NFL - Sign of the Times?

[Alaris]

I normally hesitate to start new threads - As a 1000+ poster on LDSFF I can certainly appreciate those who say "There's already a thread on this or that." Anyway ...

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/09/2 ... n-nfl.html

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/09/2 ... nthem.html

And an OpEd from the lovely CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/24/opinions/ ... index.html

From the OpED:

Trump declared at a campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, say, 'Get that son of a &!@$# off the field right now, out, he's fired!"

So not to detract from the sign that just happened that I believe is a marker signaling the end of the time of the gentiles and the beginning of the gathering ... I do believe the NFL shenanigans over the weekend is a sign of the times. Let me 'splain:

My buddy thaabit tried to get me to read this Gileadi book like 10 ish years ago:

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Days-Avraha ... 0910511039

In the book, Gileadi basically calls sports idol worship. That's when I put the book down. I still haven't read a Gileadi book all the way through, though perhaps it's high time. Anyway ...

Gileadi was totally right. NFL in particular has always rubbed me wrong. NFL fans are just so fanatical about it. They take the sport WAY too seriously. Basketball has always been my sport, but I haven't been interested in watching any sports in recent years due to the behaviors of the athletes themselves. Grown men want to dress up in matching outfits and play games - fine! We are entertained so much by it that we end up throwing so much money at it that these men become ridiculously overpaid - all fine and dandy. But when these "icons" start beating their wives and girlfriends and we start making excuses for them ... Kobe Bryant basically gets away with rape .... well I don't want to turn this into singling out specific athletes. I'm just making the point that athletes on the balance leave much to be desired when it comes to modeling behavior to the children that grow up watching them.

Now this. Glenn Beck made the point that perhaps Trump shouldn't have made any indication that the government is controlling people or behaviors. Eh ... I think that's overreacting a bit, though Beck already has a vested interest in making Trump look bad, which is why I don't listen to him much anymore. Still, I took Trump's comment as a leadership comment within the confines of the law and constitution. Constitutionally, the NFL can absolutely give players a choice - respect the flag or take a knee on the bench.

This is proving to be longer than I intended as I'm genuinely interested to get people's thoughts and feelings on this. I just want to state my opinion that the behavior of the athletes and those who justify their completely ridiculous behavior is a fantastic indicator of the increasing divide in our country between the wicked and the righteous. Grossly overpaid athletes disrespecting the flag that has provided them a place where they have enriched themselves on the freedoms that have been bought with blood is beyond repulsive. Sure that same flag gives them free speech, but there is a time and a place - and the "workplace" is neither the time nor the place to make political statements, and businesses are indeed free to discipline and fire employees for politicizing the work space inappropriately.

[OCDMOM]

We need a boycott.

[GrandMasterB]

I normally hesitate to start new threads - As a 1000+ poster on LDSFF I can certainly appreciate those who say "There's already a thread on this or that." Anyway ...

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/09/2 ... n-nfl.html

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/09/2 ... nthem.html

And an OpEd from the lovely CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/24/opinions/ ... index.html

From the OpED:

Trump declared at a campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, say, 'Get that son of a biscuit off the field right now, out, he's fired!"

So not to detract from the sign that just happened that I believe is a marker signaling the end of the time of the gentiles and the beginning of the gathering ... I do believe the NFL shenanigans over the weekend is a sign of the times. Let me 'splain:

My buddy thaabit tried to get me to read this Gileadi book like 10 ish years ago:

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Days-Avraha ... 0910511039

In the book, Gileadi basically calls sports idol worship. That's when I put the book down. I still haven't read a Gileadi book all the way through, though perhaps it's high time. Anyway ...

