SconnieOC
Junior Member
Just here to learn the facemelter
Posts: 408
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Post by SconnieOC on Sept 12, 2017 6:57:09 GMT -6
Last year we had a couple of guys do it. They came to our HC and gave reasons why they were going to do it (one kid had actually experienced some pretty rough stuff). They were told that was fine, as long as it wasn't a distraction. We never acknowledged it in a team setting. Some guys didn't like it.. the first time some jack-knob parent yelled at them.. They did it for one more game, and after that, they stopped. We didn't give it attention, when kids brought it up to us, we said its their right, and be respectful.
Point being... they didn't get attention and they stopped. When people blow it up, it makes dumb stubborn 16-17 yr olds more dumb and stubborn. Do you guys remember a few years (maybe even 10) there was a female college basketball player who was turning away from the flag because her dad was KIA..? That was a big deal for like a day, and then everyone moved on. If people wouldn't react negatively to this, focus on themselves, it may not completely go away.. but it wouldn't be a big deal, and it would trend downwards.
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Post by 44dlcoach on Sept 12, 2017 8:25:45 GMT -6
To echo coachd5085 it's funny how kneeling is respectful in some settings but cinsidered total disrespect at a different time in the same setting. Go coach youth football or even lower level HS football and tell your kids not to kneel when an injury happens. See how long before somebody starts yelling to "show some class" or "show some respect". I promise you won't be waiting long.
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Post by PSS on Sept 12, 2017 8:26:57 GMT -6
A kid doesn't have a right to play, so benching them violates no law. And no, I wouldn't bench a kid that refuses to pray. I wouldn't hold team prayer if I were the head coach. But that's a different issue anyways. One is allowing kids to have different religious beliefs. The other is about respect. You can at least stand for the anthem and still be anti-whatever. The two are unrelated. But that's also the thing. I can't stop them from kneeling. But I can exercise my right to choose who I want representing my team. I also look at it from a recruiting aspect. If potential athletes' parents see my guys kneeling... in West Virginia, those potential players would be going elsewhere If you are coaching at a public school, your arguments aren't going to hold up. Try using that "a kid doesn't have a right to play" defense when you're sitting on the witness stand. You don't have the right to force your political views on a kid any more than you have the right to enforce your religious views. Truth is, if you kick a kid off for this, you won't have to let us know. Someone else will share the link to the news article about it. Extracurricular activities are not a right. usedulaw.com/285-extracurricular-activities-law-and-policy.htmlI know where everyone is coming up with "violating their rights". Extracurricular activities are a privilege and those participating can be held to a higher standard. This is why we are able to drug test everyone in extracurricular activities but not the general student population.
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Post by silkyice on Sept 12, 2017 9:04:44 GMT -6
To echo coachd5085 it's funny how kneeling is respectful in some settings but cinsidered total disrespect at a different time in the same setting. Go coach youth football or even lower level HS football and tell your kids not to kneel when an injury happens. See how long before somebody starts yelling to "show some class" or "show some respect". I promise you won't be waiting long. This is completely true, but it is understandable. The assumption when the national anthem is played is that you are sitting down (watching a game), therefore, by standing up you are respectful because you are changing what you do. The assumption when someone gets hurt is that you are standing (playing the game), therefore, by kneeling you are respectful because you change what you do. I know you already knew that, but just wanted to clarify.
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Post by coacht65 on Sept 12, 2017 9:44:26 GMT -6
If you are coaching at a public school, your arguments aren't going to hold up. Try using that "a kid doesn't have a right to play" defense when you're sitting on the witness stand. You don't have the right to force your political views on a kid any more than you have the right to enforce your religious views. Truth is, if you kick a kid off for this, you won't have to let us know. Someone else will share the link to the news article about it. Extracurricular activities are not a right. usedulaw.com/285-extracurricular-activities-law-and-policy.htmlI know where everyone is coming up with "violating their rights". Extracurricular activities are a privilege and those participating can be held to a higher standard. This is why we are able to drug test everyone in extracurricular activities but not the general student population. That article has to do with drug testing. There is no constitutionally protected right to take drugs. Political speech, however, is afforded the highest protection available under the constitution (strict scrutiny), and generally can only be abridged in a public forum under limited circumstances. Basically, you would have to argue that kneeling was disruptive to public order or endangered the safety of the public or harmed the property. Good luck with that.
