Colin Kaepernick is...

[Admiral Yi]

Apologies if this has already been brought up. Why do we have to play the national anthem at sporting events and why does everybody have to stand up? Serious question.

Surely the US is not the only country in the world where people are expected to stand during the national anthem?

[alfred russel]

Apologies if this has already been brought up. Why do we have to play the national anthem at sporting events and why does everybody have to stand up? Serious question.

It is played because it started in WWII, and never stopped.

People have to stand up because otherwise people will heckle you if you don't and it will be really awkward the rest of the game as people treat you with disdain and ask if you are with the terrorists (rhetorically, they have decided you are).

[Valmy]

Apologies if this has already been brought up. Why do we have to play the national anthem at sporting events and why does everybody have to stand up? Serious question.

It is played because it started in WWII, and never stopped.

People have to stand up because otherwise people will heckle you if you don't and it will be really awkward the rest of the game as people treat you with disdain and ask if you are with the terrorists (rhetorically, they have decided you are).

Glad to see you were paying attention

[Martinus]

Apologies if this has already been brought up. Why do we have to play the national anthem at sporting events and why does everybody have to stand up? Serious question.

Surely the US is not the only country in the world where people are expected to stand during the national anthem?

In Europe, national anthems are definitely played during international soccer games, not sure how common it is to do so during national games. People are expected to stand up, whether it is France, Poland or the UK.

You Yanks are weird with this thing. On one hand you have this really extreme flag waving patriotism, which can make most Euros uneasy at times. On the other hand, you also have this tradition of burning the national flag or shitting on the national anthem, which most Euros would find awkward (or illegal) too. Surely, there are better ways to protest, especially when you live in a country with a rule of law.

[dps]

Apologies if this has already been brought up. Why do we have to play the national anthem at sporting events and why does everybody have to stand up? Serious question.

Surely the US is not the only country in the world where people are expected to stand during the national anthem?

In Europe, national anthems are definitely played during international soccer games, not sure how common it is to do so during national games. People are expected to stand up, whether it is France, Poland or the UK.

You Yanks are weird with this thing. On one hand you have this really extreme flag waving patriotism, which can make most Euros uneasy at times. On the other hand, you also have this tradition of burning the national flag or shitting on the national anthem, which most Euros would find awkward (or illegal) too. Surely, there are better ways to protest, especially when you live in a country with a rule of law.

Euros just don't get Freedom of Speech, do they?

[garbon]

Apologies if this has already been brought up. Why do we have to play the national anthem at sporting events and why does everybody have to stand up? Serious question.

Surely the US is not the only country in the world where people are expected to stand during the national anthem?

In Europe, national anthems are definitely played during international soccer games, not sure how common it is to do so during national games. People are expected to stand up, whether it is France, Poland or the UK.

You Yanks are weird with this thing. On one hand you have this really extreme flag waving patriotism, which can make most Euros uneasy at times. On the other hand, you also have this tradition of burning the national flag or shitting on the national anthem, which most Euros would find awkward (or illegal) too. Surely, there are better ways to protest, especially when you live in a country with a rule of law.

Euros just don't get Freedom of Speech, do they?

Eventually we will allow their scribes to marvel at our sophistication.

[Razgovory]

In Europe, national anthems are definitely played during international soccer games, not sure how common it is to do so during national games. People are expected to stand up, whether it is France, Poland or the UK.

You Yanks are weird with this thing. On one hand you have this really extreme flag waving patriotism, which can make most Euros uneasy at times. On the other hand, you also have this tradition of burning the national flag or shitting on the national anthem, which most Euros would find awkward (or illegal) too. Surely, there are better ways to protest, especially when you live in a country with a rule of law.

American Patriotism has traditionally been conditional.  Trump's brand of Nationalism is more in line with how Euros think, which is I suppose why you and legbiter are attracted to such displays.

[grumbler]

In Europe, national anthems are definitely played during international soccer games, not sure how common it is to do so during national games. People are expected to stand up, whether it is France, Poland or the UK.

You Yanks are weird with this thing. On one hand you have this really extreme flag waving patriotism, which can make most Euros uneasy at times. On the other hand, you also have this tradition of burning the national flag or shitting on the national anthem, which most Euros would find awkward (or illegal) too. Surely, there are better ways to protest, especially when you live in a country with a rule of law. 

For all that we share some basic beliefs, Europeans and Americans have many areas in which understanding is difficult without making an effort.  Some Americans have this wacky idea about patriotism and how you should show it, some Europeans have this wacky idea about the antisemitism and how you should show it. 

Protesters in America who want to shock public opinion to get attention burn the flag.  Protesters in Europe who want to shock public opinion to get attention don the swastika.  I'll take the American method, because it terrifies fewer people.

[11B4V]

He's a douche but has the right to do what he did.

[Martinus]

In Europe, national anthems are definitely played during international soccer games, not sure how common it is to do so during national games. People are expected to stand up, whether it is France, Poland or the UK.

You Yanks are weird with this thing. On one hand you have this really extreme flag waving patriotism, which can make most Euros uneasy at times. On the other hand, you also have this tradition of burning the national flag or shitting on the national anthem, which most Euros would find awkward (or illegal) too. Surely, there are better ways to protest, especially when you live in a country with a rule of law.

American Patriotism has traditionally been conditional.  Trump's brand of Nationalism is more in line with how Euros think, which is I suppose why you and legbiter are attracted to such displays.

This is actually a pretty insightful observation. Well done, Raz.

[The Minsky Moment]

Euros just don't get Freedom of Speech, do they?

No they don't, but to be fair, neither do many Americans.

[grumbler]

Euros just don't get Freedom of Speech, do they?

No they don't, but to be fair, neither do many Americans.

Americans don't need to understand it, so long as  they capitalize it.

[MadImmortalMan]

Kap should have husbanded his public image and not endangered any future endorsement deals. He can easily give all that money to BLM or any other cause he wants.

How much is Manning making for these bathrobe commercials? If Kap retires with this image, he won't get those deals. From that perspective you could say it was a very self-sacrificial thing. And probably not a very effective one.

[Berkut]

I don't know how you can argue it wasn't effective. It seems like it was radically more effective than he could have possibly expected.

[Barrister]

Kap should have husbanded his public image and not endangered any future endorsement deals. He can easily give all that money to BLM or any other cause he wants.

How much is Manning making for these bathrobe commercials? If Kap retires with this image, he won't get those deals. From that perspective you could say it was a very self-sacrificial thing. And probably not a very effective one.

He wasn't going to get any endorsement deals anyways.  He just wasn't that good or that popular to begin with.

If anything this controversy has increased his name recognition and makes an endorsement deal more likely.