Two weeks ago a third string quarterback who was feeling pouty about not living up to the hype that was given to him two years prior decided to sit out the national anthem. This sparked a few stories and just when you thought it was going to go away gasoline somehow got poured onto the fire. Suddenly, jerseys were being burned (like you were going to ever wear those again anyway) and memes were being created (americas new favorite hobby). Now THIS is what is dividing our country. Those who “love America” and think he should leave and those who “hate America” and think the very freedoms that anthem represents allows him to be a self absorbed little punk. I know I am supposed to care…but I don’t. He stated that he was seated because of his stance on how minorities are treated in this country and I am calling bull on that one. Where has he been on this issue before? I haven’t seen him at any BLM rallies. I haven’t seen any interviews or articles written to the Journal or ESPN for that matter. He is doing what Hillary Clinton is doing and what MSNBC is doing and for that matter what Donald Trump is doing. He is using a group of people and a reasonable issue that needs to be dealt with seriously as a prop. Now, people are talking about him as a responsible civic leader and not the fact that my mother could complete more passes than he did in the last game. You may notice that I have not used his name and that will actually hurt the hits on this blog but I don’t want to give anymore glory to this entitled cry baby than I have to.
Why? Because this is stupid. As an american I have legitimate things to be outraged over. I am paying a fortune in student loans because the educational system is a wreck. We have Obamacare because we allowed the healthcare system to fail. Our family units are falling apart and those of us calling attention to it are called racists and bigots. We have CHILDREN talking about sexual identity instead of playing. We have schools that have no problem having LGBT support clubs but are scared to death to have a Christian club. We are STILL AT WAR and no one even seems to notice. For the first time in over twenty years teenage suicide rates are going up and thanks to social media keeping teens away from sexual predators is almost a full time job.
I understand that the national anthem represents something good and pure and is a way to thank the soldiers who have sacrificed for our freedoms. I understand that the disrespect is obvious but most of us couldn’t recite the national anthem without googling it. So, annoyance is an appropriate response but save your outrage for the big things. Because, when you yell at everything, no-one hears anything.
These are just my thoughts.
Sean Rheaume 