It seems like everyone has an opinion about the NFL and its activist athletes protesting the president and our nation’s police force. What started as a single clown taking a knee during pregame has morphed into a gigantic cultural issue that’s further dividing our nation.
There’s been a lot of folks weigh in on the issue, including veterans and the families of fallen soldiers, but the latest to voice her displeasure over the NFL is the widow of Chris Kyle, the infamous American sniper.
As reported at the Daily Mail, Taye Kyle wrote an open letter on her Facebook page Tuesday, ripping the league and its players for stoking the anger and division in the country, rather than bringing folks together.
“Your desire to focus on division and anger has shattered what many people loved most about the sport,” she wrote.
“Football was really a metaphor for our ideal world – different backgrounds, talents, political beliefs and histories as one big team with one big goal – to do well, to win, TOGETHER.”
Taya explained why she can’t get on board with the player’s juvenile protest, as it would be “asking us to abandon what we loved about togetherness and make choices of division.”
“Will we stand with you? Will we stand with our flag? What does it mean? What does it mean if we buy a ticket or NFL gear? What does it mean if we don’t? It is the polar opposite of the easy togetherness we once loved in football.”
She continued, “It was simple – we loved you and you loved us – with all of our races, religions, different backgrounds and politics. Simplicity in a crazy world was pretty awesome.”
Kyle hits at the heart of the issue. What was once a game that allowed us to take a break from all the political insanity and come together for simple enjoyment and entertainment, has been turned into something entirely political. It puts fans in a strange position, as it’s almost like their continued viewing/support of the league means they tacitly accept the views espoused by the organization and its players.
But few people want to even think about that stuff when it comes to sports, much less be lectured or accused of various crimes for not agreeing with the protests. Sports are supposed to be about coming together as a team to accomplish a goal, but these protests have massively detracted from that by pitting teammates and fans against one another.
Let’s hope that the NFL and other sporting leagues can learn from this laughable ordeal and get back to focusing on their respective sports, not politics.
Source: Daily Mail