About the flag, taking a knee during the anthem, real talk here.

@blaznwiipspman1: I don't get why you think they can't preserve their culture while being dedicated to America

People get upset when protesters take to the streets in any form. Now we have people simply kneeling in a manner which I couldn't find to be more non-violent and it's still causing problems.

The people upset with kneeling simply don't want to acknowledge grievances being brought up, period. I'm more tired of this flag fetish and their continual speaking on behalf of the military as if everyone who served is part of some hivemind. If it bothers you so much go a head and stop watching the NFL.

Oh for fucks sake. The flag is more important to the military than the anthem. Steve quit because I caught him in a lie.

Does the US flag code state that the person is supposed to stand during the national anthem? I'm looking at one I found on the internet, but I'm kind of lost rather or not it is required to stand. If it says no then what's the big deal. It's obvious people who are crying foul just because some football player knelt.

Dude thats what kills me the most. Protest in the street and get hit by a car, protest silently and people say you are a terrible American. Freaking hypocrites

All of you who are genuinely mad about people not standing are sad.....there is no other word to describe it.

Trump exposed so many man children, and they all voted for him

If you think these nfl players are protesting the flag is like thinking Rosa parks was protesting public transportation.

no such thing as preserving culture. I'll give you an example. There are many 4th or 5th generation swedish people in the US. Their ancestors immigrated in the late 1800's pre ww1. Yet none of their descendants identify as "swedish". Its similar thing for the blacks in the US, who dont identify with africans, or even the asians that don't identify with their native ethnicity. Many of these people only know english, because their parents didn't teach them their native tongue. Call it what it is...ASSIMILATION for the sole purpose of unification behind a national identity. Sure some elements of their native culture remains, but that too gets assimilated into the broader identity. Nothing wrong with that, in fact its a good thing to be unified, but lets face the facts. The purpose of the national anthem being played nonstop, the US flags on every other house has nothing to do with patriotism...

Wait, are you in the UK?

@comp_atkins:

I believe it's common sense to respect the flag, the national anthem and the country that gave the opportunity to prosper. It should be a given, and it's amazing to me that people don't "get" the basics. There's nothing wrong with protesting as long as you confine it to the issues, not being an ignorant ass and disrespecting the symbols of the country. There is no need to go there, it shows a lack of class.

I disagree with Trump, people should not be fired automatically, but if the owner admonishes his employee for doing so, I think that's fair game.

I would like to see people protest the sports games by simply not attending if players making millions in this country can't show basic decent respect for it. I have great respect for the lone Steelers player who came out for the National anthem. Bravo!

i reject your reality and substitute it with the correct facts.

And again you prove to just be a troll who can´t handle the truth.

Yup, LJS is a brit and female.

@n64dd:

A gish gallop of baseless assumptions, mislabeled responsibilities, red herrings, fallacies, and misrepresentations.

1. *Insert video of black person supporting point of view*

2. Profit.

Just because he's black doesn't mean he's correct.

@n64dd: No. But the flag actually has lots of regulations with it. Anthem not so much. Anyway the anthem is representative of the country. Not the military.

And here's the basics for you. The Supreme Court has ruled it's okay to burn the flag.....and by extension kneel for the anthem. I would do neither but I do stand for the right of others to do so.

Also I've seen people at games when the anthem is played. Hats on....playing on phone.....talking......they are hypocrites and worse than the athletes that are making it mean something.

@LJS9502_basic: Why do you keep lying? You do know right that a simple google search or even a look at CNN disproves your version?

I do not get how someone can be this argumentative, you are factual wrong when it comes to why the anthem is being played at sporting events.

The Supreme Court has ruled burning the flag is okay. By extension kneeling during the anthem is okay. No Google search can dispute that. YOU are lying. YOU are dishonest. Nothing I said is wrong. Stop trolling with lies.

Sauce on the plate is ok when you eat pancakes with syrup.

That is how much sense you are making when you debate.

We are not talking about if it´s ok for a nutjob to burn the flag, we are debating if it´s ok for the players to shit on the our troops during a segment that is made to honour them. And where you seem to not even comprehend that the reason the anthem is being played is because of a need to honour the troops.

So either stop debating or stop lying and making up stories.

