Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva was the only member of the Pittsburgh Steelers to take the field for the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, but the former U.S. Army Ranger said the moment happened by accident.I'm not holding a brief for Le Grand Orange on this one -- it would be better if he'd concentrate his efforts on other things than the NFL. But obscure bloggers in Minnesota don't get to set his agenda. Having said that, there's something screwed up when a guy who stands for the national anthem is somehow throwing his team under the bus. What's worse is Villanueva being compelled to apologize for his actions. When standing for the anthem becomes a thoughtcrime, it's time for the people running the Pittsburgh Steelers to give some thought to the larger message they are conveying.
“Unfortunately, I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally,” Villanueva said at a press conference on Monday. “Every single time I see that picture of me, standing by myself, I feel embarrassed.”
Villanueva appeared to stand firm on Sunday, holding his his hand over his heart as the song played, while his teammates remained in the tunnel behind him in protest of President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of players who "disrespect" the U.S.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Mao-Maoing the Flak Catcher
So yesterday I singled out Alejandro Villanueva, the Pittsburgh Steelers lineman who stood out on the field during the playing of the national anthem with his hand over his heart and his helmet in hand. He apologized for that yesterday:
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4 comments:
how this shit just blew up this big... i'm just sitting back going.. 'just wow'...
i'm convinced that americans are intentionally going out of their way to misunderstand each other.
from a flippant commander in chief to gladiator snowflakes... what's next?
But Gino, you know how getting a multimillion dollar paycheck each year oppresses minorities! (oppress me, please!)
The main good thing that could happen with this is if, as was the usual practice prior to the Vietnam War, we decided we didn't need to play the national anthem all the time. One might have hoped that Rosie O'Donnell would have killed the practice, but let's give this one a try.
Yeah, I think people are intentionally misunderstanding one another, but that’s because they’re sick of hearing the arguments, which lead precisely nowhere. The NFL’s problem, at least in my view, is it was one of the few remaining refuges from the politicization of everything. But now that’s gone, so the people who sought that refuge are especially pissed about it. There is no escape, and you will be made to care.
Football might be in trouble anyway because of the CTE issue, but a lot of fans are less inclined to fight for its future if they perceive the people running football are feckless. The whole professional sports world is a big bubble and bubbles tend to burst. We may be witnessing it.
I'll be putting up some thoughts on this in the next few days. I tried to avoid it but can't.
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