NFL anthem controversy

I've been thinking a lot today about the controversy surrounding the protests of the national anthem at NFL games and feel the need to let some of what I am feeling off of my chest. Please understand that I love the United States of America. It is a wonderful country of opportunity and provides one of the highest standards of living in the world. I've lived in a third world country and I've seen first hand the crushing poverty that many people live with every day throughout the world. I'm grateful and feel blessed to live in the USA. But I'm also not blind to the mistakes this country has made. I'm not blind to the injustices that many still face. I grew up white in one of the safest parts of the country and live there again today. I don't know what it's like to fear for my life walking home from school or work. I don't know what it's like to worry if I'm going to be shot if I get pulled over by police. But many people in this country do. And many of them play professional football.

These protests are not about disrespecting the military. They are about bringing awareness to the injustices that they see in this country. Many people say they should protest in another manner - perhaps. I agree it may not be the best way to do it. But it has garnered attention. It has made their voices heard - if only we would actually listen to what they are trying to say instead of just focusing on their "disrespect" of the flag. Maybe they feel this is the only way to be heard. Only a handful of protests were still happening until the president began his usual Twitter tirade. Yesterday's protests were a response against him. Can we please stop talking about how our employers would fire us if we didn't stand? How many of us have jobs that require us to stand for the national anthem before work? Firing somebody for such a thing would be illegal - it's a violation of our constitutional rights. We don't force children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance (at least we shouldn't) and nobody should be forced to stand for the national anthem. I shouldn't have to say why forced patriotism is a scary thing. It's a slippery slope. I will always stand for the national anthem, but I respect the right of those who don't, for whatever reason.

I feel fairly confident that nearly all of the players in the NFL have some sort of connection to a veteran of the United States military. They love and respect our military and veterans; as I've previously stated, that is not what this is about. Some may take it as disrespectful and that's fine. That is their right. But I have read many comments from veterans over the last few days who support these players' right to protest. They fought for that right, and many have watched buddies die for that right. Many veterans may feel the opposite. I understand that and respect that as well and I am grateful for all veterans' service. My father and father-in-law both served in the military and I thank them.

I hope that this can lead to better discussions about how to solve these issues rather than continue to bicker about them and divide us even further. Unfortunately we have a president who seems to want nothing more than try to divide us. We need to ignore his childish antics and work together to make this country and world a better place for all of us to live in. It would be nice if he would focus on the real issues at hand - natural disasters taking a toll on our own country (yes, Mr. Trump, even though they speak Spanish in Puerto Rico, it is part of the United States), three earthquakes in Mexico that have devastated our neighbor to the south, another church shooting, looming war with North Korea and too many other things to list. But I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

Many will likely disagree with me about this and that's fine. I will NOT be boycotting the NFL. Of the countless sports teams out there, there is only one I am passionate about. That is the Denver Broncos. I have been a fan since my childhood in the mid 1980s and I will never stop loving them. Brandon Marshall protested last year and while I didn't necessarily agree with it, I respected his right to do so. Brandon made efforts to reach out to the Denver Police Department and have discussions about how to fix the problems these players are seeing. I admire him for that. I will continue to respect the right these players have to stand up (or take a knee) to make their voices heard.