NFL anthem protesters are 'biting the hand that feeds them:' Varney
Two points, on the NFL, the anthem and the flag.
First: A sporting event is not the place for politics. And it is certainly not the place to disrespect our flag or our anthem.
Early this morning the president tweeted: “The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!” I think he's right. How many millions of people just want to watch football, and become intensely annoyed when the left turns a game into a divisive show of disrespect? The players are biting the hand that feeds them. They are hurting the sport that feeds them.
Second: The president was wrong to use inflammatory language. It seemed like he'd been on Gen. Kelly’s leash for a while, but Friday night, he called players who take the knee “S.O.B's.” It didn't help. It turned players into First Amendment martyrs.
Then, he suggested fans boycott the NFL—not good. If there's no drop in ratings, the president will have made protesting players into winners.
And we're in the middle. Those of us who just want to watch sport without politics are out in the cold. Everything is political these days. The Emmys, the Oscars, the weather, football, you name it. In all aspects of life, you are forced to take sides—what a mess.
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