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Post by **** on Sept 12, 2017 9:57:38 GMT -6
I might be wrong but I have yet to see, or hear about a college kid taking a knee for the anthem.
Wonder how some of those coaches are addressing this.
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Post by silkyice on Sept 12, 2017 10:03:28 GMT -6
I might be wrong but I have yet to see, or hear about a college kid taking a knee for the anthem. Wonder how some of those coaches are addressing this. SCHOLARSHIPS
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Post by coacht65 on Sept 12, 2017 10:06:19 GMT -6
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Post by natenator on Sept 12, 2017 10:14:47 GMT -6
I get a kick out of Americans who scream about the land of the free and home of the brave but then will ostracize a person who exercises their first amendment right because it doesn't align with their own beliefs or values.
How do you, in good faith, stand for the Anthem when you try to subvert constitutional rights and discriminate against another for doing what is afforded to them by people who fought and died for those rights?
ACLU lawyer: Did Johnny typically play on game day? Keep in mind there is video evidence available. Coach: Yes ACLU lawyer: Did Johnny do something during practice that would have caused him to not play on the date in question? Coach: Yes, he did X (insert some made up BS) ACLU lawyer: So if we call all players to the stand to ask if they have ever done X during practice they will all say they were also benched for a game? Coach: No. ACLU lawyer: So other players were not benched for doing similar in practice but Johnny was? Coach: uhh yes. ACLU lawyer: Then why did you bench Johnny and not allow him to play in the game on the date in question? Coach: Uhhhhh ummmm
Yeah, good luck with that one.
Better hope the kid isn't a player either because it can be argued in a civil action later on that you jeopardized his chances playing at the next level by sitting him out for no other reason that you didn't agree with his first amendment choices.
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Post by PSS on Sept 12, 2017 10:16:24 GMT -6
Extracurricular activities are not a right. usedulaw.com/285-extracurricular-activities-law-and-policy.htmlI know where everyone is coming up with "violating their rights". Extracurricular activities are a privilege and those participating can be held to a higher standard. This is why we are able to drug test everyone in extracurricular activities but not the general student population. That article has to do with drug testing. There is no constitutionally protected right to take drugs. Political speech, however, is afforded the highest protection available under the constitution (strict scrutiny), and generally can only be abridged in a public forum under limited circumstances. Basically, you would have to argue that kneeling was disruptive to public order or endangered the safety of the public or harmed the property. Good luck with that. Abstract: The First Amendment speech rights of public school students engaged in extracurricular activities occupy a doctrinal no-man’s land between individual expression and a government-controlled curriculum. Applying Supreme Court precedent, courts tend to characterize extracurricular student speech as either individual speech under Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District or “school-sponsored” speech under Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. More recently, some courts have analogized students to government employees, particularly when school officials “forecast” that speech will be disruptive. Voluntary, extracurricular activities, and student speech within those activities, play essential roles in education. Applying a forecast of disruption standard, however, to student extracurricular speech shifts the burden from schools to students to show that speech is not disruptive. As a result, the forecast of disruption standard may condition student participation on giving up free speech rights, contrary to schools’ educational missions. This Note proposes requiring school officials relying on a forecast of disruption to punish student speech to demonstrate that the disruption materially and substantially interferes with the educational goal of the particular extracurricular activity. bclawreview.org/review/53_1/08_zeide/
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Post by coacht65 on Sept 12, 2017 10:47:11 GMT -6
That article has to do with drug testing. There is no constitutionally protected right to take drugs. Political speech, however, is afforded the highest protection available under the constitution (strict scrutiny), and generally can only be abridged in a public forum under limited circumstances. Basically, you would have to argue that kneeling was disruptive to public order or endangered the safety of the public or harmed the property. Good luck with that. Abstract: The First Amendment speech rights of public school students engaged in extracurricular activities occupy a doctrinal no-man’s land between individual expression and a government-controlled curriculum. Applying Supreme Court precedent, courts tend to characterize extracurricular student speech as either individual speech under Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District or “school-sponsored” speech under Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. More recently, some courts have analogized students to government employees, particularly when school officials “forecast” that speech will be disruptive. Voluntary, extracurricular activities, and student speech within those activities, play essential roles in education. Applying a forecast of disruption standard, however, to student extracurricular speech shifts the burden from schools to students to show that speech is not disruptive. As a result, the forecast of disruption standard may condition student participation on giving up free speech rights, contrary to schools’ educational missions. This Note proposes requiring school officials relying on a forecast of disruption to punish student speech to demonstrate that the disruption materially and substantially interferes with the educational goal of the particular extracurricular activity. bclawreview.org/review/53_1/08_zeide/That is a really good law review note. Directly on point to this discussion - thanks for finding it. Worth reading the whole thing if you are so inclined. The case law it cites supports the idea that this is a closer issue than I thought. That said, the school would have to show that a player taking a knee was a "substantial potential disruption" to the extracurricular activity. The closest case is that of a cheerleader who was removed from the team for refusing to cheer for a player that she alleges had assaulted her (as an aside, what the heck were the school admins thinking???). The court found, surprisingly to me, that the school had the right to remove her because she was failing to perform a core duty of the activity, cheer. While her speech (or lack of speech) was arguably protected speech, the school successfully argued that it was a substantial disruption to the extra-curricular activity because she was not cheering as directed. So, is taking a knee during the anthem a "substantial disruption" to a football game? That seems like a tall hill to climb. But I guess you could take your chances and try to make that argument if you choose to stop your players from expressing themselves in that manner. But why buy yourself that potential trouble?
