[OutsiderFan]

It seems most people who care to comment on him sitting for the national anthem, think he's disrespecting the country, has no right to do it because he's an employee, and are otherwise outraged. 

Without getting into debating the reasons why he did it, how would Stanford fans react if a Stanford player or players refused to stand for the anthem? 

[OutsiderFan]

It seems most people who care to comment on him sitting for the national anthem, think he's disrespecting the country, has no right to do it because he's an employee, and are otherwise outraged. 

Without getting into debating the reasons why he did it, how would Stanford fans react if a Stanford player or players refused to stand for the anthem? 

[JohnR34231]

I suspect there would be some fans (probably the younger,more liberal ones) who wouldn't have a problem with it.

I think there would be others (probably the older, more conservative ones) who would.

(Actually there is already a debate among a few Stanford fans on Facebook over the appropriateness of Kaepernick's actions. Not surprisingly some are OK with it; some aren't)

[JohnR34231]

I suspect there would be some fans (probably the younger,more liberal ones) who wouldn't have a problem with it.

I think there would be others (probably the older, more conservative ones) who would.

(Actually there is already a debate among a few Stanford fans on Facebook over the appropriateness of Kaepernick's actions. Not surprisingly some are OK with it; some aren't)

[81alum]

I suspect there would be some fans (probably the younger,more liberal ones) who wouldn't have a problem with it.

I think there would be others (probably the older, more conservative ones) who would.

(Actually there is already a debate among a few Stanford fans on Facebook over the appropriateness of Kaepernick's actions. Not surprisingly some are OK with it; some aren't)

Yes, I think this is mostly correct.  Stanford is more politically diverse than some people might think, and so there would probably be a range of reactions.  In deference to our board's policy not to talk politics, let's not all express our own views on the subject.    I am beginning to think that instead of political science I should have gotten degrees in anthropology--understanding how people react to symbols seems to be critically important in our media-driven culture.

[81alum]

I suspect there would be some fans (probably the younger,more liberal ones) who wouldn't have a problem with it.

I think there would be others (probably the older, more conservative ones) who would.

(Actually there is already a debate among a few Stanford fans on Facebook over the appropriateness of Kaepernick's actions. Not surprisingly some are OK with it; some aren't)

Yes, I think this is mostly correct.  Stanford is more politically diverse than some people might think, and so there would probably be a range of reactions.  In deference to our board's policy not to talk politics, let's not all express our own views on the subject.    I am beginning to think that instead of political science I should have gotten degrees in anthropology--understanding how people react to symbols seems to be critically important in our media-driven culture.

[Mick]

I don't care about Colin Kapernick's political views in even the tiniest way.  At all.

[Mick]

I don't care about Colin Kapernick's political views in even the tiniest way.  At all.

[OutsiderFan]

I don't care about Colin Kapernick's political views in even the tiniest way.  At all.

Said the person who had to make a comment about them :P

I do not think Kaepernick will be the last guy to sit in protest, now that so much attention has been called to the fact he did.  Given few places encourage political activism like college campuses, it wouldn't surprise me to see some college athletes refusing to stand for the national anthem as well.  A discussion of what the possible reaction and outcome might be in such a scenario seems reasonable to have.  You know for a fact no coach wants to deal with this issue, but any responsible one sure would address it head on given it's now in the national conversation.

[OutsiderFan]

I don't care about Colin Kapernick's political views in even the tiniest way.  At all.

Said the person who had to make a comment about them :P

I do not think Kaepernick will be the last guy to sit in protest, now that so much attention has been called to the fact he did.  Given few places encourage political activism like college campuses, it wouldn't surprise me to see some college athletes refusing to stand for the national anthem as well.  A discussion of what the possible reaction and outcome might be in such a scenario seems reasonable to have.  You know for a fact no coach wants to deal with this issue, but any responsible one sure would address it head on given it's now in the national conversation.

[martyup]

I think he should focus on winning the starting QB position instead of pissing off half of his fans.

[martyup]

I think he should focus on winning the starting QB position instead of pissing off half of his fans.

[rudruff]

Yeah. If he was playing better this might have more effect.

[rudruff]

Yeah. If he was playing better this might have more effect.

[Phogge]

I don't think there is a law re respect for the Anthem or for anything else. His right. Our right to call him a punk.

[Phogge]

I don't think there is a law re respect for the Anthem or for anything else. His right. Our right to call him a punk.

