NFL Is Latest Institution Being Destroyed by Identity Politics

Sunday, over 200 NFL players either took a knee, sat down, or locked arms during the presentation of the American flag and the singing of the national anthem. This was in support of their colleagues who have been protesting racial injustice in America by doing the same. They say it is their right of free speech.

As far as the First Amendment rights of these players is concerned, let them exercise it on their own time, not in their workplace!

What if airline pilots, flight attendants, electricians, plumbers, construction workers, nurses, lawyers, and first responders decided to exercise their First Amendment rights and kneeled in their workplaces on their employers’ time for a particular cause?

They would be fired — and rightly so!

Here we have the NFL and many team owners coming to the defense of these protesters. Let’s be honest. If most of these players were white and advocating some cause such as “cops' lives matter” or “all lives matter” and kneeled as these black players are, they would be dealt with much differently and probably harsher!

But, because most of these protesters are black, you can bet that the NFL and most team owners will yield to political correctness and do or say nothing that might earn them the title “racist.” That would be worse than getting in bed with a dozen rattle snakes and cobras!

Consequently, they lock arms with players and bend over backwards to show how fair, liberal, unbiased and unlike Trump they are.

In doing so, they allow NFL gamedays — workdays for players — and NFL workplaces — football stadiums — to be turned into political platforms of protest and disrespect for the national anthem, the American flag and all that they represent!

These owners are obviously good business people. So, the question is why are they not realizing that these protests are bad for business and eventually will hit them in their pocketbooks?

Their players may be mostly black and get millions to perform as gladiators in latter day coliseums, but the majority of their customers are not. They pay the bills by purchasing the merchandise, luxury suites, and most of the seats. For the most part they are patriotic, honor their flag and the national anthem, and include many veterans. Polls have shown that the vast majority of Americans oppose these protests.

As Michelle Malkin said recently, "there’s no business enterprise that is ever going to survive by insulting and trashing its own customer base… NFL players are currently disrespecting the many Americans who gave their lives for this country."

She went on to say that the "NFL is making a big mistake by believing that conservative Americans are not their base and that conservatives do not have the economic power to shut them down.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell took issue with Trump, saying that his comments “demonstrate …an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL…and our players …and failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our…players represent in our communities.”

Goodell sounded like an indignant parent who is upset when a teacher complains about their spoiled child’s anti-social behavior at school!

Is he kidding?

Lack of respect for the NFL and players?

These pampered athletes are the ones showing a “lack of respect.” As Trump put it, their conduct is “disrespectful of our heritage and everything we stand for.”

If they keep it up, the NFL might one day stand for, as Malkin said, “No Fans Left”!

While Goodell talked about the force for good that the players represent in their communities, I would ask those protesting a few questions:

• How many have gone to Chicago, Miami, Baltimore and other cities ravaged by urban gun violence to kneel in protest over the hundreds of blacks, including young innocent children, killed by other blacks?
• How many have reached out to provide financial assistance to a black man’s family whom they believed was unjustly killed by police?
• How many have gone into inner cities to work with young black youth to keep them away from a life of crime and violence?
• How many have given portions of their seven figure salaries to the families of innocent children killed in gangland crossfire to provide scholarships for their siblings to attend college?
• How many contribute to the advancement of black economic progress by utilizing black accountants, advisers, managers, agents, attorneys, realtors and other professionals?
• How many have established scholarships at their alma maters or Historically Black Colleges and Universities for blacks who otherwise could not afford to go to college?
• How many have urged young black men to finish school and not contribute to the 70 percent black illegitimacy rate?

I would be surprised if more than a handful could say they have done any of these things for the black community for which they say they are kneeling.

As to those Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens players who went to London and kneeled during the American anthem, then stood during “God Save the Queen,” Britain’s national anthem, since they admire the British flag so much, maybe they should have stayed there!

Clarence V. McKee is president of McKee Communications, Inc., a government, political, and media relations consulting firm in Florida. He held several positions in the Reagan administration as well as in the Reagan presidential campaigns. He is a former co-owner of WTVT-TV in Tampa and former president of the Florida Association of Broadcasters. Read more of his reports — Go Here Now.