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Post by RuningOutOfOptions on Sept 12, 2017 10:53:01 GMT -6
Are we not selling them a bit short? Sure you can make sure that the kids understand what they are kneeling/sitting for before letting them do it, which I believe is a good solution.
I just believe that as a white male I can never say what an african american say or do in protest to systematic racism that I will never face, therefore can not understand his point of view. Same goes for sexism against women.
You can call my a heart bleeding liberal, but that is my view of the matter.
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Post by coachtuck on Sept 12, 2017 11:48:20 GMT -6
Are we not selling them a bit short? Sure you can make sure that the kids understand what they are kneeling/sitting for before letting them do it, which I believe is a good solution. I just believe that as a white male I can never say what an african american say or do in protest to systematic racism that I will never face, therefore can not understand his point of view. Same goes for sexism against women. You can call my a heart bleeding liberal, but that is my view of the matter. The problem is that we always sell these kids too short and then either don’t know how they feel or what they’re talking about but because what they’re talking about or doing xyz for whatever reason doesn’t sparkle with what we believe in, grew up with or relate to its wrong Not many people know how it feels to have people assume you don’t have a dad, or people hold certain expectations or standards based on things they assume but it’s always the negative things, a lot of these kids have either covertly or out right chitted on to the point where they see life differently, react to others differently, our jobs as adults not just coaches isn’t to bash them or force them into my way or the highway but try to understand them and help them air out their grievances peacefully if it’s taking a knee take one as long as it isn’t a flashy “here I am” deal but to tell a kid that you have to respect something that for 300+ years hasn’t made you or anyone like you feel a part of it unless it’s convienient for them is disrespectful to those kids, oh yeah your American as long as you stand and do as we do but as soon as you don’t your just the Mexican kid again please
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2017 11:53:29 GMT -6
Real question though, why do they play the national anthem before every game? They don't play it before a movie, play, dance, recital, etc. What makes a sporting event so special that they MUST play the national anthem before kickoff, first pitch, tip off, face off, etc? To me it is really an overhyped sense of nationalism. I love this country, it has afforded me all of the opportunities that I have had my entire life, but my sense of loyalty hasn't changed since last Friday night, nor has it changed since this morning when we were forced to get up and recite the pledge of allegiance...
This would have made a helluva 500th post, instead it is post #499 for me...gonna have to find another soap box to stand on for the big Five-Zero-Zero!
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Post by huddlehut on Sept 12, 2017 12:41:23 GMT -6
If a young man was to play on Friday nights, he had better not take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Our players will stand, if for no other reason than to show their respect for those in our community who have served in the armed forces. I cannot believe the passivity and hypocrisy of so many coaches on this board. Furthermore, I cannot believe that any of you support what "Kap" does and says! For those of you worried about a lawsuit, how do you enforce any of the other expectations that you have for your players? That's a cop-out! You just don't want to upset your snowflakes! Be a leader. Teach your athletes to respect the flag. They live in the greatest country in the world!
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Post by coachcb on Sept 12, 2017 12:45:41 GMT -6
I would bench the kid and tell him exactly why. They are entitled to their beliefs but they are not entitled to use the team or a school function as a soap box for those beliefs. If they fire me, they fire me. The team doesn't need that kind of distraction and I wouldn't tolerate it. This has nothing to do with my own personal beliefs. It has everything to do with being a part of a TEAM and not abusing that privilege.