Only a trumpette believes this has ANYTHING AT ALL to do with the troops.

So stop lying....that's NOT debating.

Seriously ? why are you lying

I know you are not american but please educate yourself, you are just getting to be embarrassing

Ah the deluded.....the trumpettes.

lol poor LJS when proven wrong you turn to being a child.

I wonder how a brit got to have such a massive ego,

Once again you don't understand posts.........don't understand the situation..........follow whatever trump wants you to believe.......and then cry when others disagree with you.

fair enough. "disrespect" is a subjective concept though.

when i see a players kneeling during the anthem, i don't see it as disrespectful.

the great thing about america is that it doesn't demand the adoration of its citizenry. you can hate the country w/ every fiber of your being and you are still entitled to all the rights and protections the country offers.

if you want authoritarian rule that punishes disrespect like that, move to north korea :)

I find it ironic that the whole issue is started by the last person who should be admonishing others for disrespecting the military and country. I guess all the Trump supporters forgot the insults he had for POWs, gold star families, PTSD veterans, etc. Nope, fvck that and lets read into athletes taking knees during national anthem.

He was talking about McCain not talking generally.

And he did nothing but praise the troops and our veterans during the campaign.

@micky4889: Actually watched the entire thing. Sadly it showed how stupid some of the Steelers fans are.

Pretty much.

This whole thing doesn't really concern me. They wish to kneel during the national anthem, that's their perogative and fully within their rights. What more concerns me is Trump's response. He's supposed to be the president...someone who presides over the country. His only interest should be to defend and uphold the values of it, yet he interjects his own personal feelings. I think if he had the choice, Trump would outlaw things such as flag burning and kneeling during the national anthem. He doesn't seem to care about America's values, only his own. He doesn't remove himself from what he's been entrusted to protect, and considering the power he has, I see that as dangerous.

Look this is nothing new, people have been protesting the anthem for years. Olympic Athletes have done it, civilians, and other sports teams

It has never changed anything and has only ever hurt the athletes doing it. Whether negative reaction or barred from events etc.

When you are afforded all the luxarys that come with being a professional althete, especially now. The average joe isn't gonna relate to you. Especially the NFL athlete. We are talking about the majority of the fan base being middle to upper middle class, bust their ass at their jobs and want to enjoys some football. Then see millionaire take a knee durning the national anthem over racial inequalities, really GTFOH. The NFL has provided tons of advancement and set back for the African American communities. Without the NFL how many of these players get a scholarship to attend a university get an education and ??Make it into the NFL to play a kids game professionally.

There are good and bad in all walks of life and if you think their are major racial inequalities in The USA in 2017, you are part of the problem. Everyone gets judge by something whether it's skin color, sex, sexual preference, tattoos, behavior, criminal record, religion, hair style. It's not right, but it will never change, and the people that need a crutch will fall back on it and limp by in life, while those who ignore it, and persevere will get where they want to be in life.

USA needs to Man the f*ck up

@xxyetixx: Quite a few people are okay with this happening.

Mainly commie rats.

it seems the US needs to man the f--- up and stop whining about perceived offense of a person "disrespecting" an inanimate object.

oooh. my feelings are hurt by the dark guy not agreeing with me!

@comp_atkins: spoken by the generation that's selfish and full of ignorance.

They are not disrespecting an inanimate object, they are not disrespecting the military, they are disrespecting themselves and their country.

There is a time a place for all things, I'm not a religious person, but if I get invited to a friends or family members place and they say a prayer before they eat I bow my head and say amen and pay respect to them and their family and their beliefs.

There is a reason they announce at events "please all rise and remove your hats for the national anthem". It's to show honor and pride in your country. Yeah, American isn't perfect and it's got its problems but there are millions of people that would love to trade places and be in America. Americans aren't fleeing their Country to seek asylum from oppression and evils. It's really just full of a bunch of pussies that don't really know what "has it bad" really means.

Too much ignorance, arrogance and entitlement in the U.S. people don't even know what the complaining is about or what the issues are, as you've clearly stated in your response. Just like to be confrontational for the sake of it. Your part of the problem as you just see a "dark guy" kneeling. I see an American disrespecting himself and his country. The country that gave him the opportunity to be what he is, make the money he makes, and has the freedom to act like an asshat

ahh the entitled generation argument. it never gets old. in 20 years the mils will be using that one on their kids...

