tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176006268302183776.post6097844634367281850..comments2024-03-20T10:14:19.071-04:00Comments on The Shipler Report: The NFL's UnpatriotismDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00305265860388931637noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176006268302183776.post-78991898354849217552018-05-27T07:42:35.900-04:002018-05-27T07:42:35.900-04:00I couldn't agree more. Peaceful protest is the...I couldn't agree more. Peaceful protest is the quintessential act of patriotism, not the reverse. Heaven forbid a player should have a political opinion and use his celebrity to broadcast it. No, that privilege is reserved for the more powerful, the owners and the league.<br /><br />I would add to the list of grievances the NFL's despicable mistreatment of their cheerleaders, which in the case of the Washington team (whose racist name I refuse to repeat), rose to the level of abuse when they were whisked away to a remote resort and told to pose nude in front of cameras and VIPs.<br /><br />I respect the extreme athleticism required to play professional football, but over time, the sport has evolved into a dystopian nightmare, one more public spectacle to be ashamed of in this dark era.Lynn Dickinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05754503311164611733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5176006268302183776.post-39388473437494193352018-05-27T00:11:38.920-04:002018-05-27T00:11:38.920-04:00Gee - thank you for this excellent description of ...Gee - thank you for this excellent description of how football is really played! I had no idea how intricate and "intelligent" the signals and strategies are! I'm impressed! Thanks! (Not that I ever plan to watch a game - but still - I appreciate this new understanding - coming from you, David Shipler!) <br />As to the violence - of course no parent would want her son to play such a vicious and dangerous game! No one wants a kid to go through life with a damaged brain! Sad situation...<br />In the film - I forget the name - with Ronald Reagan playing The Gipper - (Is it called the Gipper, maybe?) I was impressed with a speech that the coach gives when someone objects to the violence of the game of football. He gives a really eloquent speech about how men in Europe for centuries have gone to war and killed millions whereas in this country, since boys can discharge their aggression in games like football, we don't have the same inclination to go to war and kill! Amazing speech! I was most surprised to see it - not that long ago - on Turner Classic Movies. <br />You are so right about the nature of the "kneeling" protest and the fine values it stands for. We live in such a strange time with such a simplistic and thick-headed, bullying leader who seems to understand nothing that is nuanced or about fine values. It's a very sad time in American Life. Hopefully it won't last long - but I fear this know-nothing, hateful Monster could be re-elected in 2020! What a thought!...KittiKatz8https://www.blogger.com/profile/13277772238189209628noreply@blogger.com