NFL players’ anthem protests further divide nation
Editor: With the increasing protests on NFL sidelines during the national anthem I am on the verge of divorcing myself from the NFL after being a lifelong fan since my teens.
Protesting the anthem, which is a tribute to our country, is disrespectful to all we stand for. Players should not publicly display their disagreement with a dysfunctional president, as he is one person and the national anthem represents much more the values and freedoms that we enjoy as Americans.
The anthem is about our beloved country and all of the sacrifices that were made to allow us to prosper. Do we have issues with unrest and diversity? Yes, but not showing solidarity on our anthem detracts from our sense of respect to our country and conveys a bad message to our enemies.
The anthem is about the free country where you live. NFL players: Please honor our country and then look to improve it. You are on a national stage and can help to unify the country as opposed to further dividing it.
Tom Cole, via email Tom: First of all, these displays are far less about the anthem than they are about the right to peacefully protest. To that end, speaking for myself here, I figure who am I, a fairly well-off white guy, to tell black men when and where and how they can protest what they see as their mistreatment?
Editor: Men need something to fight for. While coming together to fight against “police brutality” and “racial injustice” is a noble cause, I would suggest that it is not the purpose of a football team. The primary purpose is to win games.
I believe these men, specifically the Cleveland Browns players who knelt during the national anthem, have lost their way. Since winning seems like a remote possibility, as demonstrated by their 4-31 record since 2015, these players have turned to another cause.
It is clear that leadership is desperately needed to refocus this team and take it back to a greatness that hasn’t been seen in many years. Brad DeLong, Gahanna Brad: Sometimes, I suppose, some people want to identify themselves by what they stand for rather than what they do for a living.
Ray: Here’s how to stop national anthem protests: Stop playing the national anthem before sporting events.
In England, their national anthem is usually only played before international sporting events, not national sporting events.
Doug Lewis, Columbus Doug: That would solve the current kerfuffle, anyway.
Ray: Why is it a headline that UNLV got a “big payday for its efforts”? Why is the alleged amount of $1.3 million part of the story?
Everyone understands that smaller-budget schools come to Ohio Stadium to play the Buckeyes for a large payout. But why isn’t the amount that Oklahoma was paid printed? Or are they paid nothing because we made a trip to their stadium the prior year?
Why don’t you print the amount that Maryland will make by playing here? Maryland must have decided that they could make more money playing the Buckeyes every year than playing North Carolina. Same concept as UNLV — follow the money.
Singling out nonconference opponents for a payday shame is crass when the Big Ten is in it for the same reason — money.
Michael Garapic, Canal Winchester
Michael: You’re right that it’s all about money at every turn, and that the UNLVs of the world have to get it where they can. OSU paid them perhaps a bit over the going rate after North Carolina backed out. There is no cash exchange for conference opponents nor, do we believe, for games like Oklahoma.
Ray: There is much buzz about the prospect of J.T. Barrett breaking Art Schlichter’s school passing yards record this year.
Related to this, I have long been a critic of OSU scheduling cupcake teams before league play, usually putting up some pretty gaudy statistics along the way.
So far this season OSU has played Indiana, Oklahoma, Army and UNLV. Barrett’s passing yards for each of those games, respectively, are 304, 183, 270 and 209, and his touchdown passes thrown are three, zero, two and five.
Thus, statistically, it seems that Barrett’s relative greatness vs. his mediocrity seems to be weighted by the quality of his opponent, which could lead to the conclusion that his record-breaking stats were earned on the backs of subpar opponents.
Is this dynamic anomalous to OSU and a microcosm of Barrett’s career at OSU, or pretty much representative of all college football programs?
Chris Dalheim, Galena Chris: Here’s what I can tell you: Schlichter in his career faced 11 ranked teams, went 4-7 and OSU averaged 13 points per game in those games. Barrett’s numbers: 11 starts, 8-3 record, 33 points per game.