sports fans (21 percent) have bet on professional sporting events in the past five years, and they’re more likely to be avid sports fans, men, pro football fans, nonwhites, and under 40 years old.

Support for legalization is highest among the those who’ve placed a sports bet in the past five years (84 percent), and is nearly as high among fans who have played in a fantasy sports league (79 percent), avid sports fans (70 percent), men (63 percent), people with household incomes of $100,000 or more (61 percent) and pro football fans (60 percent).There’s little partisan difference on the issue, with 52 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of Democrats in support of legalizing sports gambling.

Opposition to sports gambling appears to be fading with older generations. In 1993, 29 percent of Americans ages 50 and older supported legalizing sports gambling, as did 48 percent of adults below that age. Today, 46 percent of those over age 50 support legalization, rising to 62 percent of people ages 18 to 49.

The evolution in public sentiment reflects a similar shift from many of the major decision-makers throughout the sports world, an industry in which gambling was once considered a cardinal sin. Professional leagues have either pivoted on the issue or at least made moves to acknowledge change could be afoot. The NHL will open its next season with a franchise based in Las Vegas, and the NFL’s Oakland Raiders will be relocating there as early as 2019. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has openly discussed legalizing gambling, as has Major League Baseball, which has partnered with Genius Sports, an integrity company that monitors baseball wagering.

“We’re in the process of talking to our owners and figuring out where we want to be in the event that there is in fact a significant change coming,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in July.

The evolving fan sentiment signifies a remarkable shift. Historic Gallup polling from 1951 found 38 percent favored national legalization of gambling on “horse races, lotteries and numbers,” and gambling overall has gained public support in the decades since then. A 1994 Public Perspective examination of public opinion found that while gambling grew in support, support for sports betting did not. By the end of the 1980s, in fact, fewer accepted sports gambling than they did at the beginning of the decade — coinciding with Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball in August 1989 after it was found he gambled on the sport.

In 1992, Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which banned sports betting in all but a handful of places. But gambling proponents say hundreds of billions of dollars are wagered on sports illegally each year in an unregulated market, and in the 25 years since PASPA was signed into law, outlets for gambling have become only more accessible.

“As our industry expanded, we confronted a lot of fears, a lot of concerns, and what time has shown is that those fears and concerns were often misplaced,” said Geoff Freeman, the president and CEO of the American Gaming Association.

more

http://thepoliticalinsider.com/oakland-raiders-threw-game/
Oakland Raiders Threw Game Over National Anthem Protest [Report]
9/29/17

If you were unaware, the Raiders are the only team in the National Football League (NFL) where 100% of their line happens to be African-American. And during last weekend’s National Anthem controversy, their offensive linemen decide to sit down in protest.

However, quarterback Derek Carr stood. And because those linemen have the job of protecting the ball and the quarterback, the Armstrong & Getty radio show are getting multiple reports that something serious happened at that game that fans at home missed.

The host opined, “So Derek Carr, who is never sacked, was sacked four times by the Redskins, (in) back to back (plays) on the second offensive series of the (Oakland) Raiders. The first series, he threw almost immediately and was intercepted, so that series was over before it began.”

Then he added, “Also, three times, the extremely dependable never does this [sic] center, the guy who snaps the ball to the quarterback, snapped it before Carr was ready, three times. He ‘hiked’ it, as the kids say, into Carr’s knee before he was supposed to.”

They are claiming the Raiders threw the game on purpose to teach Carr a lesson.

They wondered if this “throwing” of a game was just a one-time deal, or if there are other examples. They added, “If this story is true, you’ve got an animosity between a white quarterback and a black offensive line that you can’t fix very easily.”

The hosts claim to have an inside and “extremely reliable” source that can confirm the game is thrown. This, if confirmed, would be a legal nightmare for the NFL. It’s illegal to throw a game, and players could end up in prison, as Bill O’Reilly mentioned on his recent Fox News appearance.

http://www.breitbart.com/sports/2017/10/04/personal-foul-videos-show-nfl-players-yelling-fk-you-fans/
10/4/17
Personal Foul!: Videos Show NFL Players Yelling ‘F**k You’ at Fans

Not sure this is what Commissioner Goodell had in mind when he emphasized community outreach. A pair of new videos showing several NFL players taunting fans, and screaming the “f-word” have been revealed.