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Post by RuningOutOfOptions on Sept 12, 2017 12:45:52 GMT -6
If a young man was to play on Friday nights, he had better not take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Or players will stand, if for no other reason than to show their respect for those in our community who have served in the armed forces. I cannot believe the passivity and hypocrisy of so many coaches on this board. Furthermore, I cannot believe that any of you support what "Kap" does and says! For those of you worked about a lawsuit, how do you enforce any of the other expectations that you have for your players? That's a cop-out! You just don't want to upset your snowflakes! Be a leader. Teach your athletes to respect the flag. They live in the greatest country in the world! first of the usage of the term "snowflake" is so stupid it takes away every point you are making. Of course you can support what Kap is doing if you see police brutality, racism and systematic mistreatment of African Americans in this nation. A mistreatment the rest of the world thinks is odd and sees America as a racist nation thanks to. How are they disrespecting their community, if you don't mind me asking? It always puzzles me when people say that.
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Post by wingtol on Sept 12, 2017 12:51:14 GMT -6
Real question though, why do they play the national anthem before every game? They don't play it before a movie, play, dance, recital, etc. What makes a sporting event so special that they MUST play the national anthem before kickoff, first pitch, tip off, face off, etc? To me it is really an overhyped sense of nationalism. I love this country, it has afforded me all of the opportunities that I have had my entire life, but my sense of loyalty hasn't changed since last Friday night, nor has it changed since this morning when we were forced to get up and recite the pledge of allegiance... This would have made a helluva 500th post, instead it is post #499 for me...gonna have to find another soap box to stand on for the big Five-Zero-Zero! Because.....marching bands....
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Post by huddlehut on Sept 12, 2017 12:58:43 GMT -6
If a young man was to play on Friday nights, he had better not take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Or players will stand, if for no other reason than to show their respect for those in our community who have served in the armed forces. I cannot believe the passivity and hypocrisy of so many coaches on this board. Furthermore, I cannot believe that any of you support what "Kap" does and says! For those of you worked about a lawsuit, how do you enforce any of the other expectations that you have for your players? That's a cop-out! You just don't want to upset your snowflakes! Be a leader. Teach your athletes to respect the flag. They live in the greatest country in the world! first of the usage of the term "snowflake" is so stupid it takes away every point you are making. Of course you can support what Kap is doing if you see police brutality, racism and systematic mistreatment of African Americans in this nation. A mistreatment the rest of the world thinks is odd and sees America as a racist nation thanks to. How are they disrespecting their community, if you don't mind me asking? It always puzzles me when people say that. The rest of the world? Seriously? Because the rest of the world is so wonderful? Your concerned with what the rest of the world thinks? Give me a break. Tell me where a person of any race has a better opportunity than right here. Tell me where you'd rather live than right here.
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Post by RuningOutOfOptions on Sept 12, 2017 13:04:32 GMT -6
first of the usage of the term "snowflake" is so stupid it takes away every point you are making. Of course you can support what Kap is doing if you see police brutality, racism and systematic mistreatment of African Americans in this nation. A mistreatment the rest of the world thinks is odd and sees America as a racist nation thanks to. How are they disrespecting their community, if you don't mind me asking? It always puzzles me when people say that. The rest of the world? Seriously? Because the rest of the world is so wonderful? Your concerned with what the rest of the world thinks? Give me a break. Tell me where a person of any race has a better opportunity than right here. Tell me where you'd rather live than right here. Well, people of African decent earn on average a better wage in the EU, even in nations that have a lot of bigotry like France, Spain and Italy. I love living here in the US, but I can tell you that the issues America has with racial profiling I have not seen in neither Sweden or Germany where I have lived before. The US is a great nation, but if you can't admit it's flaws it's hard to improve. As football coaches, that is a reality we all face, right?
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Post by natenator on Sept 12, 2017 13:05:21 GMT -6
I would bench the kid and tell him exactly why. They are entitled to their beliefs but they are not entitled to use the team or a school function as a soap box for those beliefs. If they fire me, they fire me. The team doesn't need that kind of distraction and I wouldn't tolerate it. This has nothing to do with my own personal beliefs. It has everything to do with being a part of a TEAM and not abusing that privilege. Rookie initiations used to be part of being part of a TEAM as well. Would you have benched a kid who chose not to participate in an initiation?
