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Al Jazeera reports
The National Football League (NFL) announced a new policy that will fine teams an undetermined amount if players on the field fail to stand during the national anthem.
[...] The new policy does not require players be present during the anthem, allowing those who wish to protest and not attend the ceremonial act to remain in the locker room.
Players said they were not consulted and threatened to challenge the policy in the courts. A statement by the NFL Players Association said its athletes had shown ample patriotism by way of their social activism and community support initiatives.
[...] New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson said he supported the measure out of obligation to the membership, but said players can take a knee or perform another type of protest without fear of repercussion from the team. He will pay their fines.
"If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organisation, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players," Johnson said.
New York Magazine notes
The monetary risk to Johnson isn't huge, since no Jets players took a knee last season. [...] Johnson is currently acting as owner of the team while his brother, Woody Johnson, serves as Trump's ambassador to Britain.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Saturday May 26 2018, @11:52AM (8 children)
The connection between American football, traumatic brain injuries and suicides is pretty well known and the sport just keeps on going, without many rule changes (that would make it more boring).
You know what we should do? Officially replace the national anthem with Lee Greenwood's God Bless the U.S.A. And have it playing on the drones we use to bomb the next country on the list.
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(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 26 2018, @01:41PM (3 children)
It's a political problem. Sports' rules and organization represent the social structure of the societies that play them. Reducing the requirement of defensive gear will lower the entry bar for lower-income cities thus making the game more "democratic". You see a similar effect regarding game play length: Cricket is practiced in countries with a rigid class system that only the richest and most powerful can truly enjoy and practice. Soccer is found in parliamentary democracies where it's enough to devote a couple of hours a week to the game to be considered a loyal fan. Baseball and Football are in-between as they require working in an industry that lets you drop everything once a week for half a day and compete with Church attendance. Basketball is, time wise, the least committing sport perfect for lower-classes. Of course, this also works with what kind and what degree of physical talent / skill training the sport requires, the ownership and management model of the teams, the judicial hierarchy and referees, etc...
Once you put it altogether you'll start realizing a lot of the oddities about why sports are played the way they are in the places they are played. Of course, you might start hating certain sports when you realize how they brainwash people into accepting certain not-so-democratic rules and refereeing...
(Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Saturday May 26 2018, @03:14PM (2 children)
I'd argue the time commitment for soccer is equal to or even less than the one for basketball.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 26 2018, @06:41PM (1 child)
Basketball games are typically scheduled after working hours throughout the week with 2-3 matches a week per team. Soccer games are typically restricted to the weekends and are almost entirely limited to one match a week per team.
So, basketball demographics is people who work 7 days a week while soccer is people who work 5 days a week. That's to say, factory workers versus office workers. Which, I would argue, is a class divide in most countries.
Oh, and doctors and engineers are the exception that proves the rule as not being the target demographics or a numerically significant part of society. Or as the comedian shouted upon witnessing the solemn faces at the 3rd congress on otorhinolaryngology: "You're not my audience!".
(Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Tuesday May 29 2018, @06:04PM
Where did you get those stats? Soccer games happen all week long.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday May 26 2018, @04:51PM (1 child)
Yes, and boxing is still a thing as well. Funny that, people would be willing to be paid tens of millions of dollars a year to play a rough sport.
But now something more informative - ten or so years ago, hanging in the locker room or otherwise doing whatever during the anthem was the norm. Then the NFL entered into a multimillion dollar advertising deal with the National Guard and all players were then required to stand for the anthem. Funny that, this whole spectacle was enabled by an advertising deal much more than it was Colin Kapernick.
The NBA, arguable the most "Black" sport in the U.S., has even stricter rules than the new football rules. I guess they understand well that people who are making tens of millions of dollars a year for tossing a goddamn ball don't have much moral standing bitching about the country that made that all possible.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Saturday May 26 2018, @07:38PM
As President, I've issued an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, posthumously, to John Arthur "Jack" Johnson -- he was known as "Jack Johnson" -- the first African American heavyweight champion of the world. A truly great fighter. Had a tough life.
They say he violated the Mann Act, and he had a conviction that occurred during a period of tremendous racial tension in the United States, more than a century ago. Johnson served 10 months in federal prison for what many view as a racially motivated injustice. He was treated very rough, very tough.
Born in 1878, in Galveston, Texas, to former slaves, Johnson overcame difficult circumstances to reach the heights of boxing. One of the greatest that ever lived. Tuly one of the greatest that ever lived. And he overcame these difficult circumstances to reach the heights of boxing in the boxing world, and inspired generations with his tenacity and a very independent spirit.
Congress has supported numerous resolutions calling for Johnson's pardon. Went through Congress numerous times. No President ever signed it, surprisingly. They thought it was going to be signed in the last administration and that didn't happen. So that was very disappointing for a lot of people.
These resolutions enjoyed widespread bipartisan support, including from the Congressional Black Caucus. The Black Caucus supported it very, very powerfully, very strongly, but they couldn't get the President to sign it. One of these resolutions passed Congress as recently as 2015.
Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion. And he was the heavyweight champion for many years. He was pretty much unbeatable.
In light of these facts, and in recognition of his historical athletic achievements and the contributions to society -- he really represented something that was both very beautiful and very terrible at the same time -- I believe that Jack Johnson is a very worthy person to receive a full pardon and, in this case, a posthumous pardon.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Sunday May 27 2018, @10:52AM (1 child)
Naah, just take it all the way and replace the Superbowl with Blood Bowl. The rules already exist, you'd make a fortune from the streaming rights, and could show those namby pamby American "footballers" how it's done.
Also, most players wouldn't live long enough for brain trauma to be an issue.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday May 27 2018, @05:08PM
I think there is a bright future for blood sport. Gladiatorial combat or MMA-on-steroids (literally?). Fighters not necessarily dying each fight, but with a decent possibility of doing so (maybe they get a payout for their families). Held in a clandestine location in a foreign country, streamed online, betting handled with cryptocurrency. We can make this happen. #YesWeCan
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