It should be crystal clear by now to the NFL that they’re hurting themselves by not taking the right stand on… standing. Their unwillingness to take disciplinary action against the spoiled brats taking a knee during their country’s national anthem is the reason for empty stadiums around the league.
Levi's! #NFL #AZvsSF RT @joshweinfuss: Opening kickoff here in Santa Clara. Where is everyone? pic.twitter.com/RwI1kQfTR4
— Empty Seats Galore (@EmptySeatsPics) November 5, 2017
It may be a little unfair to highlight the San Francisco 49ers as an example because they’re currently winless, but since they were the first team to allow a player to kneel when Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem last season, they should get the most attention.
Here’s the reality: We can post all the pictures of empty stadiums that we want, but the NFL either knows something we don’t know or they’re stupid. We know they’re probably not stupid (not completely, at least) so that means they can’t be too concerned about the long-term effects of their bad reputation lately. The images may be misleading. The money may be flowing despite the bad press. We don’t know for sure. All we know is they’re not really doing anything about it.
The NFL is failing to do what’s right. Those who point to the 1st Amendment don’t understand that this isn’t a question of rights. It’s a question of an employer allowing employees to damage their industry’s reputation to their customers. This is very straightforward: Some employees are doing what a majority of the business’ customers don’t like. They should be disciplined. The outcry for such discipline has been loud, but not nearly loud enough.
Until the NFL takes a stand in favor of America, we should all completely walk away from the game. Focus on college football. Pick a different sport to follow. Play with your kids. Do anything other than support this behavior on Sundays. By watching, listening to, or attending these games, we’re saying that it’s okay for someone to disrespect this nation as long as they have enough talent to make it in the NFL.
Don’t let pictures of empty stadiums make you complacent. The power of the people over politicians is with our vote, but the power of the people over businesses is are money. They need our eyeballs to sell advertising, our subscriptions to sell to television markets, and our attention to fill the seats. Don’t give it to them. We’re not winning this battle. The players are still kneeling and the NFL is doing nothing about it. They haven’t felt enough pain from their unpatriotic actions. It’s time to turn up the heat.