The videos from last Monday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins show Redskins player Terrell Pryor and Chiefs player Marcus Peters going off on fans who were yelling at them from the stands.

In the first video, Chiefs defensive back Marcus Peters responds to fans who were likely offering less than kind criticism after he gave up a 44-yard touchdown early in the game.

Peters is seen yelling out, “F**k you, b**ch,” and then slamming his helmet to the ground in anger:

The second video shows Redskins wide receiver Terrell Pryor, who erupted on hecklers as he walked toward the tunnel that leads to the team locker room.

Pryor is seen yelling out the “f-word” at fans while flipping them the finger and raising his helmet as if he intended to throw it. A Redskins staffer is then seen trying to calm the player and usher him quickly into the tunnel:

Of course, these sorts of outbursts are against NFL rules of comportment and players face several possible consequences including fines and suspensions.

http://truthfeednews.com/nfl-partners-with-george-soros-to-bring-down-trump/

NFL Partners With George Soros to BRING DOWN Trump
Breaking News By Amy Moreno October 7, 2017

The NFL is partnering with George Soros to take down President Trump.

Suddenly all of the politicization, hate, and anti-Americanism makes sense.

A report revealing tax records shows the money trail between the players union and communist George Soros.

If you’re wondering why the National Football League has not cracked down on unpatriotic players protesting the national anthem, all you have to do is follow the money.

Tax records show the NFL players union is in cahoots with anti-American leftist billionaire George Soros.

The NFLPA (National Football League Players Association) donated money to the Soros-funded Center for Community Change Action, a left-wing activist group that bankrolls anti-Trump protests, according to tax documents released by 2ndVote.

“The NFLPA has financially supported at least two more left-wing, anti-Trump activist groups,” 2ndVote reported. Not surprisingly, the NFLPA union has defended football players’ rights to disrespect the national anthem at NFL games.

While most football fans probably thought the NFL was a nonpartisan organization, its labor union has been quietly donating money to leftist political causes for years.

As BizPac Review has reported, numerous corporate giants such as cereal maker Kellogg’s have donated millions to leftist political causes sponsored by the Center for Community Change Action (CCCA).

George Soros’ Open Society Foundation— whose goal is a borderless world resembling anarchy — is a major donor to CCCA, as is the NFL players union.

http://truthfeednews.com/its-official-the-nfl-is-the-most-unpopular-sport-in-america/

IT’S OFFICIAL! The NFL is the Most Unpopular Sport in America
Culture By Eren Moreno October 7, 2017

According to a new poll, the NFL has gone from America’s number one sport to the least liked of top professional and college sports.

This is all thanks to NFL players, coaches, and owners constantly protesting the National Anthem, despite their fans telling the league to protest on their own time.

From the Washington Examiner

From the end of August to the end of September, the favorable ratings for the NFL have dropped from 57 percent to 44 percent, and it has the highest unfavorable rating — 40 percent — of any big sport, according to the Winston Group survey provided exclusively to Secrets.

Worse for football, which was already seeing lower TV ratings and empty stadium seats, the month of protests and complaints about them from President Trump drove core fans, men 34-54, away, the most significant indicator that NFL brass aren’t in touch with their base.

The Winston Poll from the Washington-based Winston Group found that the attitude of those fans went from an August rating of 73 percent favorable and 19 percent unfavorable to 42 percent favorable and 47 percent unfavorable, a remarkable turn against the sport.

According to the poll analysis, “more critically for the NFL, the fall off in favorables occurred among important audiences. Among males, NFL favorables fell 23 percent, going from 68 percent to 45 percent. In looking at a more specific audience, males 34-54, NFL favorables fell 31 percent, going from 73 percent to 42 percent. Among this group the NFL has a surprising negative image, as it went from +54 percent in August to -5 percent in September.”

The Winston Poll was of brand images for the NFL, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and college football and basketball. It was of 1,000 registered voters and taken August 29-30 and then again September 28-29.

