Many of you don’t remember the great cartoons the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Daffy Duck, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick and Popeye. These are the cartoons that occupied my Saturday mornings as I grew up. While parents tried to sleep in on Saturday, their children watched ‘ The Buggs Bunny Road Runner’ hour, and ate cereal like Kicks or Cheereos or Cap’n Crunch. One of Popeye signature sayings was ‘ I’ve had all I can stans, I can’t stand no more’ at which point he would pull out a can of spinach and guzzle it down to become the super strong man that could beat Bluto, giant octopus or whatever situation he was in.

How I wish America would collectively yell ‘I have all I can stans, I can’t stand no more’ when it comes to the NFL and the politicization of American Football. The NFL is a private organization and has written rules set for each player like if the NFL has a sponsor of Nike, a player can not wear Reebok tennis shoes. If one of the sponsors is Campbell’s soup, you had better not be seen in public eating a competitors soup. Players have been fined $10,000 dollars for violating NFL rules. Another written rule is that, while the National Anthem is being played, the player is to stand with their helmet held at their side as a sign of respect. Many men and women have fought and died to maintain freedom in America. My father, several uncles and my grandfather served in the US military. Many other men served and died. The Flag of the United States and the National Anthem represent the sacrifice of many men and families to give these grown men the right to play a childs game and make millions of dollars. I think it is a small sacrifice to at least stand during the National Anthem. By disrespecting our National Anthem and our flag, you disrespect the men and women that fought and died for your freedom. You disrespect the average American citizen as well as you believe your opinion is more important than ours.

Yes, these men have the right to protest. But they have to realize that none of them are being persecuted. With millions of dollars in their bank accounts, multiple ex wives and many children, how can they say they are persecuted? Doctors save lives and create cures for diseases and don’t have millions of dollars in their bank accounts but players in the NFL do. They don’t save lives, they get to play a game. All they do is literally play a game to entertain us and get a boatload of money not to mention endorsements which could be worth millions themselves. Let me reiterate, these are grown men that GET to play a child game and make a lot of money. What the hell are they protesting?  Try getting millions of dollars playing football in the middle East. Count your lucky stars, shut up and just play football. I already could not give a sh…neeze about American Football anymore. I think there is more heart and effort in college football anyway. While I don’t usually supported boycotts, there is a place for it. If your a player in the NFL, I don’t want to hear your opinion on politics. Just like actors in Hollyweird, they are professional liars who ACT like a fictional character. I don’t care what your opinion is of the president, healthcare or education. Shut up and act. It is us who pay your salary. If we stopped buying products from your sponsors, stopped buying NFL paraphernalia and stopped buying tickets, you would be out on your ass looking for real work.

Frankly, I wouldn’t hire you to rake my lawn. Shut up, stand up and play.