Gileadi was totally right. NFL in particular has always rubbed me wrong. NFL fans are just so fanatical about it. They take the sport WAY too seriously. Basketball has always been my sport, but I haven't been interested in watching any sports in recent years due to the behaviors of the athletes themselves. Grown men want to dress up in matching outfits and play games - fine! We are entertained so much by it that we end up throwing so much money at it that these men become ridiculously overpaid - all fine and dandy. But when these "icons" start beating their wives and girlfriends and we start making excuses for them ... Kobe Bryant basically gets away with rape .... well I don't want to turn this into singling out specific athletes. I'm just making the point that athletes on the balance leave much to be desired when it comes to modeling behavior to the children that grow up watching them.

Now this. Glenn Beck made the point that perhaps Trump shouldn't have made any indication that the government is controlling people or behaviors. Eh ... I think that's overreacting a bit, though Beck already has a vested interest in making Trump look bad, which is why I don't listen to him much anymore. Still, I took Trump's comment as a leadership comment within the confines of the law and constitution. Constitutionally, the NFL can absolutely give players a choice - respect the flag or take a knee on the bench.

This is proving to be longer than I intended as I'm genuinely interested to get people's thoughts and feelings on this. I just want to state my opinion that the behavior of the athletes and those who justify their completely ridiculous behavior is a fantastic indicator of the increasing divide in our country between the wicked and the righteous. Grossly overpaid athletes disrespecting the flag that has provided them a place where they have enriched themselves on the freedoms that have been bought with blood is beyond repulsive. Sure that same flag gives them free speech, but there is a time and a place - and the "workplace" is neither the time nor the place to make political statements, and businesses are indeed free to discipline and fire employees for politicizing the work space inappropriately.

I agree that it can be a form of idol worship. When people are willing to break the Sabbath to watch sports I would think that conveys a message to the Lord it is more important to you than worshipping Him. In that respect it is a form of idol worship. There are many people who know more about sports teams than they do about the gospel. Many spend way more time studying sports than they do the scriptures. I think it is designed that way. To be a distraction.

[Alaris]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2081 ... tball-game

[davedan]

I would love to see a boycott and empty NFL stadiums this Sunday. Maybe everyone can listen to General Conference instead.

[eddie]

I'm not watching the NFL anymore, I'm not watching movies either. Both of them need to be taken down a notch or two!

[Spider]

These stadiums were built using tax payer's money so I think Trump had the right to say what he said. I have personally watched very few NFL games since the kneeling incidents started because it has angered me so. However since listening to Elder Uchtdorf's talk at the Women's session, I have let go of my anger and realized I just can't understand their perspective. I will continue my own little boycott though. The NFL players have their free agency and so do I.

[ajax]

Playing the national anthem before games or any other entertainment event is stupid. It unnecessarily politicizes the event.

And it makes ding dong hyper nationalists exact conformity out of other patrons.

The practice ought to be scraped.

[e-eye2.0]

I am benching my fantasy football team for the rest of the year.

I don't watch sports on Sunday and I do not check my fantasy football team on Sunday - won't matter now anyway.

I really enjoy watching college football. The last 8 years of seeing Utah beat BYU has been fun.

It appears that Trump is just making more division than there already is. This is interesting though because it may entice more people to walk away from the "Church of Football" - This is seriously a problem with our nation and even among many members of the church who rush home to watch football.

I think this blows over in a few weeks but the decline in the NFL along with how dangerous it is most likely will continue.

AJAX you may be right. I think playing the anthem whenever we can is a good thing. When you have athletes show respect it's positive for younger kids to see but when they don't show respect the negativity outweighs anything that could have been gained.

[eddie]

Yeah, Trump makes division by honoring our flag and our nation, I think our National anthem should be played over loud speakers across this nation, loud enough to block all the voices of the protestors!

[Elizabeth]

https://conservativetribune.com/cop-nfl ... tyalliance


"After serving the Buffalo Bills organization in New York for nearly 30 years, one police officer said he can no longer watch players blatantly disrespect our flag.
Erich Nikischer posted a photo of himself standing in the Buffalo Bills stadium to his Facebook page on Sunday, along with a bold caption blasting entitled millionaires who continue to disrespect our nation and its flag.Nikischer said that he can’t work for an organisation that allows athletes to make millions while showing absolutely no respect to those who lost their lives defending our flag and freedoms."