In August, baseball had the highest favorables, just a few points above the NFL.

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/vice-president-mike-pence-walks-colts-49ers-game-players-disrespect-kneeling-anthem/
Vice President Mike Pence Walks Out Of Colts-49ers Game After Players Show Disrespect By Kneeling During Anthem
"I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence tweeted. Several 49ers players kneeled for the anthem on Sunday in Indianapolis.
10/8/17

Vice President Mike Pence spoke out on Sunday about why he left a football game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers.

EDITOR’S NOTE: What a clear and refreshing difference this administration is from the last one. Vice President Pence did exactly the right thing today when he walked out of the game after he witnessed players disrespecting our National Anthem. A poll taken today shows the NFL at its lowest approval level in decades. As much as the NFL is trying to ignore it, a very serious football boycott is underway by millions of fed up fans. They would do well to remember that when Christians last year boycotted Target for their transgender bathroom policies, $15 billion is stock value evaporated.

“I left today’s Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” Pence tweeted. Several 49ers players kneeled for the anthem on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Pence later posted a statement which read, “I left today’s Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem. At a time when so many Americans are inspiring our nation with their courage, resolve, and resilience, now, more than ever, we should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us.”

“While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don’t think it’s too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem,” he continued. “I stand with President Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and National Anthem.”

President Donald Trump later tweeted, “I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.”

Trump’s son Eric also took to Twitter Sunday, writing, “Vice President Pence is truly an amazing man! Thank you for standing up for our country and for the respect of our great flag! @VP”

While a quarterback for the 49ers last year, Colin Kaepernick sat or kneeled during the national anthem last season to bring more attention to the killings of black men by police officers. The protests have grown this season.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora corrected his report that had claimed Kaepernick would stand during the national anthem if given a chance to play football in the NFL again.

“Wanted to clarify one thing regarding @Kaepernick7. When I was asked about his whether or not he would sit or stand for anthem …” La Canfora tweeted after the report came out earlier Sunday.

“Standing for Anthem wasn’t something that I spoke to Colin about,” the reporter added. “I relayed what had been reported about him standing in the future…”

Reports about @Kaepernick7 standing for anthem had not been refuted,” La Canfora wrote. “However, I cant say if they are true or not. Colin and I didn’t discuss.”

“He’s not planning on kneeling, he’s going to donate all his jersey sales, and he’s planning on standing for the anthem, if given the opportunity,” La Canfora initially said in the video segment.

On Sunday, Kaepernick’s girlfriend, radio personality Nessa Diab, took to Twitter.

“The reports that Colin will stand for the anthem are completely false! He has never discussed this with anyone,” she posted. source

http://usajustnow.com/2017/10/09/tens-of-thousands-of-empty-seats-likely-at-rams-49ers-game/
10/9/17
Tens of thousands of empty seats likely at Rams-49ers game

Following the disrespectful actions of the NFL players which decided it was a good idea to kneel during the playing of the national anthem following the example of kneeler and former San Francisco 49-ers now-free agent Colin Kaepernick, the situation with the league escalated to a level never seen before. And now pictures have emerged of a Giants game showing something horrific.

The league faced several setbacks, including outraged fans, who burned seasonal tickets, made sure their TV ratings dropped lower than ever before and left the stadiums during the games empty.

The situation was no different today, when Twitter user James K. shared a photograph of the Giants’ most recent NFL game, which showed the stadium being half empty, a situation also referred to as “ghost town.”

But this is only the beginning of the NFL downfall, as their ratings and empty seats are not their only problem they are facing. Following President Donald Trump’s harsh comments on the whole situation, several major sponsors as well as many minor ones have pulled their ads from the league, expressing their outrage and revealing that they do not stand with nor support the actions of the disrespecting players, as they support the veterans, the soldiers, and everyone else risking their life for the safety of the American citizens.

