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Sept 28, 2017 21:07:07 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 28, 2017 21:07:07 GMT
www.theadvocate.com/article_ca86b20a-a469-11e7-b8ec-3f00c5028f3f.html Fearing fights, Central High cuts national anthem from pep rally, then returns it after outcry BY CHARLES LUSSIER | clussier@theadvocate.com Sep 28, 2017 Worried about potential fights breaking out if students protested, Central High School earlier this week decided not to have students sing the national anthem Friday afternoon at a school pep rally, but after a parental outcry the school will play the song after all. “We’ve learned a very valuable lesson,” said Sandy Davis, assistant superintendent of Central public schools. Parents in the suburban, politically conservative Baton Rouge school district took to social media Wednesday and Thursday to complain about the school’s decision not to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the pep rally, prompting the reversal Thursday morning. The initial decision to not sing the national anthem was made earlier this week by Central High Principal David Prescott in consultation with Superintendent Michael Faulk. It was sparked by protests at recent NFL football games where athletes kneeled during the singing of the national anthem to signal their opposition to incidents of black men being killed by police. Faulk was out of town Thursday, so Davis intervened. She and Prescott spoke and agreed that the high school should sing the anthem after all. Davis said there was concern about having so many students in the school gym. “We know that kids feel strongly on both sides of this issue, because they have heard from their parents about it,” Davis said. She said the national anthem was always going to be played at Friday night’s football game, adding there are fewer safety concerns at the stadium. She also posted a note late Thursday morning on the district’s Facebook page, explaining what was happening. Davis told The Advocate that schools hold pep rallies regularly but don’t always sing the national anthem at them. In this case, the school released a program for Friday's pep rally showing the choir singing the anthem, but then changed the agenda. Davis said she thinks that’s where the news first spread. She said all school faculty will be interspersed throughout the school gym Friday afternoon to prevent any fighting.
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Sept 28, 2017 21:10:15 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 28, 2017 21:10:15 GMT
www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ray-lewis-statue-20170927-story.htmlExtra security placed near Ray Lewis statue after petition urges its removal9/27/17 Extra security has been added near the statue of retired Ravens star Ray Lewis at M&T Bank Stadium after he joined current players Sunday in kneeling during the national anthem, provoking calls to remove the likeness. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, more than 36,000 people had signed an online petition on change.org that advocates for the removal of the Lewis statue “because of his refusal to stand during the National Anthem. “That song honors our country and our veterans who fought for it,” the petition reads. “To kneel during it is disrespectful, regardless of what you are protesting.” Given recent statue-related protests and vandalism, the Maryland Stadium Authority didn't wait until this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to take precautions. “There is additional security at the statue plaza at this time," said Rachelina Bonacci, a spokesperson for the authority, which is the team’s stadium landlord. “Certainly observers can notice the presence of uniformed security officers at M&T Bank Stadium, which includes the statue plaza,” she said. “The additional officers and other security enhancements have been in place since Sunday afternoon.” On Sunday, Lewis — who retired from the NFL after the 2012 season — knelt on both knees alongside a group of current Ravens as the anthem was played before the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Many other NFL players took a knee during the national anthem in response to President Donald Trump's comments Friday that called for owners to fire players if they didn't stand for the anthem. Some teams didn’t emerge from their locker rooms. Lewis said he was praying. “I dropped on two knees — both knees — so I can simply honor God in the midst of chaos,” he said on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.” The Ravens declined to comment on the petition. Team spokesman Kevin Byrne referred a reporter Wednesday to earlier comments in which he said the team was “hearing a variety of opinions — some showing disappointment with the players who demonstrated and others showing support.” The Lewis statue — depicting the dance the player made famous as he entered the field — was unveiled in 2014. Earlier, Lewis had advised Colin Kaepernick — the first NFL player to kneel in protest over racial inequality and police brutality — to return to the sport, saying: “Let your play speak for itself.” The quarterback became a free agent this offseason but has not been picked up by a team.
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Sept 28, 2017 21:12:35 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 28, 2017 21:12:35 GMT
townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2017/09/28/the-slow-death-of-the-nfl-n2387297?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=9/28/17 The Slow Death Of The NFL?