1) you don't get to decide how and when someone else exercises their right to protest, neither do i

2) the argument that one shouldn't complain because there are worse places is a terrible one. if good enough were good enough we would cease to see any advancement.

3) the country isn't a flag or an anthem or the military or the people who speak up in defense of it. the country is its people. ALL its people. if we want to improve upon our perfect union, when we see people protesting, instead of knee-jerking into why they should shut the **** up and be happy with their lot, we should be asking how we as a country can improve an area that is lacking.

@comp_atkins: that's all well and good and perfectly stated.

But wtf are the NFL athletes protesting ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it was originally stated to be for the treatment of minorities by police officers. Now it's because Trump said the ones protesting were all idiots and they shouldn't be kneeling. So the rest of the NFL players back their co-worker right to protest and kneel for them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Like I said it's an innapropriate time to make it all about yourself, or your league. National Anthem protest have happened many times before and they all have the same outcome athletes doing get backlash cause gets lost. There are better ways to attempt to get your view and personal opinion out there. Cause that's what most protests are really about. My sides right your side is wrong imma pout and throw a tantrum till I get my way ? Maybe actually do something have a plan of action to make change.

Is something about that difficult to understand? I ask because you put this " ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ " twice.

The original protest was over minority treatment by police. Then trump opened his big stupid offensive mouth and insulted the football players. So they protested as a unity force.

You cannot tell people when they have the right to protest. It's peaceful. They aren't hurting anyone like trump's find folks in Charlottesville did. How many of you stand up and face the flag when the anthem is played in your homes/bars? I see people disrespecting the anthem in the arenas/stadiums all the time. Hell.....they don't even wait until it's over before they start cheering etc.

It doesn't matter what side you are on...............you should support the Constitutional rights.

@LJS9502_basic: an employer can most def tell their employee when and where they can protest while on the job. That person can loose their job over their protest as well. That's the fact that everyone is missing. These players are on their employers dime, time and field, being allowed to make fools of themselves and their team. So really there is no basis to the argument, owners are allowing it, players are doing it, only time will tell how much it negatively effects the NFL.

Government can't infringe on your right to free protest, can't punish your for your freedom of speech. Private sector little more grey area.

All your actions have consequences.

The employer isn't the one complaining. So why do we have to hear it from all the asshats with a big mouths? They should be glad to see people use their rights. Instead THEY ARE THE ONES WHINING.

@LJS9502_basic: the employer isn't the one complaining now....Detroit Lions owner has already asked her players to stand. Oakland had personnel for the team surrounding Lynch so they couldn't see him sitting, which side do you think is gonna win?

And no seeing someone protest something doesn't give me the warm and fuzzy feels. It's just makes me go wtf is this pansy bent outta shape about. I've seen idiots blocking roadways, idiots dressed up in all white leotards with blood on the crotch holding signs protesting curcumcision ffs. This protest every god damn thing fad is rediculous.

No matter what the cause there are gonna be people on the other side protesting the protesters. Just so happens that the NFL doesn't quite realize where it's majority fan base resides. Once those people start protesting with their wallets and viewing habits more owners will change their tune.

If the employers wanted to end it........they have the wherewithal...........

They will be shortly. A lot of people are cancelling their subscriptions and shit. You know I am right.

@LJS9502_basic: that true.

It's also kinda funny that your on a gaming site saying why should they listen to the asshats with big mouths.

You should know that the loud and vocal minority makes the biggest waves.

Really? Last Monday night which was the weekend with all the protests the ratings were the highest they had been in two years so I doubt you're right.

What are you saying about gamers? :o

Link? All I see is their ratings are down.

Ratings have been declining the last two years. That has nothing to do with the protests. And it was announced on the air about the rating for Monday night.

https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&source=hp&q=football+ratings+down&oq=football+ratings+down&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i131k1l2j0j0i22i30k1l7.287.2565.0.2815.22.11.0.0.0.0.315.1224.2-4j1.5.0.dummy_maps_web_fallback...0...1.1.64.psy-ab..17.5.1221.0..0i10i3k1j0i10k1.0.nViIake76_w

I'm having trouble finding ratings were higher than ever. Can you link me please?