On the other hand, the pictures of the empty Giants stadium can be seen below, and we suggest you take a close look and see how bad the situation with the league has become:

(https://twitter.com/JamesKratch/status/917069699049017344/photo/1)

James Kratch
✔
@JamesKratch

Not sure how much this photo will show, but from my seat in the press box ... #Giants
11:50 AM - Oct 8, 2017

(https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/917050738278268929/photo/1)

Fox News
✔
@FoxNews

Poll: NFL Sinks to Least Popular Top Professional or College Sport http://bit.ly/2fTMo7P
10:35 AM - Oct 8, 2017

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=98882
Breaking: NFL Commissioner Just Issued A Memo To The Entire League!!
10/10/17

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued a memoir to the league in which he tells players he believes everyone should stand for the Anthem.

To: Chief Executives
Club Presidents

From: Commissioner Goodell
Date: October 10, 2017
Re: Fall Meeting/National Anthem

We live in a country that can feel very divided. Sports, and especially the NFL, brings people together and lets them set aside those divisions, at least for a few hours. The current dispute over the National Anthem is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country.

I'm very proud of our players and owners who have done the hard work over the past year to listen, understand and attempt to address the underlying issues within their communities. At our September committee meetings, we heard directly from several players about why these issues are so important to them and how we can support their work. And last week, we met with the leadership of the NFLPA and more players to advance the dialogue.

Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.

Building on many discussions with clubs and players, we have worked to develop a plan that we will review with you at next week's League meeting. This would include such elements as an in-season platform to promote the work of our players on these core issues, and that will help to promote positive change in our country. We want to ensure that any work at the League level is consistent with the work that each club is doing in its own community, and that we dedicate a platform that can enable these initiatives to succeed. Additionally, we will continue the unprecedented dialogue with our players.

I expect and look forward to a full and open discussion of these issues when we meet next week in New York. Everyone involved in the game needs to come together on a path forward to continue to be a force for good within our communities, protect the game, and preserve our relationship with fans throughout the country. The NFL is at its best when we ourselves are unified. In that spirit, let's resolve that next week we will meet this challenge in a unified and positive way.

http://redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=98942
10/11/17
Uh Oh! Look Why Roger Gooddell Decided To Have An Emergency Meeting!

Earlier today, Roger Gooddell sent out an emergency memo, informing players and owners of an upcoming meeting discussing the Anthem protest.

In the memo, Gooddell stated:

"Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players."

There is a good chance Gooddell sent out the memo in response to Monday Night Football's 17 percent dip from last week's game.

From deadline.com:

With the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears were tied near the end of last night’s Monday Night Football, it looked for sure that the game was going into overtime. Then, even with injured quarterback Sam Bradford put on the field, the Vikings took control and won the game 20-17.

That now finds Minnesota 3-2 in the fifth week of the 2017 season. However, even with the much plugged world debut of the new Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer at halftime, for the NFL and ESPN it was not such a great result in what is clearly a season of lower ratings amid protest controversies surrounding the national anthem – even on a night when the latter was not shown on-air.

Snaring a 7.0 in metered market results, MNF was down double digits from last week’s Kansas City Chiefs win over the Washington Redskins. Down 17% in the ratings, that’s actually a regular-game season low for ESPN and matches the MM result of the second game of the doubleheader MNF opener on September 11.

http://amp.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article178148431.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=amp&utm_source=www.star-telegram.com-RelayMediaAMP
Labor union files complaint against Jerry Jones over anthem threat

By Clarence E. Hill Jr. And and Drew Davison

October 10, 2017 5:12 PM

A labor union that represents workers in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana has filed a charge alleging that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has violated the National Labor Relations Act with his threats to discipline players if they protest during the national anthem.

Local 100 of the United Labor Unions filed the complaint Tuesday with the Fort Worth office of the National Labor Relations Board. It asks the NLRB to “investigate preemptively in order to prevent illegal firings of players.”

Wade Rathke, chief organizer of Local 100, accuses Jones of violating the act, which prohibits employers from intimidating or threatening workers for their “concerted activity.”

Rathke said the NFL has already established that there is no condition of work that requires players to stand during the anthem. Rathke said players have the right to protest and act concertedly at their workplace — the playing field. Jones is violating the act by attempting to prevent them from doing so, he said.

“Jones through his efforts to bully his playing workforce is attempting to unilaterally establish a previously nonexistent condition of work,” Rathke said in a written statement announcing the charge.