[Alaris]

https://conservativetribune.com/cop-nfl ... tyalliance


"After serving the Buffalo Bills organization in New York for nearly 30 years, one police officer said he can no longer watch players blatantly disrespect our flag.
Erich Nikischer posted a photo of himself standing in the Buffalo Bills stadium to his Facebook page on Sunday, along with a bold caption blasting entitled millionaires who continue to disrespect our nation and its flag.Nikischer said that he can’t work for an organisation that allows athletes to make millions while showing absolutely no respect to those who lost their lives defending our flag and freedoms."

I was talking to my wife about these NFL players and their using the pledge of allegiance to protest. The problem is - that nobody seems to see - is that disrespecting the flag is not the right way to make a political statement. Ben Shapiro made a great point on his podcast today that the left is essentially acting like children here.

President Trump: "Players should be kicked off the field or fired for disrespecting our flag."
Players: "Nuh uh! You can't tell me what to do! I'm going to disrespect the flag even more! That'll teach you!"

[skmo]

President Trump: "Players should be kicked off the field or fired for disrespecting our flag."
Players: "Nuh uh! You can't tell me what to do! I'm going to disrespect the flag even more! That'll teach you!"

And unfortunately, those respecting the flag and the National Anthem are becoming more and more of a minority. People who have some of the old school patriotism are more and more going to be seen as outdated and foolish. Not by all, but by enough that it's going to be significant.

Many young people today see what's going on, and more often than not they see people who claim they're being oppressed, and so they see it as their duty to take the side of the underdog. It's a fairly natural human response. Young people are generally filled with an overabundance of piss and vinegar, they look for reasons to rebel and fight.

[Jonesy]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Kaepernick this whole time. It originated with him. He allegedly went from just sitting on the bench during the anthem, to at least taking a knee to show more respect. I'll give him that.

According to him:

"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"

To me, this seems different than what came from Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi that led to their respective civil rights movements. This is almost like fighting against racism in general, which is fine. But it's like protesting for world peace; that's awesome, but it ain't gonna happen. If you want to get more particular, all the police injustices have to be left up to the courts and fair trials, or particulars which we may actually never know or learn about. Again, it leads back to the injustice of racism.

Anyways, as for myself, I'll stand for the anthem. I love this country. Every single time I get chills when we're standing all united. On my mission in a different country, I got chills listening to their anthem. Not sure if I'll get the chills taking a knee. Maybe I'll try it once, but something doesn't feel right just thinking about it. I can't remember where I read it, but this just seems more about a culture war than anything. If people don't want to stand up for the anthem, I'm okay with that too. Maybe we're all just trying to make a big stink.

And does our nation suffer from sports idolization? Yes.

[brianj]

I am originally from New Orleans. Though I wasn't there for Katrina I was enduring my own storms at the time, and a play 11 years, two days ago which became known as Rebirth coincided with the end of a storm of unemployment. A few years later I was laid off, shortly before the Saints made it to the Superbowl. That victory is also very meaningful to me.

But last year I did something initially difficult. I stopped watching football on Sundays. This year I made plans to step it up a bit: I decided to not even record games on Sundays. And I feel I have been blessed as I took both of these steps.

Going forward I think I am ready to stop watching NFL football completely. And I know that I will be blessed for doing so. Now I just need to find something to occupy my Monday and Thursday evenings.

[brianj]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Kaepernick this whole time. It originated with him. He allegedly went from just sitting on the bench during the anthem, to at least taking a knee to show more respect. I'll give him that.

According to him:

"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"

To me, this seems different than what came from Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi that led to their respective civil rights movements. This is almost like fighting against racism in general, which is fine. But it's like protesting for world peace; that's awesome, but it ain't gonna happen. If you want to get more particular, all the police injustices have to be left up to the courts and fair trials, or particulars which we may actually never know or learn about. Again, it leads back to the injustice of racism.