I should say at the outset that I’ve never really been a big football fan. I grew up in Detroit and played hockey, so I love the Redwings. Besides, we didn’t really have a professional team in Detroit; we only had the Lions. Jokes aside, I watched it nearly every week. Not intently, but it was on in the background because it’s easy to do other things with football on. Whether it’s cleaning, writing or whatever, there are long stretches of time during a football game where nothing much happens. And if anything interesting does happen the announcer’s voice and crowd noise give it away and you can look at the TV. If you miss that, they replay it immediately. It’s the perfect sport to ignore while you get other things done. Now it’s become, for me, a sport to simply ignore – period. I’m done. HGTV was my refuge. Watching a marathon of real people get their houses remodeled was much more entertaining than watching pampered millionaires wrestle in taxpayer-funded stadiums while disrespecting the national anthem and the American flag. Since I wasn’t a rabid fan the NFL won’t really notice that I’m gone. But I’m not alone. Through my radio show, social media, and life I have heard from scores of people who are diehard fans, and they’re done too. More importantly for the NFL and the players, they’re beyond angry. Lifelong fans feel betrayed. Anger fades with time, but the sting of betrayal lingers. CARTOONS | Henry Payne View Cartoon This was a foreseeable eventuality, akin to being hit by a train because you were playing on the tracks and refused to move. The damage to the NFL began when Commissioner Roger Goodell chose to side with left-wing activists over the game in the hope of placating them and absolving himself from his failures to properly address domestic violence by some players. Activist groups were vocal critics of slaps on the wrists for players abusing their wives or girlfriends. But left-wing activist groups don’t stop, ever. Even when something is (eventually) made right and harsher penalties were handed out. Because they can fundraise off of it and, equally as important to them, they hate professional sports. Activist liberals always have hated sports, even when they use it. They hate competition – championing ending scorekeeping in youth sports – because there are winners and losers, and they hate meritocracy. If professional sports is anything it is a meritocracy. Only the best survive, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and all the other boxes liberals have created to divide people. Professional sports has no time for any of that; there’s too much money in winning. And professional sports is a business. At least it used to be. It has evolved from an organization that fined Jim McMahon for writing messages on his headbands to one that ignored players perpetuating the lie of “hands up, don’t shoot.” From blocking the Dallas Cowboys from honoring five police officers who were murdered by a militant racist inspired by anti-police activists to ignoring Colin Kaepernick wearing socks portraying police as pigs. It seemed like a league held hostage by Kaepernick’s racism; in fear of being called racist itself. Now it’s an enabler of ignorance. Putting aside the ignorance of the issue, because it doesn’t really matter what the protests are about. The method is what is destroying the NFL. There could not have been a worse target for a protest than the national anthem in a sport that has marinated itself in patriotism. Sure, it was paid for – nothing in the NFL is free – but they cashed the checks. When Kaepernick chose to protest during the national anthem all people saw was a protest of the national anthem. That Goodell and his highly paid PR team didn’t recognize this fact and squash it like they did DeAngelo Williams’ desire to pay tribute to his late mother by wearing pink to raise breast cancer awareness is a testament to the fear and desire for self-preservation that has marked his tenure. You can’t claim to support the First Amendment rights of your players when you deny them the ability to honor their mothers or excessively celebrate touchdowns. Yet that’s what the NFL tried to do. And it failed, miserably. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to stop the hemorrhaging by kneeling before the anthem with his team, then they all stood for it. Would’ve been smart to think of that before, now, for many, it’s just too late. I won’t miss it because I was never really emotionally invested in it. But the NFL has millions of fans who’ve happily handed over their hard-earned money for years who are now feeling like they’ve been conned the whole time. Maybe they were.
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Sept 28, 2017 21:16:10 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 28, 2017 21:16:10 GMT
newschannel9.com/news/local/cleveland-businessman-calls-nfl-protests-unpatriotic-pulls-ads-during-gamesTennessee businessman calls NFL protests 'unpatriotic,' pulls ads during games9/28/17 CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WTVC) - Check Into Cash founder and Cleveland, Tennessee native Allan Jones weighed in on the ongoing NFL national anthem protests Tuesday night. Jones posted to his Facebook page that he is pulling all commercials for Check Into Cash, Buy Here Pay Here USA, and U.S. Money Shops during NFL games for the rest of the season. In 2014, Cleveland business Hardwick Clothes was fighting bankruptcy and it seemed like its more than 130 years of experience might not make it another season. That's when Jones stepped in to give the clothing brand a new chance. In his Facebook post, he says not to look for Hardwick Clothes on the NFL either. Cleveland, TN businessman pulls NFL ads This week, WTVC NewsChannel 9 also spoke with former Buffalo Bills General Manager Buddy Nix, who now lives in Chattanooga. Local former NFL General Manager weighs in on kneeling controversy: Allison Levine reports. Nix told us he stands with those who see the protests as as a sign of disrespect. "I believe firmly in standing for the national anthem and being respectful to the flag in this country. I don't think there's any excuse for not doing that," Nix said. A local restaurant owner also told us he will no longer play NFL games in his establishment. Baxter's owner Matthew Wolcott says those actions disrespect American veterans. As this story continues to develop, depend on WTVC NewsChannel 9 for continuing coverage.