NLRB Charge Against Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys, NFL by Tom Johanningmeier on Scribd

Rathke said the point is the same, whether the discipline is the benching of a player for a game or firing him by an outright release.

“Either way it’s a threat and you can’t threaten someone’s job for concerted activity,” he said in an interview with the Star-Telegram. “The point is he is threatening anybody and everybody. We are trying to send Mr. Jones a message that there is a law here. The law here is that you have the ability to act with your co-worker. You can’t just roll over someone’s rights when they are a worker. You can’t bully workers on the job. President (Donald) Trump might not get that. Jones might be confused. But these are workers with rights with the National Labor Relations Board.”

The board in Fort Worth will assign a field agent to investigate the charge. The first step will be to contact the NFL players association and the team.

Messages left with the Cowboys and the NFL were not immediately returned.

Meanwhile, NFL owners are expected to discuss the league’s policy regarding the national anthem during meetings next week in New York.

The NFL game operations manual says players “should” stand for the national anthem. Changing the “should” to “must” is an option the owners and league could pursue during their meetings Tuesday and Wednesday, said NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart.

“I think there will be a discussion about the entire issue, including the policy. … I’m not going to predict what might happen,” Lockhart said.

When told of the NFL’s plans of possibly of changing the language of the policy and making standing a requirement, Rathke said, “they haven’t done it yet and the threat is right now.”

Rathke also said the NFL Players Association might have an issue with the league changing policy in the middle of an agreement.

http://amp.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article178121466.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=amp&utm_source=www.star-telegram.com-RelayMediaAMP
Cowboys not immune to NFL TV ratings slump

By Peter Dawson

pdawson@star-telegram.com

October 10, 2017 3:51 PM

The Cowboys may be America’s team, but they’re not immune to the league’s TV ratings slump.

Yes, the thriller between the Cowboys and the Packers was the highest rated national broadcast game of the weekend (bringing in a 13.6 rating for Fox). However, a late-afternoon showdown against a marquee opponent wasn’t even the team’s highest rated game this season. That honor belongs to a Week 2 blowout loss (42-17) to the Broncos in Denver, which earned a 14.3 rating.

The previous year has drawn considerably better national ratings in three of the Cowboys’ five contests.

In the DFW market, the Cowboys haven’t fared much better. Week 4’s home loss to the Rams drew only 981,599 viewers in DFW, according to television blogger Ed Bark.

The Green Bay game drew 1,232,123 viewers DFW. Although the game was an improvement over the Rams’ numbers, it still trails the season opener and the Week 3 victory over Arizona in local viewership, according to Bark.

The Cowboys’ declining ratings are consistent with falling viewership across the league. The most recent Sunday and Monday Night Football broadcasts saw season-low ratings for 2017.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/hillary-clinton-supports-anthem-protests-article-1.3552678?cid=bitly

Hillary Clinton announces support of anthem protests: ‘They’re protesting racism and injustice...have every right to do so’

10/10/17

Hillary Clinton figuratively took a knee Monday night.

The former presidential candidate pledged her support to the hundreds of NFL players who have protested during the national anthem this season while speaking at the University of California, Davis.

"Let's be clear, those players aren't protesting the national anthem or the flag," Clinton said. "They're protesting racism and injustice, and they have every right to do so!"

The 2016 Democratic nominee received a loud applause after her announcement.

Clinton's support of anthem protests is a sharp contrast to her counterpart Donald Trump's stance on the matter. Trump has repeatedly criticized players who protest during the national anthem.

Ironically only hours prior to Clinton's speech, Trump once again addressed the matter on Twitter, praising Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who announced he would bench any player who kneeled or sat during the anthem.

“A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys,” Trump wrote, “who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag."Stand for Anthem or sit for game!"”

Earlier in her speech Clinton revealed a number of the alleged Russian-linked Twitter accounts that meddled in the presidential election also 'inflamed' arguments related to the national anthem protests debate.

"Just a couple of weeks ago, accounts with suspected links to Russia flooded Twitter with posts about NFL players' peaceful protests," Clinton said. "The Russians posted on both sides of the debate using hashtags like #StandForOurAnthem or #TakeAKnee to inflame passions and stir up disagreements."