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Post by PSS on Sept 12, 2017 13:05:29 GMT -6
If a young man was to play on Friday nights, he had better not take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Or players will stand, if for no other reason than to show their respect for those in our community who have served in the armed forces. I cannot believe the passivity and hypocrisy of so many coaches on this board. Furthermore, I cannot believe that any of you support what "Kap" does and says! For those of you worked about a lawsuit, how do you enforce any of the other expectations that you have for your players? That's a cop-out! You just don't want to upset your snowflakes! Be a leader. Teach your athletes to respect the flag. They live in the greatest country in the world! first of the usage of the term "snowflake" is so stupid it takes away every point you are making. Of course you can support what Kap is doing if you see police brutality, racism and systematic mistreatment of African Americans in this nation. A mistreatment the rest of the world thinks is odd and sees America as a racist nation thanks to. How are they disrespecting their community, if you don't mind me asking? It always puzzles me when people say that. Kap is wrong and deserves what is happening to him. Instead of using his platform as a professional player to educate and get legislation moving to address these issues. Instead, he takes a knee and dishonors every person that has ever taken the Oath to defend our country. A lot of good it has done for him or the social injustice. The same goes for the ones that are doing it this year. As far as disrespecting their community, the school represent's the community. The school's team represent's the school. The team then represent's the community. Thus taking a knee show's that the team disrespects the community members that are serving and have served.
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Post by coacht65 on Sept 12, 2017 13:06:35 GMT -6
If a young man was to play on Friday nights, he had better not take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Our players will stand, if for no other reason than to show their respect for those in our community who have served in the armed forces. I cannot believe the passivity and hypocrisy of so many coaches on this board. Furthermore, I cannot believe that any of you support what "Kap" does and says! For those of you worried about a lawsuit, how do you enforce any of the other expectations that you have for your players? That's a cop-out! You just don't want to upset your snowflakes! Be a leader. Teach your athletes to respect the flag. They live in the greatest country in the world! Just to be clear, I would support a member of my team doing this. It is not a reflection or disparagement of anyone who has served. It is a social commentary on the disparate treatment experienced by minorities and marginalized groups. The only "snowflakes" (I hate that term) I see are the ones that think their team, country and manhood are somehow negatively I mpacted by someone doing this. Just because we are the greatest country in the world, does not mean we cannot be a better one. Pretty sure Saban doesn't win a championship and then decide there is nothing to improve.
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Post by RuningOutOfOptions on Sept 12, 2017 13:07:06 GMT -6
first of the usage of the term "snowflake" is so stupid it takes away every point you are making. Of course you can support what Kap is doing if you see police brutality, racism and systematic mistreatment of African Americans in this nation. A mistreatment the rest of the world thinks is odd and sees America as a racist nation thanks to. How are they disrespecting their community, if you don't mind me asking? It always puzzles me when people say that. Kap is wrong and deserves what is happening to him. Instead of using his platform as a professional player to educate and get legislation moving to address these issues. Instead, he takes a knee and dishonors every person that has ever taken the Oath to defend our country. A lot of good it has done for him or the social injustice. The same goes for the ones that are doing it this year. As far as disrespecting their community, the school represent's the community. The school's team represent's the school. The team then represent's the community. Thus taking a knee show's that the team disrespects the community members that are serving and have served. I understand the schools relationship to the community, but where does the taking of the knee become disrespectful? is it the message behind it or the act?
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Post by natenator on Sept 12, 2017 13:09:47 GMT -6
They live in the greatest country in the world! By what metric do you use to quantify such rhetoric?
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Post by 53 on Sept 12, 2017 13:15:29 GMT -6
The rest of the world? Seriously? Because the rest of the world is so wonderful? Your concerned with what the rest of the world thinks? Give me a break. Tell me where a person of any race has a better opportunity than right here. Tell me where you'd rather live than right here. Well, people of African decent earn on average a better wage in the EU, even in nations that have a lot of bigotry like France, Spain and Italy. I love living here in the US, but I can tell you that the issues America has with racial profiling I have not seen in neither Sweden or Germany where I have lived before. The US is a great nation, but if you can't admit it's flaws it's hard to improve. As football coaches, that is a reality we all face, right? That's a way bigger issue than just racism though. We have our issues but I don't think we're going backwards as a society. Americans of African decent that lives in a two parent household has a lower chance of living in poverty than white Americans.
