Andrew in CA

And my question is why. Why has it been a tradition for decades? It's pointless. It's an embarrassment and if you think it actually supports and revers this great nation you are mistaken. Hundreds of dopes are puking, or chugging beers, or fighting each other during the anthem. Because of the routine nature of it, the anthem has become a school bell to tell fans to get to their seats before the game starts. Honoring the country is so attenuated from the song that they might as well play the power rangers/ninja turtles/he-man song. You say that "a significant majority of fans prefer that it's done" -- where is your support for that? Show me your basis for that, please. I'd love to be wrong on this. The anthem has become so attenuated from true patriotism because of its routine playing at every sporting event that it has become meaningless. If it is ever going to be meaningful again, the powers that be better parse it out so that when folks hear it, they don't automatically think kickoff/puck drop/tip off/first pitch is 60 seconds away. If anything, the routine nature has diminished whatever power that song had. And it's a damn shame.

A) F the blackhawks, i don't watch garbage teams, that needs to be said off the bat. ? B) that's lovely, but i don't think it's appropriate for this to be happening at every single sporting event around the country every day. It diminishes the symbolism and importance of the anthem.

I know, my point is all sports should stop playing it, at least for every single game. It loses meaning and is not treated with respect or reflection. Symbols lose their meaning when they become routine. You're plenty respectful, no disrespect taken! Exactly -- the anthem becomes a school bell letting everyone know to get to class on time! It is not about reflection or reverence. You're right that if they stopped it now, it would be seen as a response to these protests, but I think that they should've done this awhile ago.

I'd prefer if all sports just stopped playing the anthem altogether. It is an odd time for a display of patriotism and we've all seemed to accept it because it's been going on for years and years. Why did they even do it in the first place? Hey, all you drunks who've been throwing yourselves through tables and chugging liquor out of bowling balls for 5 hours, please stand and remove your hats and solemnly reflect on what it means to be an American before this sporting event, in which no team is playing on behalf of the nation! Oh, but feel free to puke in the bathroom or chug your beers in the concourse or get 12 more beers at the concession stands while it's playing! Yeah I getcha -- those events were on my mind because I recently watched a four-part special on 1968. I agree in my lifetime that this is the most divided political climate, and I found myself wondering if we didn't have cable and the internet would we be seeing more of the large protests and violence that they saw in that year..... I don't know one way or the other, just got me thinking about it. And yes i agree with you that the NFL seems to be totally clueless when it comes to all of their problems, not just the anthem stuff.

I don't think it blended in to the NFL but you had Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists during the anthem at the 1968 olympics, and Muhammad Ali refused to go to Vietnam.

Sorry, i thought you were calling me an idiot. I went off on a bit of a tangent as you saw with my dialogue with JSP that i feel people resort to name-calling really quickly and that just gets everyone's guard up and derails any convo. Now, i did what i preached against and put words in your mouth so I'm sorry for that. In the hypothetical you pose yes, if someone is approaching TL with an object in his/her hand and is acting aggressively, then they are asking for a response from the bodyguard. Maybe i'm taking it to an extreme, but i think people have to face the consequences of their words, and those consequences aren't always going to be friendly. They can be hostile or rude. But i draw the line at assault (putting someone in fear of physical contact) and battery (actual physical contact), both because it's illegal and i think morally wrong -- respond to words with words (or boos, jeers, etc.), but don't touch someone or attempt to do so. And as JSP brought up i think it goes both ways. BLM protesters say and do a lot of provocative, controversial things. If they are out in public, people who disagree with them should be free to do so, and the BLM people should expect blowback/backlash. I think there is a tendency on the left to think you can say what you want, and because it's "speaking truth to power" or whatever, they think no one can respond to them. In other words, they think they can speak, and no one else can respond. I disagree with that. I guess when it comes down to it, my point is that when you take a stand, when you make yourself an object of attention (whether you make money off of it or not), people will react, both positively and negatively. I don't think you get a shield of armor or get to cry foul if people react to you with boos, silence, what have you, out in public. And I'm not saying that you were saying that (about Tomi/anyone else getting a shield of armor), I'm just circling back to my original post -- which, had i known would get a reaction, i would have elaborated on more fully. But i didn't, so now I am facing the some backlash of my clearly unpopular opinion, and that's OK, i get it, if you post, you get a response, and it's not always going to be one that agrees with you.

Exactly right. He's not starter material but he's good enough to at least be a third stringer, if not a backup. But no one wants their third-stringer bringing the circus to town every single day, so why have the headache.

Grew up in the Capital Region, and still get back to see family/friends about once a year! And a distillery!

I agree with this

Soft serve: black raspberry from Kurver Kreme in Albany. Hard: pistachio from Tollgate in Slingerlands. Store brand: butter pecan from Tillamook.

YES

Thanks Tasker, I will be fine. I will try to post more often

Thanks Joe wish i could stay longer -- just have some down time this week when I'd usually be working recovering from minor surgery -- back to the real world next week where I can only lurk for a few minutes here or there.

I hear you and agree -- i've lurked these boards for a long time (joined in '06) and people like that, or Conner, or whoever preceded Conner, would come on here just to get a rise out of the majority conservative faction of the board and start dumb ****. But there are people like me who dip their toe in time to time with no agenda, just a bit of sporadic free time, and may have a different opinion, without the agenda.

Yeah, i get that there's a double standard. But my point was that often times words get put in people's mouth on this board just to escalate stuff and throw it completely off topic. Or the name calling and flame war begins and any actual discussion is lost.