Clinton also spoke about how we as a country need to stand up against racist, sexist and homophobic rhetoric and not undo the progress we have made in recent years.

“There is a concerted effort to turn back the clock on civil rights and women’s rights and gay rights and religious rights," Clinton said, "and we cannot let that happen.”

As of late Monday evening, Trump has yet to address Clinton's comments on Twitter.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/11/news/trump-praise-nfl-anthem/index.html
10/11/17
NFL: Trump is wrong, we're not making players stand for anthem

The NFL says that President Donald Trump was wrong when he tweeted Wednesday that the league is now demanding that players stand during the National Anthem.

Trump praised NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for taking a hard line on the National Anthem protests, even though that's not what the Commissioner did.

"It is about time that Roger Goodell of the NFL is finally demanding that all players STAND for our great National Anthem-RESPECT OUR COUNTRY," he said in an early-morning tweet.

But Goodell didn't demand or order players to stand.

"Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem," said Goodell in that letter. "We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us." He said it is important that the league "move past this controversy."

The NFL issued a statement Wednesday after Trump's tweet, disputing the president's claim without specifically naming him.

"Commentary this morning about the Commissioner's position on the anthem is not accurate," said the league. "As we said yesterday, there will be a discussion of these issues at the owners meeting next week. The NFL is doing the hard work of trying to move from protest to progress, working to bring people together....Players from around the league will be in New York next week to meet with owners to continue our work together."

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that Wednesday's statement "isn't just about the President," and that it also referred to inaccurate news reports about a letter Goodell sent to the teams on Tuesday.

In his letter Tuesday, Goodell vowed to "continue the unprecedented dialogue with our players." He did not make any threat of disciplinary action against players who take a knee or sit during the playing of the National Anthem. His letter certainly did not vow to cut, ban, bench or "fire" any players who join the protest, as Trump has advocated.

Trump's call to fire players who protest during the anthem has only prompted an increase in the number of players who now kneel or otherwise protest during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Several NFL owners have affirmed the right of their players to peacefully protest during the National Anthem.

http://nypost.com/2017/10/11/cowboys-players-begin-turning-on-jerry-jones-over-anthem-trash/
10/11/17
Cowboys players turning on Jerry Jones over anthem ‘trash’

It sounds like at least one Cowboys player would like to protest Jerry Jones’ protest against the NFL’s widespread national anthem protests.

After the Dallas owner put his foot down with an ultimatum stating any player on his team who protests during the national anthem will be benched, the whispers have begun leaking out of the Cowboys locker room about the man who signs their checks.

“I’ve never heard this tone from Jerry, ever. Goes against everything he told us in Arizona,” one player, granted anonymity, told ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Wednesday.

In Arizona, Jones had knelt in prayer with the team, arms interlocked, just before the start of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” During the song itself, though, the entire team stood — which earned President Trump’s blessing, deeming pre-anthem statements OK but mid-anthem statements an apparent jab at the flag.

“Jerry told us to trust in him on this sit’n,” the player told Anderson. “Now I don’t know what 2 believe.That whole kneel b4 t/ anthem was trash.”

Jones thought he had threaded the needle of allowing his players to make a statement while not enraging a president and fanbase that wants everyone to stand during the anthem. But on Sunday, Jones demanded his players not protest racial discrimination in the US or Trump — as to what a protest entails, Jones said, “You’ll know it when you see it” — and threatened to bench any player who disobeyed.

Defensive ends Damontre Moore and David Irving had raised their fists at the song’s conclusion Sunday, but Jones insisted their statement came after the anthem was finished.

Trump and Jones have been in contact since the owner spun the anthem protest that Colin Kaepernick began by sitting and then kneeling for the song. After their chats, Jones decided he could not alienate any of his customers.

The league union released a statement condemning the mandate, saying: “We should not stifle these discussions and cannot allow our rights to become subservient to the very opinions our Constitution protects. This is what makes us the land of the free and home of the brave.”

Meanwhile, the NFL is contemplating whether to make standing for the song mandatory.

