Trump: NFL should fire players who kneel during anthem

[Koharu]

Athletics' Bruce Maxwell first MLB player to kneel during national anthem

This makes me so happy.

[Koharu]

Hopefully he'll never set foot on the field again.  This isn't the NFL.  Baseball won't put up with that.

Excuse me, but... LOL LOL LOL LOL.

To quote some relevant bits from the linked article:

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I'm not going to copy and paste the rest of the article, because that's against forum rules, but go give it a read, especially Maxwell's eloquent and respectful description of his actions.

Baseball has, in my opinion, always been the most respectable professional sport, and this makes me actually want to support them, despite not being a real sports fan.

[Koharu]

Why even have the anthem at a game in the first place? We don't in the UK.

I’ve never understood it. Do people forget what country they’re in?

I think it's kind of a nice reflection on the freedoms we enjoy here in the US, though I'd be fine without it, too. That said, most of the fans are not respectful of the anthem anyway. I hated having to sit through the anthem at high school games because I was usually one of the very few standing and facing the flag. I was shocked when I went to a professional game and found it almost as bad.

I just don't understand why someone being respectful (kneeling is respectful) but also bringing attention to some of the issues in this country is considered a big deal when there are almost always people talking and being rude through the anthem. That's significantly more "disrespectful" than someone kneeling.

[Koharu]

If they did this before a match in Ireland, they would be the shame of a nation.  Only in America is it "cool" to hate your country.

Kneeling respectfully in hopes that something you dislike about your country will change does not equate with hating your country. In fact, quite the opposite. If I hated America, I would move. I love it, and believe in general we are very blessed to live here, but there are things that need to change to make it better for others. Some of the harshest critiques of any particular thing come from the people who love that thing the most.

[Koharu]

If I were to guess what was on Colin Kaepernick's mind, this would be it.

Considering he changed his action from simply sitting to kneeling to present himself as still respecting the flag and the military, I'm going to guess that you have no idea what's on his mind. :)

[Koharu]

My question is this:  Is Colin Kaepernick's country "the great American Republic"?  Or is it some corrupt, detestable, racist, sexist, homophobic state, worthy only of contempt?  As an American, I'm always willing to have my country set right by those whose country is the great American Republic.  I'm not willing to accept correction from those who loathe the Republic, and Kaepernick has not convinced me he is not in that category.  Nor, unfortunately, have a few folks posting here.  It's the difference between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Colin Kaepernick.

I do not (nor does anyone else) need to prove my American patriotism to you. Many of these folks kneeling (and those of us supporting them) have said and shown time and again that they love this country. That you don't accept that is your own problem, not ours.

This country is great. But it also treats many of its citizens improperly, and that needs to be fixed.

(Edited grammar, oops.)