Trump: NFL should fire players who kneel during anthem

[GeorgiaModerate]

Basically, the President is calling for a private employer to fire employees for political views that he doesn't like.

If any other President (R or D) had done this, what would the reaction have been?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Trump is literally everything the right falsely accused President Obama of being.

Nah.  He's neither a Muslim nor born in Kenya.

[GeorgiaModerate]

If you do something as controversial as not stand for the national anthem and draw that kind of attention to yourself, you should at least prove that you're good enough for owners to overlook the distraction. Signing Kaepernick is not worth the controversy he brings because he's not good enough.

He led his team to a Super Bowl one year and an NFC championship another year. But yeah he's not good enough to start over Brian Hoyer.

Yeah and last year he led his team to a 2-14 record.

To be fair, last year's 49ers would have terrible with any quarterback.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The NFL is going to die.  Too bad.  Shouldn't have disrespected our country.

The NFL will still be popular long after Trump is out of office.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Why even have the anthem at a game in the first place? We don't in the UK.

I’ve never understood it. Do people forget what country they’re in?

I'd be quite happy with no anthem at sporting events, and no Pledge of Allegiance in schools either.  Mass displays of patriotism are the hallmark of an authoritarian country, not a free one.  Loyalty and patriotism can't be imposed from outside (and social/peer pressure is a form of imposition).  They have to be earned by the state, and come from a person's convictions.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Do they still play the US anthem at the NFL games held in London?

Yes.  Some of the players in today's Ravens-Jaguars game knelt during it.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I'm watching the Falcons-Lions game, and the anthem singer took a knee after finishing it.  (He did a nice job singing it, too.)

[GeorgiaModerate]

No one forced Collin Caepernick to make himself toxic.

I'm still not seeing how what Kaepernick did was so toxic, but the NFL and it's fans have absolutely no problem with this:

https://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/arrests/

Still sounds like there are significantly more important things to be worried about when it comes to who should be allowed to keep their jobs.

I personally don't have a problem with what Kaepernick did, but I do know that every single NFL fan I know bar one is extremely angry with him. I'm curious to know how many of them are going to quit watching football period after today.

I doubt this will harm the NFL at all.  It will blow over shortly, just like other times where Trump has  stirred up controversy.