Anyways, as for myself, I'll stand for the anthem. I love this country. Every single time I get chills when we're standing all united. On my mission in a different country, I got chills listening to their anthem. Not sure if I'll get the chills taking a knee. Maybe I'll try it once, but something doesn't feel right just thinking about it. I can't remember where I read it, but this just seems more about a culture war than anything. If people don't want to stand up for the anthem, I'm okay with that too. Maybe we're all just trying to make a big stink.

And does our nation suffer from sports idolization? Yes.

I'm going to disagree on your initial point. This didn't originate with Kaepernick. Back when Tim Tebow was a rising star he would kneel and get mocked for a show of respect. Now players are pressured to kneel as a symbol of disrespect. Disrespect for good principles has been with the NFL well before Kaepernick refused to stand for the Anthem.

[Elizabeth]

https://www.westernjournalism.com/ben-c ... tyalliance


Dr. Ben & Candy Carson:
"Here we are at another NFL Sunday. That used to represent a time of fun, games and unity. I hope we can return to that situation soon. One of the reasons we play the national anthem before the game is to remind us that even though we're rooting for different sports teams, we are united as a country. That is a wonderful message that we should not allow to be distorted by anyone.
Of course we all have the right to express ourselves, but as the Bible says, there is a time and place for everything. Last week I saw a story about pre-adolescent players being drawn into the "take a knee" protests. Does anyone honestly believe that encouraging even our youth to believe they are victims of our society will actually help us come together?
I think many athletes actually think they are making things better. We would encourage them and all Americans to utilize their influence to truly draw people together and not be manipulated into doing the opposite under the guise of unity."

[Jonesy]

I'm going to disagree on your initial point. This didn't originate with Kaepernick. Back when Tim Tebow was a rising star he would kneel and get mocked for a show of respect. Now players are pressured to kneel as a symbol of disrespect. Disrespect for good principles has been with the NFL well before Kaepernick refused to stand for the Anthem.

I'll clarify then. Kaepernick started the trend of taking the knee in the name of anti-racism, or whatever you want to call it. Tim Tebow was praying, not taking a knee during the anthem. You're probably right that players nowadays are pressured to kneel as a symbol of disrespect. As far as Kaepernick taking a knee to show more respect, I was just running off of what good ol' Wikipedia said. So, if I'm wrong there, that's where I err.

This whole thing would not have been blown up if it wasn't for people getting all heated over Trump's comments. It's sad, because just yesterday I witnessed a scuffle between a couple parents at my daughter's dance class stemming from race issues. It was ridiculous. Seemed to be a big misunderstanding, but I wonder if this whole situation is just getting people more on edge. *sigh*

[Dave62]

What a bunch of fairies. I've stood for the Japanese national anthem when I was in Japan, and if I went to America I'd stand for the American national anthem as well; it's called respect. Like I said, what a bunch of fairies, send them down here, we have our grand final this weekend. They can take their fancy gear off and play some rugby with our boys. I think it is just pathetic not to stand for your national anthem.

[Seek the Truth]

Playing the national anthem before games or any other entertainment event is stupid. It unnecessarily politicizes the event.

And it makes ding dong hyper nationalists exact conformity out of other patrons.

The practice ought to be scraped.

No.

[Seek the Truth]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Kaepernick this whole time. It originated with him. He allegedly went from just sitting on the bench during the anthem, to at least taking a knee to show more respect. I'll give him that.

According to him:

"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"

To me, this seems different than what came from Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi that led to their respective civil rights movements. This is almost like fighting against racism in general, which is fine. But it's like protesting for world peace; that's awesome, but it ain't gonna happen. If you want to get more particular, all the police injustices have to be left up to the courts and fair trials, or particulars which we may actually never know or learn about. Again, it leads back to the injustice of racism.

