Mike – Another Sunday is upon us, and once again – now in the name of unity – athletes are refusing to participate in a simple ritual whose entire purpose is to unify! Rather than simply stand and acknowledge the ideals that unite us as a people, these protestors seek to call attention to themselves by kneeling or locking arms or squatting. Fine. But now, they wish to argue that doing so is not only “respectful,” but in fact, “no less patriotic.” Don Lemon on CNN says “kneeling is no different than standing.” Seriously? And the league is now encouraging more and more of these “alternative expressions” in the name of…unity?
Question – if unity is truly their goal, why not simply stand with everyone else, take of your hat, put your hand over your heart, and sing along? I mean, how is the cause of unity served by doing something that no one else in the stadium is doing? Do they think we’re idiots? What will they do next week, to demonstrate this newfound commitment to unity? And seriously – how much weirder can it get?
Bob Olesky
Fine questions, Bob, all deserving of a more detailed answer than time permits on this particular Sunday. But regarding your final query, maybe the NFL will sanction – in the name of unity – a unified sing-a-long on our national anthem with the original words? I doubt it could get much weirder than that…