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Post by RuningOutOfOptions on Sept 12, 2017 13:21:13 GMT -6
I believe that Admin will agree me on this: This is a heated discussion with a lot of feelings are this issue. Can we agree to be civilized and not use derogatory terms. This is an important issue, I believe that if we stick to facts and be respectful it will be a lot easier and more productive for us all.
I can understand if you believe the player just wants attention it's wrong, I believe so as well. But if they can say: "this is why I'm taking a knee" you can actually have a productive discussion that both you and the player can learn from.
We are all here to get better as coaches, let's put that above anything else.
Side note: I am not born in America, I am raised in the woods of Sweden essentially. If you believe I can't bring anything to the discussion since I have not lived in the US for longer than I have, I will remove myself from the discussion.
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Post by tothehouse on Sept 12, 2017 13:23:47 GMT -6
The NFL guys are doing it because the cameras are on them. Why are HS kids doing it? Nobody but mom and dad and a few students see it.
My point is...sure you might feel like doing something because you're oppressed or something else, but turn that into a positive by doing something off the field instead of drawing attention to yourself.
Some of you have mentioned that some of your players have gone through some things that make them kneel. Does anyone but the people in the stands that know him...know this?
Maybe the kneelers can start a club on campus and figure out a way to get their message out that way.
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Post by NC1974 on Sept 12, 2017 13:31:15 GMT -6
If a young man was to play on Friday nights, he had better not take a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Our players will stand, if for no other reason than to show their respect for those in our community who have served in the armed forces. I cannot believe the passivity and hypocrisy of so many coaches on this board. Furthermore, I cannot believe that any of you support what "Kap" does and says! For those of you worried about a lawsuit, how do you enforce any of the other expectations that you have for your players? That's a cop-out! You just don't want to upset your snowflakes! Be a leader. Teach your athletes to respect the flag. They live in the greatest country in the world! Huddlehut, Just speaking for myself, if I ever allowed a kid to kneel, it wouldn't be for fear of a lawsuit. It would be in the spirit of trying to understand my athlete's life experience, perspective and in trying to support him in doing what he feels is right. You have accused many of us on this board for being passive. One might turn around and accuse you of being ignorant of many kids life experiences and myopic in the view that there is only one way to act during the anthem I wonder how a 15/16 yr old kid would look back on this scenario 10-20 yrs down the road. A) I felt strongly about taking a knee but coach told me I'm a snowflake and I need to stand, and I have never ever questioned anything about our society ever again. B) I felt strongly about taking a knee. Coach talked with me about the pros and cons of taking part in such an act, asked me to think hard if I really felt this strongly, asked me to consider all the possible consequences, and then in the end said he would support my decision as long as I acted in a respectful manner. My guess is kid B is going to have much more of an appreciation for this democracy and our flag and the rights it represents down the road.
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Post by RuningOutOfOptions on Sept 12, 2017 13:33:46 GMT -6
Well, people of African decent earn on average a better wage in the EU, even in nations that have a lot of bigotry like France, Spain and Italy. I love living here in the US, but I can tell you that the issues America has with racial profiling I have not seen in neither Sweden or Germany where I have lived before. The US is a great nation, but if you can't admit it's flaws it's hard to improve. As football coaches, that is a reality we all face, right? That's a way bigger issue than just racism though. We have our issues but I don't think we're going backwards as a society. Americans of African decent that lives in a two parent household has a lower chance of living in poverty than white Americans. If you compare Caucasian American that lives in a two parent household to African American from two parent household, is that still true then? tothehouse: So we decide how somebody feeling oppressed protests? Doesn't that take away the meaning of the protest and lead down a pretty slippery slope? Do you believe we also should ban burning of crosses, making Nazi gestures and associating with the KKK? If you do, I respect your point, otherwise I believe in my own opinion that it can be handled better. I also believe that if you try to ban this way of protesting, the people who wants to protest will find another way. They are choosing to kneel because it is getting attention. Kap is never playing in the NFL (I believe he was a mediocre quarterback that would be out of the league on 2 years either way because of the way he plays), but thanks to all the attention he is getting from people getting upset with him, he is achieving his goal. Media danced to his tune and I believe he is as happy as a cucumber.
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