How much does this weekend's protests hurt the NFL?

[gametime]

You’re friends are choosing to use the flag as a platform to protest. And thank you for calling me the Patriot police. I couldnt receive a better compliment. I love this country and respect those who come home with a flag draped over them, so I can watch grown men play games.

 

Stifling peaceful protest aimed at correcting racial inequality by shifting the focus on to a false equivalency is what you consider patriotic. That's the America we live in...

[Bluto]

Does anyone know anybody personally that isn't watching the NFL because guys are kneeling? I don't.

 

I personally don't care if players stand, kneel, hang out in the lockerroom. I just care if my fantasy players beat their projections.

 

NFL ratings being down has more to do with the Red Zone, Cord Cutters, and people's teams being bad.

It could be the sole reason. It was for me yesterday. Normally, I would be watching Randall Cobb & the Green Bay Packers. I simply refused, and found other things to do.

 

For some, it could just be the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back."

 

My basic feeling is this: I watch sports as entertainment and escape.

I DON'T want to see politics.

[MJAlltheWay24]

I'd disagree. At the beginning of the year, the Falcons weren't on anyone's radar as a Super Bowl contender and the Saints are a smaller market. The Raiders are contenders and the Redskins are an east coast team in a huge market.

 

People love offense. No matter how good or bad the Falcons and Saints are, you are going to get a high scoring game with lots of fantasy implications.

 

If you're telling me that Raiders/Redskins draw in more casual fans than Falcons/Saints, then I'll just think you're wrong and we'll have to agree to disagree lol

[ManOfTroy]

Stifling peaceful protest aimed at correcting racial inequality by shifting the focus on to a false equivalency is what you consider patriotic. That's the America we live in...

 

I don't think anyone is against freedom of speech or peaceful protests. I don't think anyone is in favor of inequality. The players form of protest is offensive to a lot of people. I think they would be better served in speaking out through the media. They have a huge platform and are surrounded by media at least twice a week to say whatever they want.

[ManOfTroy]

People love offense. No matter how good or bad the Falcons and Saints are, you are going to get a high scoring game with lots of fantasy implications.

 

If you're telling me that Raiders/Redskins draw in more casual fans than Falcons/Saints, then I'll just think you're wrong and we'll have to agree to disagree lol

 

I agree with you on the fantasy implications. On the other side of it, I think the Raiders and Redskins are bigger draws nationally than either the Falcons or the Saints, so maybe it's a wash.

[rjs4470]

I don't think anyone is against freedom of speech or peaceful protests. I don't think anyone is in favor of inequality. The players form of protest is offensive to a lot of people. I think they would be better served in speaking out through the media. They have a huge platform and are surrounded by media at least twice a week to say whatever they want.

 

You mean the media everyone labels as fake, liberally biased and untrustworthy?

[UKMustangFan]

I don't think anyone is against freedom of speech or peaceful protests. I don't think anyone is in favor of inequality. The players form of protest is offensive to a lot of people. I think they would be better served in speaking out through the media. They have a huge platform and are surrounded by media at least twice a week to say whatever they want.

 

But many of those same people who are offended by this don't get up in arms about the people walking through the concourse during the anthem. They don't confront the people in the row next to them for being on their phones during the anthem, and they aren't offended by those that are booing the kneeling players during the anthem. That seems to make it a little bit hypocritical to me that they're offended by the players actions. JMO.

[gametime]

I don't think anyone is against freedom of speech or peaceful protests. I don't think anyone is in favor of inequality. The players form of protest is offensive to a lot of people. I think they would be better served in speaking out through the media. They have a huge platform and are surrounded by media at least twice a week to say whatever they want.

 

And they have. That, like most things when it comes to speaking on racial inequality, gets ignored. This didn't. Unfortunately white America just flipped the script and made it about something else entirely.

 

There isn't one person involved in these protests that has said they are against the flag, the troops or anything else people want to create outrage over to ignore the actual message. Standard practice when faced with talking about the issue of race...

[The Professor]

My Facebook feed had multiple people bashing the NFL and more than a few who said that they done with the NFL, they were going out on Sundays, and watching or playing golf.

Same here. I saw a lot of Facebook posts that said they were big NFL fans and watched every week but they won't watch anymore as long as these protest are occurring.

[ManOfTroy]

And they have. That, like most things when it comes to speaking on racial inequality, gets ignored. This didn't. Unfortunately white America just flipped the script and made it about something else entirely.

 

There isn't one person involved in these protests that has said they are against the flag, the troops or anything else people want to create outrage over to ignore the actual message. Standard practice when faced with talking about the issue of race...

 

I agree, which is why I wish they had come up with something different. The form

of protest has created an issue that isn't there.

[UKMustangFan]

Same here. I saw a lot of Facebook posts that said they were big NFL fans and watched every week but they won't watch anymore as long as these protest are occurring.

 

I don't deny those posts exist and were made.

 

I think the vast majority of people making them are lying though. I don't have Facebook, but I know people I was with yesterday were talking about them. Some of the people making them were later in the day posting about the Bengals game. :lol2:

[The Professor]

And they have. That, like most things when it comes to speaking on racial inequality, gets ignored. This didn't. Unfortunately white America just flipped the script and made it about something else entirely.

 

There isn't one person involved in these protests that has said they are against the flag, the troops or anything else people want to create outrage over to ignore the actual message. Standard practice when faced with talking about the issue of race...

 

I think it hurts their cause more than it helps. It's having a negative effect. They chose the wrong symbol for their protest. Most people don't notice what they're protesting as much as they notice the degrading of the flag and anthem. There's other platforms or methods to utilize rather than insult the brave men and women who have fought and died for American freedom.

[gametime]

I agree, which is why I wish they had come up with something different. The form

of protest has created an issue that isn't there.

 

That's where you aren't seeing the forest through the trees. If it was done another way, it would have either been ignored completely or the same folks would have found a different way to shift the focus away from the protest by attacking the method. That how white America handles the uncomfortable truth of racism and racial inequality...

[gametime]

I think it hurts their cause more than it helps. It's having a negative effect. They chose the wrong symbol for their protest. Most people don't notice what they're protesting as much as they notice the degrading of the flag and anthem. There's other platforms or methods to utilize rather than insult the brave men and women who have fought and died for American freedom.

 

Except for the small detail that they DIDN'T degrade the flag or the anthem. One of the pillars those two things stand for is the ability to live in a democracy and speak out peacefully against inequality and injustice. This isn't that hard, people...

[ManOfTroy]

That's where you aren't seeing the forest through the trees. If it was done another way, it would have either been ignored completely or the same folks would have found a different way to shift the focus away from the protest by attacking the method. That how white America handles the uncomfortable truth of racism and racial inequality...

 

The protesters are not against the flag or the national anthem (and I agree that they are not), so why protest the anthem and the flag? (I guess you'll say to get everyone's attention). That's fine but their form of protest has turned the issue from what they want it to be to an issue on the national anthem and the flag.