I watched a few NFL football games on Sunday. At this point with all the protests and boycotts, I'm not sure if that makes people think that I'm an activist, a patriot, or just a guy who likes football. Oddly enough, I actually enjoy the pregame talks and analysis more than the game itself sometimes. And for the past few weeks I have tried to tune in early in order to see all of the pregame "activities."
I noticed several weeks ago when kneeling in protest during the National Anthem became the "trendy" or "cool" thing to do that the NFL and major networks seemed to buy into that hype and attempt to use it to boost ratings. I assume they were going with the old adage; "There is no such thing as bad publicity." However, as ratings, sponsors, advertisers, and eventually money began to decline, the pregame protests became less of a focal point.
And finally, this Sunday, November 12th, I believe the NFL and networks finally got it right. It was the NFL's Salute to Veterans Day around the league. Oddly enough, I did not get to see the performing of the Star Spangled Banner for the two early games I was watching. I'm not positive if these were aired or if I merely missed it while flipping channels and eating lunch. But at least the cameras weren't glued to the sidelines for extended periods of time as they had been previously waiting to see players kneeling.
But Sunday night, I was able to see the pregame and it actually caught my attention and caused me to pause when you could hear the stadium announcer say, "Please remain standing for the singing of our National Anthem." You see, I believe that is the right thing to do. It's right to stand on Veterans Day and any other time the song that is honoring our country is being played. The Star Spangled Banner is not about the president, the police, or the players. It's about the men and women who have served, are serving, and will serve to protect our freedoms in this country. That's why we stand.
And I believe that the NFL knew that. We are all born with an internal moral compass that tells us certain things are right and certain things are wrong. No one needs laws to know that murder, stealing, adultery, and lying are wrong. We just know these are bad things and that we shouldn't do them. And I was glad to see that the NFL and networks' moral compasses finally found 'North' and got back on track. Now, let's just try to keep it there.
I noticed several weeks ago when kneeling in protest during the National Anthem became the "trendy" or "cool" thing to do that the NFL and major networks seemed to buy into that hype and attempt to use it to boost ratings. I assume they were going with the old adage; "There is no such thing as bad publicity." However, as ratings, sponsors, advertisers, and eventually money began to decline, the pregame protests became less of a focal point.
And finally, this Sunday, November 12th, I believe the NFL and networks finally got it right. It was the NFL's Salute to Veterans Day around the league. Oddly enough, I did not get to see the performing of the Star Spangled Banner for the two early games I was watching. I'm not positive if these were aired or if I merely missed it while flipping channels and eating lunch. But at least the cameras weren't glued to the sidelines for extended periods of time as they had been previously waiting to see players kneeling.
But Sunday night, I was able to see the pregame and it actually caught my attention and caused me to pause when you could hear the stadium announcer say, "Please remain standing for the singing of our National Anthem." You see, I believe that is the right thing to do. It's right to stand on Veterans Day and any other time the song that is honoring our country is being played. The Star Spangled Banner is not about the president, the police, or the players. It's about the men and women who have served, are serving, and will serve to protect our freedoms in this country. That's why we stand.
And I believe that the NFL knew that. We are all born with an internal moral compass that tells us certain things are right and certain things are wrong. No one needs laws to know that murder, stealing, adultery, and lying are wrong. We just know these are bad things and that we shouldn't do them. And I was glad to see that the NFL and networks' moral compasses finally found 'North' and got back on track. Now, let's just try to keep it there.
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