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When Celebrity Insults Patriotism

caption id=attachment_16203 align=alignleft width=500width=500 A divisive politically correct brat now unemployed/caption In our modern era of internet connectivity and 24-hour news cycles for better or worse celebrity is an instant megaphone for gaining national attention. Especially for the controversial or in former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernicks case the foolishly aggrieved. Given his upbringing in a loving household by adoptive parents a college scholarshipand per Spotrac earning $43479216 during a short-lived NFL careerone would think this manifestation of the American Dream would be the first to sing its praises. Yet this social justice warrior" instead chose to wear socks depicting little piggies wearing police hats. (How does that stunt not visually reference Black Lives Matters anarchist chant Pigs in a blanket fry em like bacon"?) Furthermore if that wasnt derogatory enough his habit of not standing during the national anthem also repeatedly violated polite sensibilities. In August of 2016 this agitator explained himself: I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way." Unfortunately that divisive example has spurred a larger movement of disrespect by NFL players that has turned off patriotic Americans from watching a previously beloved sport. Specifically Sunday Night Football is down 9 percent from last week. For context thats down 11 percent from the comparable game last year. Whether the loss of viewership will make a difference to the organization remains to be seen. In any case Mr. Kaepernick finds himself sacked for his lack of performance. Undoubtedly his juvenile antics didnt help matters either. If hes made himself odious to the league isnt the fault his own? Beyond that what has this sideshow really achieved? Colonel Nathan R. Jessep played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men" (1992) has the answer: All you did was weaken a country today Kaffee. Thats all you did. ... Sweet dreams son." Why is metaphorical defecation on the American flag the newest sport" of multimillionaire football players in the NFL? From grade school all children are taught to stand place hand over heart and salute the American flag. Thats the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiancea unifying promise to countryone nation under God. Simply put its the basis of civic responsibility and patriotism. By taking a knee (rather than standing) how is that not an act of blatant disrespect? Not to their fellow citizens per se but to generations of buried soldiers who sacrificed everything to guarantee American liberty. A case in point is President Trumps September 24 tweet: Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag we MUST honor and respect it! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" In this situation that freedom includes petulant protesters bemoaning their good fortune: being paid a kings ransom for an hour of chasing a pigskin around a manicured field of dreams. What a tough life these pampered athletes have! How they suffer" for their weekly gridiron exertions! At least 5-time Superbowl champion quarterback Tom Brady of the aptly named New England Patriots thinks so: I mean we go through a lot together theres a lot of blood sweat and tears. I dont think its easy to play this sport. I mean theres a lot of guys that sacrifice a lot." Certainly actual heroes the ones facing gunfire storming the beaches at Normandy (read: the Allied invasion codenamed Operation Neptune on D-Day: Tuesday June 6 1944) during World War IIlike our recovering wounded warriors of todaywould laugh at the absurdity of such a pretentious comparison! After all football is only a game: an artificial clash with rules and penalties. The goal is not to kill the enemy its to achieve a high score. To that end it has brightly uniformed teams adversarial elements and risk to life and limb but no weapons and medical professionals on standby. Likewise while both activities tax body vitality battlefields dont have referees timeouts or commercial interruptions. Moreover recall that the base salary for a soldier is $19198.80. Adding combat pay of $225.00 per month means another $2700. As the average professional football player earns $1.9 million annually whos exactly sacrificing a lot here Mr. Brady? (In any case certainly not he. According to Forbes Mr. Brady is the 15thhighest paid athlete in the world. With salary and endorsements he earned whopping $44 million in 2016.) What is football or any sporting event supposed to be? A lighthearted diversion from real-life stressors for the audience. So who wants polarizing leftists ruining a traditional American entertainment with their in-your-face grievance pretenses? In any other profession employees are fired for disruptive displays at the workplace on company time. Is that really what fans pay to see? And if they object why dont their feelings count? Despite the superficial liberal narrative that this is a racial" issue it is not. The only pigments involved here are red white and blue. After all the flags stars and stripes do not play favorites. They do not represent a particular class creed or color. Indeed this uniquely American symbol epitomizes everyone within her borders. Thus ironically players kneeling in a posture of submission during the national anthem are a cultural attack" on Americas foundation. Factoring in the U.S.s many legitimate challenges who needs Colin Kaepernicks growing tempest in a teapot? Who is to blame for its cascading dishonor but his muddled followers? Game day politically correct rabble-rousers with lots of money but not a lick of sense.  
 David L. Hunter is an Associate Editor at Capitol Hill Outsider. Hes on Twitter and blogs at davidlhunter.blogspot.com. He is published in The Washington Post The Washington Times FrontPage Mag and extensively in Patriot Post Canada Free Press and American Thinker.
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