. . . from Larry over at Virtual Mirage.
There are remedies to the grievances that the black players have. One of the first would be for the NFL to mandate 100 hours of off-season police ride-alongs for each multimillionaire football player. If you don’t like the police, walk in their shoes.
There’s more at the link.
I think that’s an excellent idea. I’d go further. I’d make the aggrieved players do their ride-alongs in neighborhoods that would normally be hostile to someone of their race. For example, let’s say you have a black NFL player who grew up in inner-city neighborhoods dominated by the Crips or the Bloods, and who supports Black Lives Matter. OK – let him ride along with the police for a hundred hours in a barrio dominated by MS-13, and whose people support Mecha or a similar organization. The police might not like that, of course, because they’d have to keep the local (or should that be loco?) gang-bangers off him (since they don’t like other races either), but it would sure be educational for him! He might learn how tough it is for police to maintain law and order among groups that have little use for either.
Peter
I agree. Any one who thinks that ALL LEOs have a tendency to commit violence on citizens should take a ride along, just to be more informed before they make a decision. LEOs see the worst in our society – its time we all saw that to gain a better understanding of what being a LEO entails. It isn't all donuts while parked beside the road.
We're talking about a group of guys with the collective IQ of a parrot. Most of whom are so dumb that they would be breaking rocks in prison were they not playing sports ball.
It's virtue signalling by idiots. Screw the NFL.
They are employees and (barely) entertainers, engaged in banal activities. I say give them nothing, and particularly not respect for their moronic low life behavior. (You obtain more of what you subsidize, less of what you penalize.)
The duty of the police is not to “serve and protect”, said fact being articulated in multiple SCOTUS decisions. Their duty is to enforce the law.
Do not like the law? Address your legislators, those who create laws, not those who as a society we command to enforce the law.
I disagree with the the intelligence level of football players, and I also take issue with the use of "sports ball." No need to stoop to name-calling and denigration of the players and the sport, just because we may have a difference of opinion with them. While they may not be rocket scientists, it does take a certain level of intelligence to be able to understand, memorize, and execute the often very-complex plays that are run these days.
That said, I agree with the idea of ride-alongs. I'd go further, and suggest they go through shoot/don't-shoot training, and see just what it's like to be in that kind of situation. I understand that most who thought it was all so easy come out of that training with a new appreciation for just how difficult it is to handle situations like that, and just how quickly a decision has to be made.
Brilliant idea!
Not sure where this NFL disaster is going.
1. Allow players to kneel – upsetting fans.
2. Staying in locker room – upsets fans
3. Doing kneel everyone before anthem, then all stand was bood. Trump stated step in right direction.
4. Old solution was allow some to stay in locker room during anthem, but league in Obama admin changed this.
5. New idea of have people in stand hold hands as sign of unity.
Ray, how about we end the season now, give the title to either the Packers or the Texans [what? I'm making this up, I get to call the shots, OK?] via coin toss, and we spend the ad and ticket money on something worth while, like, oh, the Working Ranch Rodeo series, or international fencing [saber FTW!], or jousting, or Prix St. George dressage, or Ultimate Frisbee? 😉
LittleRed1
I dunno… kneeling, IMHO, is more "submissive" than standing at attention with your hand over your heart. I'd rather see 'em kneel to the flag and anthem than just sit there.