Why I haven't boycotted the NFL

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

I was asked not too long ago what was wrong with me, since, as a conservative, I have decided to continue to watch football.  I responded that my favorite player, Derek Carr (quarterback for the Raiders) stands for the National Anthem, with his hand on his heart, and he prays during and afterward, and constantly for his fellow players, the people in his life, and the integrity of the game.  Some have suggested the sack that hurt his back was allowed by the offensive line as payback for Carr refusing to kneel.

One guy?  I was slammed because I am willing to continue to watch the games because of one guy.

Carr is not the only player standing firm in support of his country.

The person I was talking to then slammed me because I was, in his opinion, being disrespectful to military veterans (with a few words that made it sound like I couldn’t understand the sacrifices of our military veterans), and then he finished with a snide “Your family must be proud.”

My response caused him to delete the comment he made. . .

 I am a disabled military veteran, I put my life on the line so they could be freaks, besides, the ones that are kneeling are doing so for a false premise but they have the right to do so if the NFL lets them as a private Corporation, and I was willing to put my life on the line to give them that opportunity. The alternative is to force them to stand, is that what America is about, to force people to do something they don’t want to do? Personally, I enjoy the game, despite the fact that they’re all idiots for kneeling. I’m not going to boycott a game I enjoy because there’s a few people that act like a bunch of idiots, I’m still going to watch the game because I enjoy the game. I’m also a big baseball fan, I played baseball for years, and if idiots did the same thing I probably would still watch baseball, because I enjoy the game. If they want to be idiots that’s their problem I’m not going to not watch the game because they want to be idiots, I still enjoy the game. If I was to condone forcing them to stand and respect the flag, how would that be promoting Liberty? Liberty is all about choice, making decisions, so in turn the decision to be against Liberty must also be one of the possibilities of choices. To demand they stand under the threat of some kind of penalty is not Liberty at all.

I stand by my comments on liberty. Liberty is a choice, and to force them to stand for the National Anthem would make us no better than them.