[CornFed]

[quote author=JPRI link=topic=15509.msg168684#msg168684 date=1472393133]
I suspect there would be some fans (probably the younger,more liberal ones) who wouldn't have a problem with it.

I think there would be others (probably the older, more conservative ones) who would.

(Actually there is already a debate among a few Stanford fans on Facebook over the appropriateness of Kaepernick's actions. Not surprisingly some are OK with it; some aren't)

Yes, I think this is mostly correct.  Stanford is more politically diverse than some people might think, and so there would probably be a range of reactions.  In deference to our board's policy not to talk politics, let's not all express our own views on the subject.  I am beginning to think that instead of political science I should have gotten degrees in anthropology--understanding how people react to symbols seems to be critically important in our media-driven culture.
[/quote]

Like ferrari then.  ::)

[CornFed]

[quote author=JPRI link=topic=15509.msg168684#msg168684 date=1472393133]
I suspect there would be some fans (probably the younger,more liberal ones) who wouldn't have a problem with it.

I think there would be others (probably the older, more conservative ones) who would.

(Actually there is already a debate among a few Stanford fans on Facebook over the appropriateness of Kaepernick's actions. Not surprisingly some are OK with it; some aren't)

Yes, I think this is mostly correct.  Stanford is more politically diverse than some people might think, and so there would probably be a range of reactions.  In deference to our board's policy not to talk politics, let's not all express our own views on the subject.  I am beginning to think that instead of political science I should have gotten degrees in anthropology--understanding how people react to symbols seems to be critically important in our media-driven culture.
[/quote]

Like ferrari then.  ::)

[JohnR34231]

I don't think there is a law re respect for the Anthem or for anything else. His right. Our right to call him a punk.

I believe the NFL makes standing at the Anthem optional for players. So technically he isn't even violating any NFL rules.

That's the way it will go. Some will call him a courageous individual who is willing to stand up (or I guess in this case sit down) and be counted against racism. Others will call him a punk who is ungrateful for all America has done for him.

[JohnR34231]

I don't think there is a law re respect for the Anthem or for anything else. His right. Our right to call him a punk.

I believe the NFL makes standing at the Anthem optional for players. So technically he isn't even violating any NFL rules.

That's the way it will go. Some will call him a courageous individual who is willing to stand up (or I guess in this case sit down) and be counted against racism. Others will call him a punk who is ungrateful for all America has done for him.

[stupac2]

Yeah. If he was playing better this might have more effect.

Yeah, because that sure quieted down all the chatter around Newton.

[stupac2]

Yeah. If he was playing better this might have more effect.

Yeah, because that sure quieted down all the chatter around Newton.

[amartinsu13]

I was talking about this with some buddies over dinner last night.

Like someone said above, it's his right not to stand.  It's our right to call him an idiot.

I also agree that if he was actually a good QB, people might take it more seriously. But since he's been playing like garbage lately, that's an easy way to "hate" on him ("Why not focus more on being a good QB instead of trying to make political statements??")

[amartinsu13]

I was talking about this with some buddies over dinner last night.

Like someone said above, it's his right not to stand.  It's our right to call him an idiot.

I also agree that if he was actually a good QB, people might take it more seriously. But since he's been playing like garbage lately, that's an easy way to "hate" on him ("Why not focus more on being a good QB instead of trying to make political statements??")

[Hurlburt88]

And speaking very practically, does this increase odds he will get cut if considered borderline contributor skill-wise? 

[Hurlburt88]

And speaking very practically, does this increase odds he will get cut if considered borderline contributor skill-wise? 

[stupac2]

And speaking very practically, does this increase odds he will get cut if considered borderline contributor skill-wise?

Probably.

I'm curious, to all the people calling him a punk/idiot/whatever, why? He's using his fame to make a statement about something he considers important. Why does that make him [insert epithet here]?

[stupac2]

And speaking very practically, does this increase odds he will get cut if considered borderline contributor skill-wise?

Probably.

I'm curious, to all the people calling him a punk/idiot/whatever, why? He's using his fame to make a statement about something he considers important. Why does that make him [insert epithet here]?

[dabigv13]

Some collected reactions. 2016 in the good ol US of A.

[dabigv13]

Some collected reactions. 2016 in the good ol US of A.

[OutsiderFan]

Given Kaepernick scored one point higher on his Wonderlich than Andrew Luck, I'm pretty sure he's a lot smarter than most of the people calling him names.  To be clear, I have not been a Kaepernick fan ever since he was drafted.  He's not my QB choice, the guy I want leading my team or being the face of my franchise, for many reasons, none of which involve sitting for the national anthem.

