The Popcorn Stand: NFL — Greedy and maybe not so patriotic

So we’re all in a tizzy again over what Colin Kaepernick started after the NFL decided to make the players stand for the national anthem like good boys — or make them stay in the locker room if they intend to misbehave.

Maybe instead of making them stay in the locker room, the NFL could deny the players who take a knee their training table after the game, which would be the equivalent of taking away their milk and cookies.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care for the idea of taking a knee during the national anthem, but not for patriotic reasons, although standing for the national anthem is personally a sense of patriotic duty for me. But again it’s personal. I just don’t think taking a knee during the national anthem is all that effective when it comes to trying to make social change.

Enough fans, though, have apparently gotten to the owners although I think the jury’s still out on that, but the owners apparently feel enough fans are staying away or not watching because of this issue.

But if you think the owners are treating the players who make them ungodly amounts of money like children because they’re patriotic, you’re incredibly naive. It’s because of money. MONEY.

Look at Jerry Jones last year taking a knee with his players before the national anthem last year. Jones is the modern day Charles Comiskey who wants to have it both ways — he really doesn’t care about his players but he wants them to continue to make him money. MONEY.

I’ve taken too long to make my point which is the NFL doesn’t care about its players and it sure doesn’t care about its former players. The latter point was made in a recent episode of HBO’s “Real Sports” which I call the best news show on television. Not just the best sports show. The best news show.

I’ve written before about my love-hate relationship with the NFL, but watching how a league worth zillions of dollars is denying former players who made it those zillions of dollars but are in terrible shape millions of dollars brought me one step closer to saying enough is enough.

Maybe someday I’ll have enough integrity to stop watching the NFL. And it sure ain’t gonna be because Kaepernick didn’t stand for the national anthem.

— Charles Whisnand