The NFL, again
Re “Trump calls for suspending NFL players,” Aug. 11
President Trump’s tweets about firing or suspending National Football League players who kneel during the national anthem are just more red meat for his rural base. With the midterm election approaching, everything Trump does now is about holding on to power. His recent attacks on “spoiled” NFL players and racially charged tweets regarding the intelligence of LeBron James and journalist Don Lemon fan the flames of racism.
Also, NFL players can hardly be labeled spoiled when the average career is less than four years and is usually shortened by injuries.
When these African American athletes exercise their 1st Amendment right to protest for causes that they have probably had personal experience with, they are causing disruptions to two powerful interests: pro football and the military industrial complex. They are alienating patriotic NFL fans who believe that the players are disrespecting the military, flag and country, potentially costing the league money if people desert the sport.
The athletes are also throwing a small wrench into the military industrial complex, which uses the NFL to encourage young people to join the armed forces. By taking a knee, the players are not taking part in the patriotic rituals that many of us middle-class Americans unquestioningly support.
Jeff Lough
Whittier