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Sept 29, 2017 2:42:24 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 29, 2017 2:42:24 GMT
www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/09/boom-nfl-ticket-sales-18-week-since-mass-anti-military-anthem-protests/BOOM! NFL Ticket Sales Down 18% in Week Since Mass Anti-Military Anthem ProtestsSeptember 28, 2017 This had to hurt. NFL ticket sales down 18% down this week.BOOM! NFL Ticket Sales Down 18% in Week Since Mass Anti-Military Anthem Protests September 28, 2017 by Jim Hoft 103 Comments 444Share 52Tweet Email This had to hurt. NFL ticket sales down 18% down this week. Last Sunday over 200 NFL players knelt during the US national anthem on Gold Star Mothers Day. StubHub announced a 10% discount in NFL tickets this week. And now this… NFL ticket sales are down 18% compared to last year at this time. The Washington Examiner reported: The National Football League is feeling the impact of the “Trump Effect.” Ticket sales since he called on team owners to fire players who take a knee to protest the National Anthem have cratered. The online ticket reseller TickPick told Secrets that sales have dropped 17.9 percent, far more than the usual Week Three fall. From TickPick: 17.9 percent decrease in NFL orders this week compared to the previous week. Last year the drop was 10.8 percent in orders on Monday & Tuesday following Week Three games. “We have seen a massive decrease in NFL ticket purchases this past week in comparison to years past. Week 3 seems to usually have less ticket orders than week 2, but this year ticket purchases are down more than 7 percent from this time last year,” said TickPick’s Jack Slingland. Several Chargers players torched their shirts and jackets this week. NEVER underestimate an American's Love for our Flag. We stand UNITED in protest against the #NFL .@realdonaldtrumppic.twitter.com/hNLNo0pGBs — 🇺🇸Patriot 24/7🇺🇸 (@trumptrain45pac) September 28, 2017
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Sept 29, 2017 2:45:37 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 29, 2017 2:45:37 GMT
www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/28/inside-the-beltway-incoming-here-comes-the-nfl-boy/Incoming: Here comes the NFL boycottBy Jennifer Harper - The Washington Times - Thursday, September 28, 2017 A growing population of sports fans is prepared to shun the National Football League following controversy over athletes who chose not to stand during the national anthem. The movement is escalating. Such hashtags as #BoycottNFL have emerged on Twitter, while there are not one but three Boycott the NFL sites on Facebook which have already accrued over 100,000 followers. One is asking Americans to turn off the games on Veteran’s Day next month. News organizations in both Chicago and Boston report that local bars and VFW posts will no longer show NFL games on their premises. Bill DeFries — a military vet and restaurant owner in Beavercreek, Ohio — says he got “overwhelming” support from customers after imposing his own NFL ban. Then there is Schilling Distributing Company, a veteran-owned Louisiana beer distributor that is pulling all Bud Light products that use the NFL as a point of sale from their sales list. “There is no need for us to ask our retailer partners to promote such controversial organizations to help sell product,” Vice President Charles “Buddy” Schilling noted in a statement. Now there’s a call for a formal boycott of NFL games on Sunday. “Protesting the national anthem not only distracts from the sport that pays these players millions but, more importantly, disrespects the men and women of the military who risk their lives to allow them that opportunity. This is a spectacle designed to score political points, and the public is sick and tired of it,” declares Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, which is now tracking frequently biased NFL press coverage. “People tune in to football to enjoy themselves, not to have to subject themselves to attacks on our flag because spoiled players don’t like the politics of our president. The public needs to have its voice heard. This Sunday, I ask football fans to support our flag and turn off the NFL. One week without football to support our flag. We should not continue to give attention to players who refuse to show respect for our great nation,” advises Mr. Bozell.