“It is what it is,” another player told Anderson about Jones. “Making more out of political BS on both sides.”

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article178393071.html
‘Kneel-In’ protest planned outside stadium before Panthers-Eagles game

By Joe Marusak And Michael Gordon

October 11, 2017 8:42 PM

A “Kneel-In” protest outside of tonight’s Panthers-Eagles football game was inspired by the recent police shooting of Ruben Galindo, one of the event organizers said.

The demonstration is part of a controversial movement sweeping through the country and its most popular sport. Bishop Kevin Long of Temple Church International-Charlotte said Thursday night’s event outside of Bank of America Stadium will have a local bent.

“Not only does our protest include Mr. Galindo, it was inspired by the recent discovery of his unfortunate and unnecessary demise,” Long told the Observer on Thursday.

Video of the Sept. 6 incident was released last week under a court order at the request of the Observer and the Charlotte nonprofit, Action NC.

The footage shows Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers opening fire on the 29-year-old after a brief confrontation outside his home. Police Chief Kerr Putney says lethal force was used – and justified – in the stand-off because Galindo refused to put down a gun. Galindo had his hands in the air when he was shot, less than 4 seconds after police first ordered him to drop his weapon.

Police-shooting experts who have watched the video questioned whether Galindo posed the “imminent threat” necessary to justify the use of deadly force, and whether the officers gave Galindo enough time to respond to a series of commands about his handgun. Galindo had called 911 that night to ask police to pick him up for a future court date. He also told dispatchers that he had a gun but it was not loaded. Police say the handgun recovered at the scene was empty.

The case remains under investigation by the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office and police.

“The Galindo tape is disgusting,” said Braxton Winston, a Charlotte activist and Charlotte City Council candidate. “It’s one of the most egregious forms of police-shooting videos that I’ve ever seen.”

Robert Dawkins of Action NC, who helped persuade a judge to release the footage, has complained for days on social media that the case has not drawn the attention it deserves, and urging other local groups to become publicly involved.

“Tell me what U have 2 do 2 get national coverage for police killings?” Dawkins tweeted over the weekend. “Cause I can’t figure out why nobody wants to cover Galindo case in CLT.”

Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. event at Mint and Graham streets by the new Pastors and Community Leaders Coalition might change that. Nearly 100 pastors and community leaders plan to take part in the “Kneel-In,” Long said.

The protest, which organizers say will draw participants mostly from the Carolinas, intends to highlight ongoing police brutality and social and racial injustice, just as former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did while the national anthem was played before a 2016 NFL game, Long said.

The protests at NFL games have drawn the ire of President Donald Trump and set off a coast-to-coast debate on respecting the flag vs. the players’ rights to comment on public issues.

In a statement Wednesday night, the coalition said the kneel-in aims to shed light on “police brutality, lack of accountability for officers who’ve killed innocent and/or unarmed citizens, and the high rates of unemployment for minorities.”

“This is a call for accountability,” the coalition said. “Kneeling is merely the method we have chosen, it is not the message in its entirety. The message is that there is a deep and very wide gulf between the Black and Brown communities and others in this country, and we are not compelled to stand that.”

Other kneel-in protests are scheduled in Baltimore and other cities in coming days, according to the coalition.

The last demonstrations outside the stadium followed the September 2016 shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American shot outside his home in north Charlotte. Police say Scott also refused to put down a gun.

Georgia Ferrell, the mother of a Charlotte man fatally shot by a CMPD officer in 2013, is expected to attend the Thursday night event, Long said.

According to Dawkins, the Charlotte event initially did not include the Galindo case. But he said Thursday that he has been assured by Long that the oversight has been corrected.

Long told the Observer that the protest organizers “are not excluding members of the Latino community.”

“We do not want the narrative hijacked that this is exclusively a black issue,” he said. “It’s about people of color who at a disproportionate rate have been the victims of unnecessary and unprovoked police shootings.”

Across town tonight, Putney will meet with the Latino community to discuss issues surround the shooting during a 6:30 p.m. gathering in north Charlotte.

End Times and Current Events

General Category => North America => Topic started by: Psalm 51:17 on February 26, 2013, 09:00:08 pm