I do think if someone does what CK did, everyone taking exception to it does themselves a disservice by not finding out about to what he is trying to draw attention, because things have to be quite amiss for a lot of people for someone to risk so much criticism, and possibly put his career at risk, by taking a controversial public stand on such a visible platform like the NFL.  Ignoring the message and shouting hate at the messenger - who did nothing legally or procedurally prohibited - isn't a very constructive behavior, IMO.

[OutsiderFan]

Given Kaepernick scored one point higher on his Wonderlich than Andrew Luck, I'm pretty sure he's a lot smarter than most of the people calling him names.  To be clear, I have not been a Kaepernick fan ever since he was drafted.  He's not my QB choice, the guy I want leading my team or being the face of my franchise, for many reasons, none of which involve sitting for the national anthem.

I do think if someone does what CK did, everyone taking exception to it does themselves a disservice by not finding out about to what he is trying to draw attention, because things have to be quite amiss for a lot of people for someone to risk so much criticism, and possibly put his career at risk, by taking a controversial public stand on such a visible platform like the NFL.  Ignoring the message and shouting hate at the messenger - who did nothing legally or procedurally prohibited - isn't a very constructive behavior, IMO.

[Red State]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of treatment he receives from the MSM and his fellow NFL players. Some dude named Tebow was mocked relentlessly for his pro-Christian beliefs, including opposing defenders who mimicked praying after sacking him. Somehow I don't think Kaepernick will be treated as harshly for his anti-America "stand".

[Red State]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of treatment he receives from the MSM and his fellow NFL players. Some dude named Tebow was mocked relentlessly for his pro-Christian beliefs, including opposing defenders who mimicked praying after sacking him. Somehow I don't think Kaepernick will be treated as harshly for his anti-America "stand".

[CornFed]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of treatment he receives from the MSM and his fellow NFL players. Some dude named Tebow was mocked relentlessly for his pro-Christian beliefs, including opposing defenders who mimicked praying after sacking him. Somehow I don't think Kaepernick will be treated as harshly for his anti-America "stand".

I don't know, red state, the post that dabigv made kinda suggests it might be pretty ugly.

[CornFed]

It'll be interesting to see what kind of treatment he receives from the MSM and his fellow NFL players. Some dude named Tebow was mocked relentlessly for his pro-Christian beliefs, including opposing defenders who mimicked praying after sacking him. Somehow I don't think Kaepernick will be treated as harshly for his anti-America "stand".

I don't know, red state, the post that dabigv made kinda suggests it might be pretty ugly.

[FrankO]

If the USA actually had a POLICY of Oppression, I'd be in Kaepernick's corner

Today, to the contrary, IT DOES NOT, hundreds of Thousands over 150 years ago shed their blood to remove that cancer... and more recently our Laws were further strengthened after the 1964 Civil Rights Act

the world, including the USA, is an imperfect place and there are bad apples in the police, yes... but we try to weed them out when we find them

Kaeperick may have scored high on the Wunderlich... but this simple truth eludes him

to me he's simply just another stupid jerk

[FrankO]

If the USA actually had a POLICY of Oppression, I'd be in Kaepernick's corner

Today, to the contrary, IT DOES NOT, hundreds of Thousands over 150 years ago shed their blood to remove that cancer... and more recently our Laws were further strengthened after the 1964 Civil Rights Act

the world, including the USA, is an imperfect place and there are bad apples in the police, yes... but we try to weed them out when we find them

Kaeperick may have scored high on the Wunderlich... but this simple truth eludes him

to me he's simply just another stupid jerk

[TreesAndBirds]

Guys, lets not require Yvonne to intervene.

As for the original question, in general, I'd appreciate if Stanford players avoided political statements during the season and especially during games. It can cause bad feelings among other team members with different views and be a distraction as the press focuses on the statement, asks other players about it, etc. That said, players have rights and if they feel they must they are entitled to subject to any applicable team rules etc, just like I/we can decide to think less of them.

[TreesAndBirds]

Guys, lets not require Yvonne to intervene.

As for the original question, in general, I'd appreciate if Stanford players avoided political statements during the season and especially during games. It can cause bad feelings among other team members with different views and be a distraction as the press focuses on the statement, asks other players about it, etc. That said, players have rights and if they feel they must they are entitled to subject to any applicable team rules etc, just like I/we can decide to think less of them.