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Sept 29, 2017 15:57:35 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Sept 29, 2017 15:57:35 GMT
deadline.com/2017/09/packers-win-thursday-night-football-ratings-down-bears-national-anthem-cbs-nfl-1202179245/Packers Win As ‘Thursday Night Football’ Ratings Drop In CBS Season Debut9/29/17 There were weather issues, national anthem protest concerns and a helmet-to-helmet hit from the Chicago Bears’ Danny Trevathan that put Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams in the hospital last night on the season kickoff of CBS’ Thursday Night Football. Despite all that, and a 47-minute delay after the first quarter due to lightning, Green Bay beat the Bears 35-14 at Lambeau Field. The weather couldn’t slow the Packers down once the game restarted and, with players and fans linking arms in unity, no one took an increasingly controversial knee last night during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” However, it still was not a good result for CBS and the NFL as the matchup went late and delivered 9.9/18 in metered market ratings. That’s down 13% from the 2016 TNF opener on CBS and NFL Network when the New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills 37-31. In the first of five TNFs that CBS has this year, last night’s game was shown on NFL Network and made its live debut on Amazon Prime. On a night of no competition from the other nets and with the matchup being shown live on Twitter, last year’s September 15, CBS kickoff game ended up with 15.4 million viewers and a 5.4/21 rating among adults 18-49. The start of the third season of TNF on the House of Moonves, those 2016 numbers were a 27% and 29% fall, respectively, from the 2015 TNF debut on CBS and NFL Network.As for Thursday’s overnight numbers, the latest decline comes as the league, broadcasters and cable networks are biting already chewed nails over last year’s ratings and what could be coming down the line. While ratings this year overall are actually up a tiny bit over last year right now, the 2016-2017 NFL season saw a nearly 10% decline from the year before. That’s a big hit for the big-money league, and the sting is being felt again with the likes of heavyweight Sunday Night Football hurting this year. Then, there is the increased political spotlight in the usually conservative NFL after President Donald Trump called for a boycott of the league and berated players for following now ex-San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick publicly protesting police brutality and racial injustice by not standing for the national anthem. Last night’s linking of arms by both teams was an attempt to deflect some of that attention. Then again, yesterday also saw the former Celebrity Apprentice host tell Fox News that team owners have told him that they are “afraid” of their players, and it is up to the NFL to stop the “disrespectful” attitude towards the flag. “They can stop it,” Trump said on Thursday of the NFL. “They have rules for everything: You can’t dance in the end zone. You can’t wear the pink socks, relative to breast cancer…They have rules for everything.” Unlike last year, the TNF opener on CBS faced some real competition off the field. ABC and NBC had the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy and the anticipated return after more than a decade of Will & Grace among their offerings – with both possibly seeing additional benefits due to the delay in last night’s game. Competition, along with those weather delays, that could prove a mitigating factor for this year’s opener’s numbers. We’ll update with more TNF numbers and results of the other shows on the Big 4 last night when we get them. In the meantime, two things to take away from last night’s Packers-Bears game. One, it as up 6% in MM over the last time the two teams fought it out on CBS and NFL Network’s TNF on October 20 last year. Two, last night’s game peaked with a 11.3/19 in the 9-9:15 slot, just before play was stopped for almost an hour because of those weather issues.