Anyways, as for myself, I'll stand for the anthem. I love this country. Every single time I get chills when we're standing all united. On my mission in a different country, I got chills listening to their anthem. Not sure if I'll get the chills taking a knee. Maybe I'll try it once, but something doesn't feel right just thinking about it. I can't remember where I read it, but this just seems more about a culture war than anything. If people don't want to stand up for the anthem, I'm okay with that too. Maybe we're all just trying to make a big stink.

And does our nation suffer from sports idolization? Yes.

The only people oppressing blacks are other blacks and Democrats.

[Elizabeth]

Yes I have also stood for their National Anthem when visiting other countries including Britain, America, Europe, South America, Canada, Alaska, New Zealand, Jamaica, Falklands, Cayman Island, Tonga, Caribbean etc.
Not Japan though, but then I would not visit Japan anyway.
Not standing for your own National Anthem is weird.

What a bunch of fairies. I've stood for the Japanese national anthem when I was in Japan, and if I went to America I'd stand for the American national anthem as well; it's called respect. Like I said, what a bunch of fairies, send them down here, we have our grand final this weekend. They can take their fancy gear off and play some rugby with our boys. I think it is just pathetic not to stand for your national anthem.

[Elizabeth]

http://www.dailywire.com/news/21476/who ... oseph-curl#

The National Football League is in a golden age right now: It's been 23 days since one of its players has been arrested.

The average time between arrests is just seven days, while the record without an arrest is slightly more than two months, at 65 days, according to NFLarrest.com, which "provides an interactive visualized database of National Football League player Arrests & Charges," the site says.

Players get arrested for a variety of crimes: drunk driving, drug offenses, domestic violence, assault and battery, gun violations, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, theft, burglary, rape and even murder.

The NFL virtually embraces players who abuse women. Take this report in the Chicago Tribune: "In the first round [of the 2017 draft], the Oakland Raiders drafted Gareon Conley, who has been accused of rape. In the second round, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Joe Mixon, who in a much-viewed video punches a woman so hard that she falls down unconscious. In the sixth round, the Cleveland Browns selected Caleb Brantley, who was accused of doing pretty much what Mixon did."The top team — at least in arrests — is, weirdly, the Minnesota Vikings, according to NFLarrest.com. Rounding out the Top 5: Denver, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Jacksonville.

By year, 2006 was a doozy: 71 arrests of NFL players. 2013 had 62 arrests, while last year was the lowest in the data base at just 28 arrests. This year, the players are setting a torrid pace:

• Assault and battery - 7
• Drugs - 6
• DUI - 5
• Domestic violence - 5
• Disorderly conduct - 4
• Resisting arrest - 2
• Guns - 1
• License/traffic - 1
• Other - 1

That makes 32 arrests — and we're only in Week 3.

The top crimes are:

• DUI - 218
• Drugs -100
• Domestic violence - 98
• Assault - 74
• Disorderly conduct - 44

The most arrests: Adam Jones, with 10. Jones has played for both Tennessee and Cincinnati, and he's been accused of poking a hotel worker in the eye, punching a woman, spitting in a woman's face at a nightclub, and was "charged with felony coercion in connection to strip club shooting that paralyzed a man" (take a look at all his arrests here).

The top positions of those arrested:

• Wide receiver - 140
• Linebacker - 119
• Cornerback - 116
• Running back - 99
• Defensive tackle - 80

NFL players aren't the best ones to be preaching to America about the perils of police brutality."

[ajax]

Playing the national anthem before games or any other entertainment event is stupid. It unnecessarily politicizes the event.

And it makes ding dong hyper nationalists exact conformity out of other patrons.

The practice ought to be scraped.

No.

Of course it ought to be. It's nonsense. A perfect tool of state indoctrination. And we slobber all over it.

[Sunain]

It's a sign of disrespect for the country as a whole. It doesn't matter who's president. These players should be ashamed of themselves for their conduct.