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Oct 1, 2017 22:55:28 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Oct 1, 2017 22:55:28 GMT
www.nowtheendbegins.com/fox-news-announces-will-no-longer-broadcast-national-anthem-games-prevent-player-hijacking/Fox Sports Announces They Will No Longer Broadcast The National Anthem During NFL Games To Prevent Player Hijacking The first major broadcast domino has fallen. In response to crashing ratings, plummeting ticket sales, and a public backlash fueled by none other than the leader of the free world, Fox Sports has decided to cry Uncle! Becoming the first major NFL broadcast partner to publicly say that they will no longer air the national anthem.10/1/17 The first major broadcast domino has fallen. In response to crashing ratings, plummeting ticket sales, and a public backlash fueled by none other than the leader of the free world, Fox Sports has decided to cry Uncle! EDITOR’S NOTE: This is how you get things done. Not broadcasting the National Anthem during the game takes away the players ability to hijack the moment for their anti-American protests. Agree or Disagree with Fox Sports decision? Comment below. Becoming the first major NFL broadcast partner to publicly say that they will no longer air the national anthem. Instead, Fox Sports is now saying that they will go back to what they had done in the past, namely, not showing the playing of the anthem during game broadcasts, according to Newsday. Calling this year, “one of the more bizarre starts to the season that we have ever had,” Fox Sports President Eric Shanks released a statement saying: “The standard procedure is not to show them because of the way the commercial format works and the timing of the anthem to get to the kickoff,” Shanks said Tuesday at an event to promote Fox’s soccer coverage of the 2018 World Cup. “So I think we’re going to pay attention to events. “Who knows what’s going to happen? A lot of time is happening between now and then. But I think the plan would be to get back to a normal schedule. I think that’s where we sit today on a Tuesday . . . It seems like there’s more than 24 hours in a day now, doesn’t there?” But liberal sports reporters are already crying foul with the move to “get back to football.” Fox Ignores NFL Players Kneeling During National Anthem During Live Broadcast: For the first time, players kneeling in protest were not shown during the telecast of the game. Fox Sports further decided to pull the plug on broadcasting the National Anthem at all to ensure that player protests would no longer have a forum. Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing, for instance, is furious with Fox for taking away the players’ forum to protest against the country, especially because it will cut off a way to attack Donald Trump. Yoder slammed Fox saying, “it’s impossible to go back to a normal schedule now when the NFL and its athletes are in the middle of a culture war with the sitting President of the United States. “The anthem will be a huge story this week and likely will be throughout the remainder of the season as well,” the Awful Announcing writer insisted. Clearly, Yoder and his liberal media pals want the turmoil to continue, want fans enraged even more, and want to give players who hate the country a platform to announce it to the world. Yet, Yoder fails to realize something crucial to the equation: Fox didn’t decide to not air the anthem in order to sabotage the athletes in their “culture war” with President Trump. They decided to not air the anthem because the athletes have already lost the culture war with Donald Trump. A fact that’s been driven home in a recent national survey which showed, not just how wildly unpopular the NFL protests have become, but also that most Americans agree with the president. If the athletes had won the battle of public opinion, and most Americans were either supportive or neutral to their cause, then the networks wouldn’t hesitate to show it. However, the athletes lost the battle over public opinion, bigly. Which is why many teams are beginning to abandon the protest movement. Remember, despite the claim that these protests are not against the flag, the country, or our soldiers, that is absolutely not what the instigator of these protests said. In his own words, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick specifically said that his protests were a stand against the U.S.A. This is what Kaepernick said of his protests last August: I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder In his own words, he told us he couldn’t stand up for the flag or the country. So, don’t fall for the revisionism. These protests are set to occur during the song that pays homage to this great nation, and the inventor of the protests was counting on just that to erect the platform for his stand against the United States of America. source
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Oct 1, 2017 22:56:35 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Oct 1, 2017 22:56:35 GMT
redstatewatcher.com/article.asp?id=97520 9/30/17
Bob Costas has advice for the kneelers!
Please share and comment.
Bob Costas has a suggestion for the kneelers out there, wait until after the anthem.
washingtonexaminer.com reports: NBC Sports commentator Bob Costas has a suggestion for athletes who want to protest: Stand for the national anthem then take a knee.
Speaking to CNN's Michael Smerconish on Saturday, Costas offered his "humble suggestion" as a " fortunate white man" to who he said were primarily African-American citizens involved in the protests.
"The idea of linking protests, no matter how legitimate the issue you are protesting, directly to the national anthem is not just offensive to the love it or leave it crowd," Costas said. "It actually causes ambivalent feelings, at best, among many people who are sympathetic to the issue, but see the anthem as representing a lot of different things including the country's ideals and aspirations. So, to me, perhaps the most effective thing to do would be to stand for the national anthem, but the second the last note is struck, take a knee."
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Oct 2, 2017 1:07:52 GMT
Post by hebrews1135 on Oct 2, 2017 1:07:52 GMT
truthfeednews.com/breaking-video-did-the-49ers-just-pay-tribute-to-colin-kaepernick/BREAKING VIDEO: Did the 49ers Just Pay Tribute to Colin Kaepernick?Breaking News By truthfeednews October 1, 2017 Well Colin Kaepernick is no longer with the San Francisco 49ers but that did not stop them from many of them taking a knee. Was this a tribute to Colin? Truly sad and disgraceful. Kyle Griffin ✔ @kylegriffin1 Several 49ers players knelt for the national anthem this afternoon. (via 49ers) 4:35 PM - Oct 1, 2017
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